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 29 reviews)); "The coworkers were the best part of the job." ((in 11 reviews)); "Great culture and creative teams." ((in 7 reviews)); "Beautiful office" ((in 6 reviews)); "Very healthy work environment, I have yet to encounter nastiness, back stabbing, aggression" ((in 5 reviews))

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

"No work/life balance and no appreciation provided for hard work put in." ((in 12 reviews)); "low pay not in line with the industry or people's experience" ((in 11 reviews)); "Upper management is ignorant of the fact that employees have no work" ((in 8 reviews)); "Which leaves less capable managers in the middle level therefore further negatively affecting non" ((in 7 reviews)); "Hours are long and personnel is under appreciated." ((in 7 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.

Skip to content Skip to footer

Notifications

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

Aug 21, 2014

It's cool until it's just so not cool!

Creative department

Recommend

Business Outlook

Pros

Bagel Fridays, free leftovers and honestly that's about it! I can't say I've worked for such a weak company before in my entire career

Cons

I've never ever experienced such an unprofessional environment in my whole career. Anywhere from the creative director to the owner to the intern that's been there for months and months, no one Handles business like a professional. If having the largest Instagram following, the coolest shoes and the sassiest attitude is the type of environment you think you can excel in... R29 is right for you!

2.0

Aug 17, 2014

At R29 there is no 'offline'

Anonymous employee

Recommend

Business Outlook

Pros

Lots of amazingly talented people on the team, nice office, most people care deeply about their work, general environment of excellence that can bring out an employee's best.

Cons

Everything you've heard about R29's brutal workload is true. There is NO work-life balance. Employees (even junior ones) are reprimanded for not answering emails/doing extra work at all hours of the day, night, weekends and days off. V. high turnover. Talented people jumping ship left and right for more structured, corporate environments that don't demand 24-7 work. Huge pay disparities for people doing similar work. The vertical you're in, how much you speak out, and looks matter a LOT to how you're paid. They will absolutely try to get away with underpaying you if your a shrinking violet. Talk to your coworkers and make sure you're being paid fairly. Also, get promises of bonuses from management in writing — major shenanigans going on there (bonuses promised then taken away, promises of a "great" year-end bonus that ends up being 1%)

3.0

Jul 29, 2014

Changing Rapidly

Anonymous employee

Recommend

Business Outlook

Pros

It's a great name to have on your resume because of its reputation for being so fast-paced. If you're a highly visible employee, they'll promote you much quicker than a quieter, behind-the-scenes worker who does 4X as much. They often promote within.

Cons

Upper management is ignorant of the fact that employees have no work-life balance. Founders treat you as though you have the same stake in their company as they do, and expect you to be as invested as them. This often means answering emails within minutes during nights, weekends, vacations, and sick time.

Viewing 181 - 183 of 191 Reviews

Top companies for "Compensation and Benefits" near you

The Business Year

3.5★Compensation & Benefits