Many of my colleagues have been quietly laid off from Imperial Oil over the last month. All were long term, technical, smart and hard-working. Not a peep on this site. Weird?
26 replies (most recent on top)
https://www.hotnewsheadlines.com/business/exxon-made-managers-dub-some-workers-poor-performers-to-chop-employees-business-insider/
@Fvxn+16TqxpY4 - I agree it has been a great company to work for (at least based on my sampling). However, a lot of the more recent communication about cuts are actually focusing on Covid-19 being an accelerator to previously determined cuts needed to support transitioning to AP regions where there is perceived growth by our majority shareholder. I think there needs to be greater focus on discussing the other side of the coin –> yes EM's (and indirectly / by proxy our) longer term focus is global growth in emerging markets but what are the implications to employees in NA regions over the long term? Are we continuously going to shed human capital while concurrently building up resources in AP? If this is the case, the long term repeated contractions will create a very challenging work environment (at least for me personally), even though I do love my day-to-day duties. I would love to know if folks know what the next few years will look like with respect to new paradigm.
I am a long term employee and have been through a few of of these downturns. In short, the business needs to cut significant cost to survive long term in this pandemic environment. There is no choice but to reduce the workforce size to remain competitive. If you feel like the culture is ‘yes sir, no sir’, you clearly haven’t established yourself as a strong performer. You also obviously haven’t made some significant contributions to the company’s results. In addition to a pension plan, a savings plan, a wellness refund, a scholarship program for your kids, educational assistance and strong benefits, an employee needs to take responsibility for their career path. It’s actually quite a great company to work for. If you are cut up in the water cooler rumour mill, your not focussed on your business. Accept some responsibility people
In employee forums, where anonymous questions are permitted, tough questions are now being asked - a phenomena which is quite unprecedented in a lethargic, politically correct environment such as the one prevailing at Imperial.
These questions are probing why visible minorities and persons of color despite having solid educational credentials, impeccable work ethics and wide experience are failing to break through to management levels.
This is largely the case in business as well as corporate departments. The truth is that if you are a visible minority, your every action, performance, mannerism, style - everything you say or do is under the microscope and subject to harsh judgement and criticism by peers as well as unqualified and incompetent supervisors and managers. Some suggestions point to deeply entrenched, systemic racism that protects and promotes a certain race and gender even in so called multicultural Canada.
Look at the org charts if you have doubts. Walk around the campus - how many persons of color or visible minorities do you see occupying an office?? So much for an inclusive culture.
Replying to @khjb+16TqxpY4
You can send the Americans back to the Lower 48 and we'll send back the bus loads of Canadians working in the US. there are literally 6 Canadians out of a team of 13 working down the hall from me (2 are supervisors)...that's just one team. Gees...can't we all get along? Not all EM employees in the States like the work environment either.
Imperial is not announcing layoffs but have heard that 700 people will be cut in the next 6 months
Canada is as always, living in dreamland. The cuts are coming and they will be severe. Stop sticking your heads in the sand!
Would you mind sharing the severance offer and how many years of service you have? Thanks
Hey in all honesty at least it’s pretty evident all the young people hate it here. No one of value sticks around. I haven’t met anyone who talks positively of this place when not in front of a manager. The managers themselves are people who never questioned authority and that’s how they moved up. None of them are “action makers” or anything impressive, they’re just “yes sir” people who will do whatever the Americans tell them to do. If you’re young take your talents to the tech industry. Lots of growth potential there. Imperial is a dinosaur company and looks how the dinos ended up...
Imperial Oil Sarnia is a place where managers are not knowledgeable but wanted to rule by pushing their staff wrongfully. Literally they don’t have managerial skills, not have any technical knowledge and are dumb. They purposely harassed staff, bullying them and completely unfair and can not tolerate excellent performance. The fallen tower at Sarnia site is a proof of their management as managers are completely illiterate and just a paper pusher who don’t keep good employees and results in big failures
You should also read about the exxon Mobil layoffs on this site where there is a lot of discussion happening.
Exxon changed the criteria for ranking, forcing managers to rate a portion of the workforce as NSI based on the new ranking/ performance evaluation criteria which is causing a lot of controversy.
Instead of calling them layoffs which exxon group of companies has always claimed they never do because of their integrated nature and strong business position, they modified the ranking structure to make them appear as performance based termination.
