I've been here around 2 years now and everyone is defeated and disgruntled here it seems. Have things been this difficult always or just during the MW reign?
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I agree. I've been here for 10 years now and this company is a shell of what it was when I started. This year Chevron will net ~25billion, buy back ~15billion in stock, raise the dividend, and make about $60billion in new acquisitions.
Yet, we are "off target" across the board on financial performance. We are used to belt-tightening during the downturns, it's the nature of the business. But this is unlike anything anyone has seen before. We are literally printing money faster than we can spend it (with 30% less staff) and all we hear is how awful our performance is. It is crushing for morale.
That email that PB sent was unprecedented and uncalled for.
I’m sure we can fix this by having RM do another installment of her talk show … said nobody in their right mind!
The current poor morale reflects the multi-stage transformation. Everyone knew that this infatuation with Microsoft Agile munbo jumbo was just horse sh-t distractions from getting the job done. However, because Sr. management was all in, any one who suggested the emperor had no clothes was quickly sidelined. The result was the rise of all the brown noses and marginalization (and in many cases voluntary departure) of the folks that actually knew what they were doing. The predictable result has been one long sprint to the toilet.
Poor morale is a telltale sign of a company lacking in inspiring leadership, lacking in clearly stated long-term goals, lacking in role models and mentors, lacking in effective training, lacking in clear career direction, and fraught with cronyism and favoritism, or even worse, a widespread insinuation of such. Where company tradition (such as Chevron Way) is replaced with trendy consultant-speak. Where counsel is sought from consultants rather than employees. Also where there is no clear distinction between excellent performers and average employees. Where 1st and 2nd level managers do more answering up (spreadsheets and powerpoints) than answering down (explaining policy and strategic direction). Where such individuals are poorly trained to be managers, and thus better at corralling and "ranking" their staff rather than encouraging risk-taking, performance and growth. Where middle managers are jockeying for their next assignment rather than performing well at their current assignment. Where upper management has a myriad of yes-persons between themselves and ordinary employees, and conduct town hall meetings and Q&A with only hand-picked attendees and pre-populated questions. Where you've never had a casual lunch with anyone higher than your immediate manager. Where employee surveys are summarily ignored. Where fast-risers in the company are rewarded for the school they went to, or who they're related to, or (fill in the blank) rather than documented performance. Where such individuals are scorned and detested rather than cheered on as team performers.
It goes back further than MW.
There was a time Chevron actually cared for its employees. That all stopped with MW, whose only goals are stock buybacks and dividend increases. MW has no use for employees outside of his darling high-pots.
Why are you staying? I heard unemployment is at record lows and there's an extreme worker shortage. Is that not true?
The company is circling the drain. Too much emphasis on DEI, and not enough attention to adding solid reserves in the US. Chevron is a husk of its former self.
You are expected to go above and beyond for what? A 2-3% raise if that
Chevron needs to start appreciating employees if not a lot of people will be gone or you get the bare minimum effort to match the menial raise
May be the ghosts of Enron is haunting the place. One day it will be just like Enron.
Oh, thats what we call “normal”!
It seems MW and management is unrealistic with the increasingly high dividends and share buy backs and they are continuously punishing the employees to make The Street happy. The company will break if they keep it up. One more layoff and I think the people hanging on will move on and they will have no one left.
Never seen morale so low in my several decades working for Chevron. Just a miserable place to work now.
It’s always been bo-m/bust, but it’s been much worse this cycle. We printed money last year and still got punished on CIP and increased budget pressure.