Does Refinery29 pay their employees well?

According to anonymously submitted Glassdoor reviews, Refinery29 employees rate their compensation and benefits as 2.6 out of 5. Find out more about salaries and benefits at Refinery29. This rating has been stable over the past 12 months.

How satisfied are employees working at Refinery29?

40% of Refinery29 employees would recommend working there to a friend based on Glassdoor reviews . Employees also rated Refinery29 2.9 out of 5 for work life balance, 3.2 for culture and values and 2.5 for career opportunities.

What are the top reviewed jobs at Refinery29?

Intern (9) , Software Engineer (6) , Internship (5) , Writer (5) , Editor (4) , Graphic Designer (4) , Intern - Hourly (4) , Production Assistant (4) , Editorial (3) , Producer (3) , Account Executive (2) , Account Manager (2) , Art Director (2) , Content Writer (2) , Creative Department (2)

What are the pros of working at Refinery29 according to real employee reviews?

"Some great people" ((in 34 reviews)); "The coworkers were the best part of the job." ((in 11 reviews)); "Great culture and environment to work in." ((in 8 reviews)); "free stuff, nice office, casual work environment" ((in 5 reviews)); "Beautiful office" ((in 5 reviews))

What are the cons of working at Refinery29 according to real employee reviews?

"NO work life balance; unsustainable and will burn you out." ((in 12 reviews)); "low pay not in line with the industry or people's experience" ((in 9 reviews)); "Which leaves less capable managers in the middle level therefore further negatively affecting non" ((in 8 reviews)); "Upper management is ignorant of the fact that employees have no work" ((in 8 reviews)); "Hours are long and personnel is under appreciated." ((in 6 reviews))

What are employees saying about Refinery29 layoffs in 2026?

Explore Glassdoor’s employee reviews to understand what current and former employees are saying about Refinery29 layoffs and their outlook for job security at Refinery29 in 2026.

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Refinery29

Refinery29 reviews

3.1

40% would recommend to a friend

(191 total reviews)

Philippe von Borries

35% approve of CEO

18% positive business outlook

Ratings by category

3.4

Diversity & inclusion

3.2

Culture & values

2.9

Work/Life balance

2.7

Senior management

2.6

Compensation and benefits

2.5

Career opportunities

Refinery29 has an employee rating of 3.1 out of 5 stars, based on 191 company reviews on Glassdoor which indicates that most employees have a good working experience there. The Refinery29 employee rating is in line with the average (within 1 standard deviation) for employers within the Mídia e comunicação industry (3.7 stars).

Ratings by demographic groups

Race / Ethnicity

Gender

Sexual orientation

Disability

Parent or family caregiver

Veteran status

Reviews by job title

191 reviews

1.0

Jun 19, 2016

Executives totally clueless and competing KPIs

Anonymous employee

Recommend

Business Outlook

Pros

Young and fun company, lots of emphasis on individuality.

Cons

Executives don't know what they are doing, they don't stand up for the best decision just react to whatever the next big emergency/sale is. Goals are competing - one team has to optimize for X and the other team has to optimize for Y, which is completely antithetical to X. No advice or clarity as to which priority is more important, didn't seem to understand how this creates unnecessary friction.

5.0

Jun 15, 2016

Manager

Anonymous employee

Recommend

Business Outlook

Pros

-Collaborative environment -powerful brand narrative- their mission to inspire the most powerful generation of women is really inspiring. Strong corporate culture. -Inspiring leaders and some of the smartest colleagues I've worked with - Creativity is encouraging

Cons

Nothing I love it here!

3.0

Jun 14, 2016

Strong brand, content farm

Anonymous employee

Recommend

Business Outlook

Pros

Office has plenty of natural light, high ceilings. Good location. Many of the staffers are extremely hardworking, met some amazing people who were sucking up low pay and long hours because so many would like to work there. And it is a strong brand, so it's ultimately great to have on your resume. A lot of opportunity if you're smart about it and take initiative.

Cons

It's a site which should empower women, and most of the content reflects that. But I witnessed a female staffer being humiliated in the crowded open office by a female higher up. I'd never seen anything like it, except maybe in a movie starring Joan Crawford. Also, management played favorites with certain staffers who were not so hardworking -- so meritocracy was lacking. It was very disappointing and hard to truly enjoy working at a company that should be amazing with these demoralizing issues. Content farm. Is it really possible to read that many blog posts in a day? A lifetime?

Viewing 148 - 150 of 191 Reviews

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