The ranking itself is a little opaque in many ways, there are many elements especially relationship building which is another way of saying who are you chummy with.
Imperial saying they don’t do layoffs is just what they want folks to think. They go out of their way to avoid bad press above all else! They laid me off with zero negative feedback ever. Offered a sh– severance package that will now be going through the lawyer and the courts if need be just on principal. Imperial is not a Canadian company it’s run wholly by Exxon, no decisions are made in Canada ever. The waiver they want you to sign is ridiculous! Not tell the truth on social media about your company... Sorry I won’t be signing that and fully plan on disclosing all the environmental and underground blowouts contaminating other zones which they fully knew about and did nothing for months!!! They think they have the AER in their back pocket, the utter arrogance of the long term old school employees is mind boggling. They have no clue on a technical level on what they are doing and when you try and bring them up to speed with industry they have no interest in hearing it if cost them a dollar more.
https://www.google.ca/amp/s/amp.reddit.com/r/oilandgasworkers/comments/hgispo/exxon_preparing_for_5_to_10_job_cuts_not_layoffs/
https://www.reddit.com/user/Minute_Alps3117/comments/j2od4j/imperial_oil_layoffs/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=ios_app&utm_name=iossmf
Here’s another venue to get some detail on the layoffs out there.
Don't believe their propaganda of "Imperial being the only major Oil & Gas company that doesn't do layoffs". The way they are slowly cutting the workforce to avoid reporting a mass layoff to the Alberta Government and avoid bad press is very disgraceful and cowardly. People have been getting laid off for weeks and the CEO / Management are sneaking around cutting headcount in an unprofessional manner, and don't believe it's just the "low performers". Own up to it like the rest of the O&G companies, including the big boss ExxonMobil who sends all the Americans up here to run the show and create a toxic culture.
Heard of 8 people being let-go from Kearl Operations and Maintenance.
Shut up or get out is how they run things here
5 people were let go from the Controllers , any update/number from other groups ?
anyone affected is comfortable to say if he/she is considered visible minority or considered as easy target by the LT ?
if you don't know your PA , then you may argue for wrongful dismissal (without justification) .
I heard 1 month salary for each year of service is the "standard" (non-negotiated) offer.
I would like to hear about other people's severance package.
WAS IT CONDITIONAL to signing a RELEASE FORM? Mine was, one of them being not to express any derogatory opinions about the company. I would lose from my severance, a month equivalent of my salary if I didn't sign the release.
During my evaluation, there seemed to be an obsession with developing a relationship with operations who frankly speaking seemed to have a history of misreporting and interference not to mention non existent competence in my field which is a legally recognized and licensed profession in the developed countries. This I think really hurt my evaluation with Imperial.
Last Friday I completed writing my Canadian CPA exam. Yesterday, I had a discussion regarding my performance assessment and was informed that I am not a good fit for the company. I was let go. I am truly devastated. Four other finance function employees also met a fate similar to mine. I never saw this coming, no interim feed back was provided... nothing. I guess I do not have the key qualifications required to be a good fit i.e. I don't s— up or kiss a**. I was surrounded by glorified overpaid admin. assistants who would find it difficult gain employment outside Imperial. Goodluck..
They don’t tell you what your performance rating is. Your supervisor doesn’t even talk to you or “thank you” for your service. Very low
I was let go a few days ago, soon after Brad sent the message about head count reduction to make Exxon one of the lowest cost producers in the world again.
Imperial had been readying a layoff list for several months there was hearsay.
Anyone know of any people who got laid off from Kearl or Cold Lake?
What is Imperial/ Exxon policy on rehiring?
I think they are still recruiting fresh graduates though.
If your performance assessment is given to you as need significant improvement , then it’s the bottom 8% ranking and most likely you will be terminated...
Since September it has started and will last before thanks giving
At the end of the day in the corporate word, people are numbers and no company can continue loosing money ....the sad reality is that it’s not charity and companies are in the business of making money not loosing it...
I am in geoscience and I noticed 3 geos from exploration and subsurface technical are let go very quietly, in one case the CL level was 27 !
One month pay for each year of service till 24 month ...
They figured the Australia office voluntarily redundancy program is not going to fit here in canada
Any update from south ?
Which departments? Heard rumblings of layoffs in E&PS, nothing yet so far from anywhere else though.