I worked at Chevron Chemical (and then Research) in Richmond for thirty years: 22 as an employee and 8 as a contractor. I'm not concerned that someone might identify me by my posts in this forum. I don't intend to smear Chevron...or anyone who works for Chevron. I'd like to think that my view is 'nuanced':
The Company runs itself. There is no Grand Master (evil or beneficent) setting policy and 'calling the shots'.
In the early 1980's, when I hired on, Chevron seemed to CARE about the people they hired. On my first day, I was walked around and introduced to the people with whom I would be working. There was even a paragraph or two in the orientation requesting that if (or when) you decided to quit...to leave Chevron, that you make your intentions known in a timely fashion so that your departure could be discussed (with the feeling that, perhaps, you could be persuaded to STAY). Yes! The feeling I got then was that, once hired (and it took months and several interviews for me to GET hired), you were a Chevron employee 'for life'. In other words, Chevron took pains to hire 'good people' and, AS an employee, you felt you had 'bragging rights'...you felt respected BY the Company and proud of yourSELF!
But by ~1989, with the advent of nonsense like Crosby Quality Training, that mutual respect started to erode...SO much so that, by ~ the year 2000, it was GONE and was replaced by today's adversarial relationship between management and employees.
Of course, I could elaborate but this post is already long enough. Thank you for reading.