Thread regarding Chevron Corp. layoffs

No. As someone on these ‘special studies’ - get out. It’s a mess and we’re all going to suffer. Take what you can but have one foot out the door. They don’t care about you - you’re just a number - so don’t give them your life.

In a few years when they come back to you after realizing it was a bad idea because they overcut, again, name your price. There are plenty of people standing around you that are in that phase right now. They'll probably get cut, again, and they'll probably be able to name their next price, again in a couple of years. Its not the only company you can work for out there, but it appears to be one that doesn't learn well from their mistakes either. There's a lot of money to be made by capitalizing on their shortcomings to strategize. Don't burn a bridge, and you'll be better off in any outcome.

People that complain about salary increases, have no clear understanding of how valuable it is to work for a company that has a 401(k) match as well as a pension. Just hunker down, maximize your 401(k) contributions and enjoy the free money from the match as well as the free money that Chevron gives you in your pension. Both will pay off when you retire.

To those saying that their annual merit raises fail to keep up with inflation must be low performers. In 17 years, I can think of two years where pay was basically flat, but that was during major economic disruptions like Covid circa 2021. Always get 5-10% depending on current CO.

I’ve been in Chevron IT a long time, and let me tell you, if you’re new in your career, I’d say leave, the endless layoffs do take a toll, however, another reason is that Chevron is so large, they have someone to dot the “I” someone else to cross the “t” and another to put the period at the the of a sentence. I’m telling you right now, the absolute best architect at Chevron would be below average at any legitimate company because they can’t do the entire end to end, you’ll stagnate here and eventually be surrounded by corporate shills like Ray S or Alysia Green who politic’d their way up the food chain. It’ll warp your long term thinking and work ethic/ morals. The world is moving away from oil, Chevron is embracing a global workforce, times have changed, so it really is time to move on if you’re young.

Whether to stay or go is a question I have been wrestling with myself. On the one hand, on the whole Chevron is a great company with a (generally) good culture and good benefits. Some of the projects I have worked on are absolutely incredible, and I feel privileged to have had an opportunity to work on them.

On the other, it feels like the company is increasingly bereft of strategy and leadership. Where once I felt that I was working alongside some of the brightest minds in industry, the past decade has felt like a slow descent into mediocrity. As an example, my current department head (of a team of about 30 people) has a diploma level education in an unrelated field that’s about 30 years out of date. Most of the rest of the team arrived here through various reorgs and not because it’s their passion or background. A large portion of the team have been offshore for a while, and the quality is highly variable, but generally very poor.

I’ve worked at a few different organizations before CVX and deciding whether to stay or go is not straightforward. Despite some of the challenges, comparatively speaking, Chevron remains a reasonable choice, but I am increasingly of the opinion that life is too short to focus on compensation and benefits alone. I want the opportunity again to build and do amazing things, and being in a team who are happy to coast, and not push the envelope whilst collecting a fat out check, is beginning to eat at me.

https://www.thelayoff.com/post/@a2+1jm2y2n79 This is pure gold

A lot of you think that you can just skedaddle onboard to another company and get along after you've been spoiled entitled overpaid brats at Chevron. That's priceless.

One key consideration that @OP overlooked is the significant financial benefit of staying. The compensation structure here is highly favorable, especially when considering the relatively limited demands placed on office employees. In my experience consulting for Chevron, I've had the privilege of engaging with multiple teams across both corporate and business unit functions. It’s rare to encounter a Fortune 100 company where highly paid white-collar employees contribute so minimally to day-to-day operations. A considerable portion of the actual work is outsourced to offshore teams in Manila or BA, or contracted out to consulting firms and MSPs.

This unique structure has notable implications, particularly for those who may need to transition into roles outside the company, especially individuals within IT and digital core functions. The expectations in the broader job market for roles in these domains, especially the PSG 21+ type roles, may prove to be a very challenging adjustment for some.

Please feel free to hate and downvote this post. However, if you belong to this category, are in scope, and are a lifer, I would encourage you to focus on enhancing your skills, delivery speed and work ethic if you want to be successful out there.

@a9+1 i mean, do you want a job or not? And by job i dont mean a free check every 2 weeks. I think we've forgotten how well we have it.

The writing is on the wall. Chevron is probably going to trim the herd a lot more. Get out before they get you, but consider another industry segment that has a better future
They don't.

OP here - sorry but those bullet points are facts. They’ve been open about fewer promotions, and with fewer high psg roles going forward and forced longer time in roles, again facts, upward mobility will be significantly reduced. Pay hasn’t kept pace with inflation by any measure, and there is no reason indication this changes. They’ve told us layoffs will continues through 2026 as ENGINE ramps up, and was further demonstrated on the 2026 severance package end dates. And finally, look at any study on reorgs. A minimum of 18 months to 2 years before operations get back to normal (btw, most studies show orgs are worse off after major reorgs). No major assumptions here. Could they start give raises commensurate with inflation? Maybe - but why start now? Or tell us as incentive to stay? Will this reorg magically outperform typical reorgs? Maybe, but that’s wildly unlikely given our track record.

how is this even a debate?

the strong/smart people will leave

the weak/d-mb people will stay

There is no doubt it is going to be a shambles, with all the BU managers stressing and blaming everyone but themselves. I remember the last one, no attempt at job descriptions or responsibilities, just an expectation the work would get done. If you stay, or get kept on, it will be the same or worse.

By all means look elsewhere if you have transferable skills and experience outside of the energy industry. Remember, all of our competitors are doing the same as us, so leaving for one of them will land you in the same situation, but you won’t have connections, tenure and an established reputation.

OP remember that all your bullets are assumptions and at this point it’s uncertain if any of that will be true or not. But if you’re scared go ahead and get out of the way :)

Hmm. Switch to a growing industry and company or stay with one that is sick and dying

Start looking elsewhere. Even if you aren’t fired the feeling of coming to work after 20% of your coworkers are fired and always worrying about your job being offshored to India aren’t worth it.

It's all about opportunity cost, by staying at Chevron, you won't be working full time anywhere else. There are companies that are in a growing industry and better ran, so you may want to check out the market before making the decision.

More accountability is one thing. More demands and expectations, with fewer resources and rewards is another.

i think moving forward we will have a lot more accountability when it comes to how and when work is getting done. If you're performing and here to compete, i think you'll be fine. If youre sitting on your hands, i think it will be much more obvious than it already is.

As a L-PDCe employee, I think it's worth it for me to wait out at least round 1. With that said, everyone here should be living way below their means and stacking that cash. You know full well what industry you work in.

👇 read my kind. This is definitely all getting worse before it gets better. Remember the cluster of Transformation? This will be worse. And no going back once these centers get stood up, no matter how bad

Ask yourself this question. Do I think it will get any better?

If I successfully place, I will stay and shoot for a promotion during the chaos. If that fails I will be actively looking for work. Unfortunately for my function, the job market is weak. There's no shame in looking outside. If you haven't received the memo, CVX is no longer a "life-long" career employer.