Thread regarding ExxonMobil Corp. layoffs

To be honest I used to enjoyed to work in this company, I am really fascinated by how those very bright engineers thinks and plan. They know when to stop and how to use minimum resources to achieve their testing targets... they also know how to utilise data to reach their conclusion as well without the need to perform any test. As for ground men, they know all the line up nothing will shake up these group of talented ground men even when comes to emergency response, they will not shout on the radio instead, they will be standing by at valve position that requires to be open or close. everything is at the back of their heads..

Most of these top elites has left this farming company... Now you only can find walking deads here, all scare to think and challenge why? because of company now making money need to cut head counts.. All don't dare to do things like last time, no one even dare to challenge their head, now is a yes sir or mdm company... being too out spoken will get you a one way ticket out of the company... lol

Now everyday just say yes sir or mdm, post useless LinkedIn grateful post. Pretend to be happy in this world class sh-t mess company.... anything goes right? as long as it pays my bill.. pretend to build bonds with people...

let's be honest, who still wanna meet your boss after work? during work hours he never give you enough problem? his or her problem become your problem and your problem is only yours...

please la enjoy your time with your family...

August 22, 2020 by Anonymous | 900453 views | 2849 reactions (+2223/-626) | 5505 replies (last 8 hours ago) | Reply

We have now passed 900,000 views. Will we get to 1 million views by Christmas?

Anyway just work la, farm only..... whether you work hard or not, you think this stupid company still care??? do what you can and fu-k it the rest... even the plant burn down also like that....Now this plant is a zombie plant liao... they cannot wait to shut it down... They need to keep it alive just because they cannot find any buyer...

During good times C level people any how expand... bad times need to cut head count and the ground man salary... when all the ground man gone all those people that made the bad. decision to expand still there and worst of all still kana promoted lol...

wanna work hard for this company? Think again... be smart, just act act work and build your financial up here will do... your future is always outside, your family, your mental health and your growth as well...

Here is a sinking ship... just Take the money you need and leave....

@9rfg people don't complain because they are not wasting this energy as they know it is not going to help. Since even the leadership don't know where this ship is sailing to.
Honestly how sustainable is this ...

@9raj Exactly right, look at the amount of natural attrition recently, work been transferred to another co worker / MPE without any replacement, even the polymer BU, the most attrition among other BU, also lean af, but work still goes on for them, u dont see them complaining even they taking more work from the people that left.

I observe only leadership is striving to continue farming their $40k monthly salary.
Even my SLS is looking for job but outside can’t pay him $20k monthly - so he also s- thumb and pretend to sprint.

@9r2c we are on the right track for TC transformation. Guy's, let's do our best and climb, don't be so negative, embrace the change and strive to improve.

No matter how lean we are, work still goes on. For example, people leaving the company and bosses transfer their work to you, take it as it give you the opportunity to work more on the high value item.

@92ea when’s the update due ?

With many organisations changes and TC new work flows, are we on the right track?

https://www.reuters.com/business/energy/exxon-mobils-joliet-refinery-reports-upset-due-power-outage-2026-09-14/

@9pr4+16zEvLP3

The answer is "Yes, we are still on target." The Singapore Site Manager and their direct reports have already been told, "If you cannot meet your PIP/NSI metrics for the year, we will have you replaced by someone that can meet the metrics."

How high is morale now in your department in ExxonMobil SG? Is there still teambuilding and social gatherings?

@9phg definitely. You see tech manager just keep sending supposedly encouraging emails but not really encouraging....

Are We Still on Target to Reduce Our Singapore Headcount by 15% by 2027?

ExxonMobil closes petrochemical plant in Singapore due to losses in global industry

ExxonMobil will permanently shut down its former steam cr--ker facility in Singapore in June 2025 due to losses and overcapacity in the global industry.

The closure follows the commissioning of a new, larger cr--ker in China and reflects a broader trend toward consolidation in the Asian petrochemical sector.

ExxonMobil is exploring the option of purchasing external feedstocks for some of its downstream units, but analysts question the long-term economic viability if olefin prices are not exceptionally low.

ExxonMobil plans to halt operations at its former steam cr--ker facility on Jurong Island in Singapore starting in March, Reuters reports. The decision is part of a broader trend in the global petrochemical sector to cut capacity in response to industry losses. Well-informed sources indicate that the shutdown process is likely to be completed in June. The company’s first cr--ker unit in Singapore, which came onstream in 2002, is being dismantled as chemical producers grapple with overcapacity, particularly in China.

