A lot of discussion here about the future of the company. Few things are so telling about that as the bloated, serial PIPoffs.
The official version that they are meant to help and invigorate employees is ridiculous, as many of those put in NSI wisely choose to not even take the PIP; all employees realize they’re now contractors on a yearly basis, which destroys morale and causes some of the best to look for a more normal work place.
The actual amount of personnel reduction is small (5-6%/year), meaning that a layoff is a much less damaging to reduce numbers.
Some speculate that this is a fear-inducing method, meant to get rid of as many people as possible with no severance payments. Possible, but this is an uncontrollable process which deprives the company of some of its best workers, including from the sacred caste of “leadership material”.
Conclusion: whatever the original intent was in Dallas, it is a process with zero utility, extremely damaging to the company, completely out of control. To come up with this weird idea as a response to the existential crisis that the company has faced in the last year and a half shows that our top leadership absolutely doesn’t know what they’re doing and then are completely disconnected from the results on the ground of their catastrophic measures.
A huge unforced error as a response to a life-threatening crisis can only point to a terminally ill company.
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I agree that the system is destroying the company and it will be very difficult if not impossible to recover. Like many others who weren’t ranked in the bottom, we realize it will be us at some time since that the rankings are completely arbitrary. With this system, we are all on a one year contract with a seemingly random ranking process, so only a fool would put any effort into the job rather than looking for a better job, a job that isn’t a contract job where we get to work another year if we win the ranking lottery. We have seen good people get screwed for no reason. I work from home as much as I can, going to work maybe four days a month. At home, I am job hunting and interviewing, working out, and doing what I want to do. Yes, I get on zoom meetings, that’s about it. As soon as I get a job that I determine is better, I’ll start that job and continue to collect a check from Exxon until I have to go back to work full time. I’ve seen too many good people get screwed, I’m doing this for them, that and before Exxon does it to me. Many others are doing the same.
PIPoffs as you call them are very much from Dallas. Business lines up to company presidents have acknowledged that attrition is higher than historical. At my location attrition is ~5% vs. typical 1% thru mid year. Regional directors are not being given the authority to run their business and are frustrated with the handcuffs placed on them.
I heard that many in senior leadership in Dallas pleaded with DW to stop the PIPs after the December bloodletting.
DW insisted to keep the PIP and further insisted that it remain at 8%. Arrogance magnified by stupidity or intentional sabotage?
DW alone is to blame for employees now feeling like on 1 year contract but without the day rate associated with 1 year contract.
Loyalty out the window. Attrition levels will reach as high as the outside hiring market will support.
I still hear senior management DM to President) claiming that regrettable attrition has not significantly different from historical trends.
Is this just gaslighting....or could they be fed doctored data ?
Spot on. In the upstream area I work, the PiPs are obviously a farce as they are targeting perfectly fine employees. People have observed this and take it as a signal that it isn’t worth it. We have lost many high-performers.
In the meantime our upper management have absolutely disappeared from sight; completely giving up any pretense of leadership.
Well said OP, I joined XOM with some much hope now planning my exist...