All. How many people have been told to not worry about the layoffs and "focus" on your work? The people that are making those statements are out of touch. They know they are safe just like the officials telling everyone that they need to stay at home without work during COVID-19. Put us out of our misery already. You have been working on this since last year. Business Units have been quicker with the draw. SASBU has made announcements and I'm sure more are to follow. Leadership, "Focus" on your job and hurry up. Most of us regular people would like to move on and plan life. There is a bunch of lower level supervision scurrying around like rats trying to look busy, making us lower PSG people do a lot of unnecessary work. Thoughts?
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The 1986 layoff was far bloodier than this one...this is normal course of the boom-bust business. Time to cut the fat. If you did not work hard enough to be highly ranked, you made your bed...Now yu will have to deal with layoff in a market saturated with geologist, drillers and reservoir engineers. In 1986, most had to change careers and industries. This time is the same. Unlike 2016, the shale industry was booming and could absorb CVX layoffs. This time majors and independents and service companies have been wiped out. You will need to change industries and maybe move from Texas, like the laid off in 1986 had to.
As I am old enough to have experienced the Oil Embargo of the '70's, the crash of '85, the crash of 2008, and more mergers, cut-backs, and re-orgs than you can shake a stick at, believe me when I say, I feel your pain (only,... I mean it,... as opposed to Ex-President Clinton). Through the almost 40 year span of my career in the oil/gas business (and now, retired, from Chevron), there seemed to always be turmoil, uncertainty, doubt, and fear. I'm like anyone else,... too quick to expect the worst, fearful of "what the future holds in store, NOW", and, of course, the ever present worry of what's going to happen to my family. But, I do remember telling myself that the only thing I could do, was to continue "moving forward", do what I could, on a daily basis, look for new opportunities, and above all, keep my faith in The Lord. Don't let that last part throw you,... I'm NOT a particularly religious person, but I DO believe in a Supreme Being, and that always brought with it, the realization that we're all just little specks in a vastly unimagineable universe, and our Creator has no reason to wish us ill or see us fail. We're "put here" to succeed. Fear is our worst enemy. Don't succumb to it. As trite and foolish as it may sound, try to keep Monte Python's song "Always Look On The Bright Side Of Life" in your hearts and minds. I've always found it's seemingly shallow lyrics, surprisingly thougtful and inspirational. I mean,... if you DON'T "always look at the bright side of Life",... what's your alternative? Might as well have a few laughs (especially, at yourself), along the way. Am certainly not trying to downplay anyone's concerns, here,... just saying that,... down the road, when, after many more years have passed, and you take a breather and look back at where you've been and the obstacles you've overcome,... you WILL ask yourself "why was I so worried, THEN?" Or, as Oddball (in Kelly's Heroes) was fond of saying, "Don't give me no negative ways,.. man!" Just keep going forward, and be "righteous" (another of Oddball's favorites) as you do so. Bueno suerte, amigos!
Work will set you free
If the layoffs take place in October 1, and I mean after the WARN period is done and people are officially retirees, that wouldn’t be great timing at all. Being let go on October 1 is terrible timing for all ex-Chevroids from an income tax standpoint. Imagine, you are let go on October 1. The severance papers come to your house by October 15. You are given only 30 days to sign and get the papers back to Chevron if you want a severance. So even if you try to string out the time, you’ll have to get the documents returned by November 15. Let’s say it takes them 1 week to process the documents before they forward instructions to payroll for you to be paid, it’s now November 22. Your severance can take 1 or 2 pay periods to actually be paid. At best, the check arrives with a December 21 date on it. Well, won’t that be the last joke Chevron plays on you? Here you are with 10 months of salary in 2020 and now a potentially large severance amount added in the same year. If you start unemployment benefits rolling in as soon as October 1, that’s two more months of income at about $650 per week. Uncle Sam is going to put the unfortunate Chevron retirees through the tax wringer for 2020. Must be a sick joke to make you pay back for some of that stimulus money the treasury just handed out. If you are told to go, try to get an extra 30 or 45 days on the payroll before they officially lay you off.
@wqf, "looking" like you're working is all people like you have ever done. What's pathetic and embarrassing is that you think that people believe you are working. You're the only one deluded. Everyone's laughing their A$$ off at you.
If you are over 50, female, minority’s or otherwise impaired, don’t sign anything before talking to a good labor attorney,
Layoffs will be completed before the end of the third quarter, executives have made that clear. Think July / August for most being notified, early September for a few stragglers. The time line has been advanced in order to have "go-forward" organization in place by Oct. 1.
I didn't realize Chevron was forcing OP to stick around.
It is easy to plan life, just think that you are laid off already and they still keep paying you until october. The company is gracious enough to lay us off in October. I start planning my financial and have my back up plan as soon as I realize this oil industry is like a roller coaster. if you don’t know that, maybe it is your first one or you are too naive or too stupid to realize this won’t be the last and it will get more often as long as you work in this industry,
If you have not much to do, you will be let go, there are things beyond our control so worrying about it will not help. This industry goes up and down and the nature of it requires adjustment of work force during up and down cycles. Management cannot let people go quickly as they need to evaluate carefully future growth and need when things go up. In fact hiring qualified people is far more difficult and more expensive than trying to maintain some over head for few years, so adjustments are typically slow by nature, this is not a resturant business where you can find thousands of waiters anytime with little training, so needs a bit more thoughts and long term vision incorporated. 25% cut is huge but with current oil price it is necessary. If you are low in ranks, try to go up the ladder, and it will take time there is no magic other than fo us on your work, do a great job and network, innovate and keep up your skill set with new advances in technology, good luck to everyone, this is possibly the hardest ride of your lifetime in Oil and Gas industry.
The charade of walking around the office pretending to look busy when you don’t have a sc-ap of work to do is an art. It fools everyone and you get to stay on at someone else’s expense but it doesn’t fool the eagle-eyed who know how to spot them. For a small fee, I can be your consultant.
This is the longest break up in history. I'm happy to have a paycheck through October though.