The closure follows ExxonMobil’s recent start-up of a new steam cr--ker in Huizhou, China, which can produce around 1.6 million tonnes of ethylene per year. According to one source, ExxonMobil has gradually reduced the volumes of its term contracts with customers in Singapore over the past two years. Local buyers are expected to source ethylene from the two remaining ethylene producers in Singapore.

ExxonMobil is retaining a second cr--ker on Jurong Island, with a capacity of 1.1 million tonnes per year, which came onstream in 2013. The shutdown reflects a broader consolidation trend in the Asian petrochemical industry, with South Korea seeing similar developments.

In the wake of the closure, ExxonMobil is exploring feedstock options to keep some of its downstream polyolefin units running, provided market margins are favorable. Analysts warn, however, that relying on external feedstocks may not be economically viable over the long term unless olefin prices are exceptionally low. As a result of the shutdown, ExxonMobil is expected to import less naphtha, the main feedstock for the cr--ker.

Data show that ExxonMobil imported around 1.5 million tonnes of naphtha in the first eleven months of this year, compared with nearly 2.5 million tonnes imported over the whole of 2024.

In October, ExxonMobil announced plans to cut its workforce in Singapore by 10–15 percent by 2027. The company also recently reached an agreement to sell its petroleum retail operations in Singapore to the Indonesian firm Chandra Asri.

Are we going to hear another round of program soon since SAR2 on sale, SAR1, SOP2, PAC Lubes, APS2 SD news?

@9p4h who is this puppet polymer leader?

The Singapore Complex has is definitely overstaffed and has too much time on their hands if they are the leading posters on TheLayoff.com

900,000 views, 2829 reactions and 5491 replies. All records on the ExxonMobil site.

We should expect to see more than one million views by Christmas 2026.

August 22, 2020 by Anonymous | 893947 views | 2829 reactions (+2203/-626) | 5491 replies (last 7 hours ago) | Reply

because the locals are just busy trying to step on each other to get their outstanding/excellent, and once promoted, they don't even bother pulling each other up. Not that they are obligated to do so but clearly the indians are doing that way better. So it's a vicious cycle, and expected. So don't bother, already taken over. Just go and make babies for your 70k and extended CC, go for your NS obligations, go for your wfh and go back home early.

@9pcd It is way too late to realise that Indian managers only promote Indian people. Normally, when you are aware of this, it has already become irreversible. I always wonder how come it took so long for some people to see this.
Bush*ting and bootlicking is the only way for Singaporeans to survive in such a culture. Anyway, it is okay one, sooner or later, the entire world will belong to Indians. Good luck to all of us.

@9p7e obviously the Indian managers purposely groom and promote their own village people over the years. Promotion is base on relation on top but not capability.

@9jwh seem like the EM recruiters pull the whole Indian village people in

Here we go. One of the dragon bot boot l!ckers have spoken up. You must be proud of your accomplishments of doing nothing and still survive in company.

dragonboat fun what, still got people joining. The culture is still there guys, only people grumbling daily about the company will think that this company is doom

Shocked me to hear the puppet leader from polymer is moving to US, what did he do that makes him deserve this? Is it StuP*Tlight that he sends every month? Noone read it la and we all know his intention of doing this. Did anyone count how many trips and incidents that were highlighted in the newsletter for past 2 years? If so, he should deserve PIP instead of the assignment.

@9nk1 the dragonboat surely capsizes next year with the current situation

go dragonboat, fake your laughs to survive another year.

hard truth, join all the dragonboat, running carnival, family day, be the organizer and guarantee a safe year

Most of you are doing it wrong.No need to do your work. Just join all the LinkedIn activities and get your picture taken. Always the same people there and they never get cut.

One more time-no need to do work. Just join all the useless events

Will you lose your RSU if you are let go because of the study?

After townhall today, I already started worrying for next year ranking…. how many people they will NSI/PIP next year?

@9n9a hurray! to point no 5 … yay package coming … would I be lucky the second time??

What is key takeaways after town hall?
1) Wait for 2 more months to hear reconfig study
2) More units are shutting down
3) What do I feel?
4) No progress with AEST
5) another program is coming?

@9mep+16zEvLP3

ExxonMobil Management makes integrity look like insubordination.

Some workplaces say they want honesty. They don’t. They want compliance.

The moment you question dysfunction, challenge bad leadership, or point out what everyone else is quietly seeing, you become “difficult.”

That is how toxic cultures protect themselves. They make integrity look like insubordination. If you are trying to stay honest in that kind of environment, you need more than good intentions. You need strategy.

