Thread regarding Schlumberger Ltd. layoffs

1. sure, but they also fired many high performers while retaining many low performers. I know of ~15 member groups in which only 2 people ever developed anything that that was commercially implemented over 10 yr periods. In one research group, the department manager's favorite is an alcoholic with a US high-school degree who the manager says is the most productive person in the group (which is ironic because the guy has been working on the same projects for >10 yrs with no success in sight). Says much about many layers of management - not to mention why the group still exists.

2. I was once harangued in a crowded auditorium by a senior VP (still in the company) who shouted at me "I dont give a g* dam what Andrew Gould says!" just as the room went silent so Andrew Gould could deliver his presentation. Undermining and circumventing authority is part of SLB's problem. Of course, since business-line managers dont tend to be in a position long enough to be truly responsible for success or failure is another problem. Conversely, some business-lines were doomed to failure from the onset and the managers who sold the concepts are allowed to persist for far too long and never held to account because SLB has a management policy of never admitting mistakes (division presidents/VPs get side-tracked into high-salary hanger-on positions and the division gets folded into other divisions and only low-level people are fired). Very economically astute.

3 & 4. true in all respects. that revenue seems to matter more than profit is back-assward.

1. dont know.

2. I've known many Indians who definitely do NOT work longer hours than other ethnic/national groups nor do those Indians produce more efficiently in the hours they work. I know an Indian who took advantage of SLB's lax "telecommuting" policy to work from home on the same days that mysteriously coincided with his wife's comp time at the local tennis club. Some (still employed by SLB) are amongst the biggest wastes of salary and overhead that i've ever worked with. I have noticed that many Indians tend to favor hiring of other Indians. Same is more true of Chinese managers and the occasional Russian or Frenchman. Difficult to explain 10 member groups composed solely of Chinese in a non-asian country in which Chinese comprise <1% of the regional population if institutional ethnic/national tribalism doesnt exist.

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1. some SLB ops are offering discounts to clients that dont even try to negotiate a discount. With that kind of stupidity, why would lying about revenue surprise anyone.

How can you Demean Indians Man! I am offended.

Forget their public relations initiatives about empowering women. 60% of the women at my location were laid off. Others left on their own. SLB has done a great job creating virtual negative PR firm that moves revenue to competitors that once were minor competition.

all true, 100% agree. However , there is something you not know or you know but you are at a position that you don't have to worry about it. Performance can be cheated and alternate in different way. Favoritism is the most kept secret at SLB. The grading system is really BS. Someone just get in SLB for 2 years and do the performance review for experienced people just by looking at the paper. they let a lot of good people go but some s---er still stay. i seen a machine operator is not allow to go to pro e class, but a debur guy can. To me they both either can go, or they just can't go.

My suggestion is Change the grading performance system, make it clear so favoritism can be avoid. Or may be i am wrong that is just the way they want it. bye bye slb. Good luck to all my good coworker. I make less money now, but everything i do i know it will benefit my company. I don't have to go to the office in the morning and see how my manager reaction.