Thread regarding ExxonMobil Corp. layoffs

Well said!

In Baton Rouge my experience has been that most low performers that strive to get in the fraternity by getting in front of the club members get selected. Add to that a female that’s not born in the USA is a sure thing. None have ever proven they can do anything credible but it makes the numbers add up. So basically we have minorities and majorities that are horrible for the most part with just a few exceptions. That’s why the site is in such a bad place to be.

Remove soft skills, hold them accountable for their decisions and look at the results they produce. Is the group better off after their assignment or worse than when they arrived?

Their ranking is determined by results. That’s how you change culture. Not giving everyone a trophy regardless of their results.

You’re also punished for it wanting to be a manager. I know I was. I was promoted to Team Lead, reporting directly to a division manager. I didn’t like the job, but I did OK. Certainly, I think I was better than some supervisors that I’ve had (who kept going up the management ladder). Once I told my DM that “it didn’t feel like a real job, doing proper work” and that I wanted to go back on the technical ladder, I was toast.

XOM prioritizes soft skills for managerial roles because of the subjectivity. They can basically cherry pick low intelligence and integrity individuals to follow orders - it’s a top down company and we’ll k own for it. I spent a decade there and most people that rose to management were just yet men and women, with little to say to disrupt, because they had no informed opinion or care to form any. Others may also want to do some research into religious bias - it’s there if you dig.

During Covid when there was a lot of pressure, these uninformed generalist managers made cuts to actually beneficial employees based on cultural fit - a fit that is self serving.

Companies run in politics die. XOM is not just externally humbled at this point…. It’s a running joke.

That’s what you took from that?

@1fcd+1lEgMgJf I disagree. It is all about the choices you make. I am more employable after being a supervisor. I expanded the domain over which I have technical knowledge. I have developed leadership and management skills. Other companies and industries are looking for this. If you are lash and stop learning you can become unemployable in any role. It takes effort to keep learning but it is possible in any role.

Yes people want to advance to higher pay, position or both. And most companies follow the Peter Principle.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peter_principle

To some. extent you are right but I would say there is an equal amount that were the worst in their discipline and instead of cutting them loose they promoted them. That’s the ones drunk on power and politics you have to watch out for.

@1fcd+1lEgMgJf Well said. This is even true of some technical roles….you can end up applying such a narrow subset of your technical skills that you lose relevant skills in your field to make you attractive elsewhere. You are less likely to become “unemployable “ but it still happens.

Here’s the conundrum: Yes, you might go farther within ExxonMobil. You also become un-employable outside the company. The term ‘golden handcuffs’ aren’t so much about the pension and pay….but the pension and pay in reference to your skill set. Most managers quickly become high paid generalists, who move away from their technical skill set. ….so if this is your path, be certain you are ready to have a long ExxonMobil career.

So serious answer for you. At least I'll tell you about my experience. For me it wasn't easy. Not all my adventures were winners. I came in as an experienced hire and just skipped most of the exxon bs and did things that made sense to me. I always looked for things that could be improved and then actually fixed them. Finding things that don't make sense is easy within exxon. I helped others fix problems that were making their work difficult. This helped those folks work more efficiently. Maybe I didn't know the answer but I at least did the best I could to find someone or something that would fix the problem. Probably the biggest thing is getting key people under you to believe in themselves and encourage positive behaviors such as curiosity and ingenuity. You welcome all ideas and screen them for risks to see if the risks are worth the rewards. Never say "it's against the policy" (this is an exxon robot answer and a really lazy response) Also, when asked to do projects outside your wheelhouse say yes and figure it out as you go. Good luck!

Being a manager is the only way to succeed? News to me. Would rather do real work than spend my whole day in meetings putting up with B.S. and faking a smile while I do it. Keep the CL bump homoe, I'll go enjoy my life.

I'm pretty sure it's based off popularity and good lovin'. How some of these people are where they are is beyond me.