A few things I’ve learned during my career:

1/ Document patterns, not feelings.
One bad meeting can be dismissed. A pattern is harder to ignore.

2/ Ask questions before making statements.
“What outcome are we solving for?” lands better than “This makes no sense.”

3/ Keep your tone boring.
If they can make the conversation about your reaction, they will avoid the issue.

4/ Talk about the work, not the person.
Focus on process, deadlines, expectations, and decisions. Keep ego out of it.

5/ Know who is safe.
Not everyone who agrees with you privately will stand with you publicly.

6/ Know when the culture is the answer.
Some places are not broken. They are operating exactly how leadership allows them to operate.

Integrity still matters. But in the wrong room, it needs strategy.

Have you ever worked somewhere where telling the truth made you the problem?

For those that put SAR2 at the spotlight again, please remember that they also wished ExxonMobil weren’t the one to rescue them. They rather continued to be under the receivership and operate more competitively than SRC and Shell.

SAR2 would rather remained as JAC and don’t need to follow the stupid mandatory rules of holding the handrail when walking the bloody stairs.

There are just too many smartalecks in SGCX.

@9n11 drive grab or learn how to sell property lor. Working 24/7 doesn’t guarantee that you can get that increment to beat inflation lol. Many pathetic NSI-ers still hang around hoping that they can be given a chance again. Zero increment for years. I pray they stop day-dreaming and take actions.

@9myh just because we have a higher cost of living , our salary are higher and we are expected to work harder than ever
What a life or no life !

@9mv3 Sadly, hard work and contribution are just the base work. Play the game, protect yourself, and don’t expect the system to reward you simply because you did what was right.

those who parrot down the instructions, direct or influence or mislead the working team using their positions are all complicit and should be NSI/PIP. Where is the courage of conviction they preach? Courage to do what’s right, and courage to admit mistakes.

@9mch As long as that year’s ranking looks good, who cares? Good decision or bad decision also doesn’t matter. It’s not our money.

@9mch+16zEvLP3

During Covid, a team of xylene subject matter experts was commissioned to recommend a strategy to minimize p-xylene losses from the three xylene plants. SAR1 was the legacy Exxon plant, JUR was the legacy Mobil plant, and SAR2 was acquired by ExxonMobil Chemical via acquisition. The SME team recommended shutting down the SAR2 plant because it was the least profitable plant due to a poorly designed fractionator. The recommendations were forwarded to the Senior Vice President for review prior to forwarding to Karen McGhee, the President of ExxonMobil Chemical. The Senior Vice President told the SME's that he could not endorse their recommendation because KM was the Vice President of Aromatics who argued that we should acquire SAR2 via acquisition. The Senior Vice President told the SME's to go back and rewrite their recommendations not based on the best technical and business recommendations but based on corporate politics. The SME's then recommended that p-xylene production be scaled back at all three p-xylene plants instead of shutting down SAR2. Bottom line, SME's technical and business recommendations are "TRUMPED" by internal corporate politics within the Executive Committee(s).

MS Copilot Summary of the SAR2 Acquisition

SAR2 (Singapore Aromatics Recovery 2) was acquired by ExxonMobil in August 2017 as part of its purchase of the Jurong Aromatics Corporation plant on Jurong Island, Singapore

The acquisition was first announced in May 2017, with ExxonMobil Chemical Company’s Singapore affiliate completing the deal in August 2017

The plant, previously owned by Jurong Aromatics Corporation, is integrated with ExxonMobil’s largest integrated refining and petrochemical complex in Singapore, which has a crude oil processing capacity of 592,000 barrels per day

SAR2 is one of the world’s largest aromatics facilities, with a capacity to produce about 800,000 tonnes per year of paraxylene, 438,000 tonnes of benzene, and 200,000 tonnes of orthoxylene

Its integration with ExxonMobil’s operations in Singapore was intended to strengthen both sites with operational and logistical synergies, and to increase total Singapore aromatics production to over 3.5 million tonnes per year

In summary, SAR2 became part of ExxonMobil’s Singapore assets in August 2017 following the completion of the Jurong Aromatics Corporation plant acquisition.

Wonder if those responsible in identifying acquisition of JAC site aka now SAR2 are made responsible for their very poor decision. They should know the market will be long on these products. Worst of all is that the management asked to do all kind of studies to justify so hard to either close JUR aromatics or SAR1 during 2020/2021 instead of the obvious answer of just closing SAR2 for its known long list of issues