Thread regarding Phillips 66 layoffs

After 26 yrs, I quit in May. Just could not take the mediocrity and/or toxicity any more. The last 3-4 yrs of my career was the worst in my 26 yrs. I am taking some down time off to get rid of the negativity. When you feel you can’t take it any longer, anything outside will feel precious.

Not everyone has that mobility in the company. A: there's loads of operations and maintenance staff that aren't eligible to relocate in a horizontal move. B: they generally only move people they're trying to develop, so you know, mostly yes-men. C: RLT will find any excuse to not allow a transfer. I was shot down because it was "too close to turnaround", over two years out.

Just because someone isn’t doing well at one location doesn’t mean you need to leave the company. Try a new location. Just don’t burn bridges or be a pain in the neck to people, it’s hard to come back if you need to.

I began my journey with Phillips 66 in 2012 as a contractor. For years, I worked through challenging circumstances in a demanding role. Despite my commitment, I was repeatedly passed over for full-time opportunities—sometimes under questionable and unfair circumstances. I could’ve walked away, but I remained dedicated. Eventually, after six long years, I was offered a full-time position and officially became an employee.

Once on board, I transitioned into a new role and thought, “I finally made it—life is good!” But the momentum didn’t last. The organization saw multiple leadership changes, and with that came a lack of clear direction and vision. After about five years in what I once considered my dream role, I was hit with a layoff. In the end, the one thing the company got right was offering a severance package.

Looking back, I did enjoy the early days—the friendships, the environment, and the pride in my work. But now, looking forward, I’m glad to have moved on. There are always better opportunities out there. Take care of yourself, and know your worth.

WALK

To find out how much your really worth try to leave. Some people had got raises to stay and others had come back as contractors

Coming from someone that used to work in Bartlesville: It's a breath of fresh air to be in a place where people enjoy coming to work each day. People aren't constantly talking about quitting or complaining about management and how bad or out of touch they are. The knowledge that there's development opportunities and real (not for the sake of fake initiatives) process improvement potential again is like a dark cloud has lifted, and there's a ray of sunshine again.

If you find yourself unhappy each day with how things are, it's probably time to move on. Don't deny yourself happiness just because the benefits are good. The benefits aren't guaranteed to exist forever, and if you can't keep moving up, it may be worth it to start building years of service elsewhere.

Best of luck.

@bn Older employees have been pushed out the door for the last 5 years!

Left almost a year ago for one of the P66 peer group member's. Culture is much better, not afraid to spend money on travel especially in IT. They have temporary assignments that you can either move into to back fill or development to prepare for the next roll. Etc. They had a way better VCIP - 160% vs 128%. Very open to doing things differently even if it means a whole new system or process change.

Soul snatching

Easiest way to sum it up. Walk and find your soul again.

I joined in 2011 bright eyed and bushy tailed. To the point I remember my first large meeting in CH2021 with some asking if I was old enough to work there. I left in 2021

I thought I'd hit the lottery coming from a very middling upbringing. And in a lot of ways I had. But the bargain changed over time. Management became corrupt. Or maybe always was and I was too young and inexperience to see it.

Mostly what I've come to gather is most corporate leadership currently is among the same class. They're all in their mid 50s to late 60s and they have no interest in retiring or otherwise disappearing into the sunset like prior generations. They struggle to grasp the social, economic, and technological changes that have morphed this into a radically different world. The people below me did so much worse.

I got lets call it 4 years of the SSF for those that know you know. That was yanked away. It was the first of many things.

when I got in there was a sense of fraternity, purpose, and ambition that if you worked hard and did well you would succeed. Mgmt has no interest in that anymore. Baine, BCG, McKinsey take your pick. they're the ones steering the ship and they all operate from the same terrible playbook that only serves to enrich the almighty shareholder. which fine. if that's the system we want. but I don't think it is. most people are a million miles away from that level of wealth than they believe.

On the other hand it's getting rough out here. I've depleted almost all of my savings when I could have still su-kled at the te-t. I have more soul now then when I left but I'll likely end up working for another F100 and be back in the chair wondering what I'm doing with my life.

There are no easy choices they are all plagued with terrible tradeoffs. I really enjoyed the people I worked with and derided mgmt. Part of me wants Elliot to be Nero playing the fiddle but that will mean even more chaos and destruction.

It all amounts to values. There was a brief window of time where companies were compelled to be good actors to their employees and the communities they operated within. That has all turned to theater. Now shareholder distributions rule the day. If you are the type that can make a phone call or I guess now send a text or an DM and have you pilot ready the G750 life is good. But for most the quality of life is degrading.

I made some money. Squirreled away as much as I could and have been living on it. But this past 5 years has been the education the university could never provide.

I think this era of globalization and shared prosperity is quickly closing. Get what you can because it probably won't be available tomorrow. It's sad to think of the US operating like a state such as russia or venezuela yet here we are.

It breaks my heart because the company was a titan that at least pretended to care and they discarded all pretense. I'm not sure what I'll do next. probably end up in another F100 pod sending emails and herding cats all day. Or else entirely unemployable because what I do can seemingly be done by automation and AI which fine. But what happens when 10%, 20, 30% of the population is unemployable. Shareholder returns will be great. But if people can't at least do as well as their parents. It's going to get rough guys. Use your imagination. try to insulate yourself. Try to help those that you can.

Beyond that I have felt like a rudderless boat in the water. Where the wind blows I go

If you feel the urge to leave then leave, ask yourself what could get worse?
Small samples that I know of including myself are way better than if we stayed.
Left a few years ago when I started to see AE66 went south and the coverup business transformation to follow the same path. Now, looking back it was a right decision.

Those golden handcuffs aren’t made of gold anymore. Sad.

This is from personal friends and my own events. I know people that left the company some did very well and it’s the best for them, I know of on that liked his new job but had little time off and searching for helpers. Others stayed with the company but went to different locations and did well. Now for me first location I saw the hand writing on the wall, second there some problems develop, third just like the first, forth every thing work perfect.

Honestly, it's 100% worth the risk. Being an employee of P66 or COP used to be golden handcuffs. The salary, benefits, VCIP, and career opportunities used to make everyone tolerate a lot of the misbehavior. As they take away those benefits and replace them with endless and vague direction, it's no longer worth putting up with it all.

Am I better off having left? Yes. Is my new employer all unicorns and rainbows, no. But, no employer is. But, it is a breath of fresh air not to have to hear the latest "new way of working" or "these consultants are going to take us to new heights."

I will warn you, though, the PTSD is real. What we got so used to as normal, isn't and not every last minute meeting is a layoff notice. And, the biggest bonus, I'm not told I'm overacting or not being a team player every time I ask a question or seek clarification.

I got nomex older than half the rlt. Where do they find these kids?

I get the impulse, but a lot of our problems are being caused by newbie RLT members. It's one thing if you've got one 30 something rlt member that's never been through anything truly bad, but when half your RLT is newbies, they let the car go off the rails a bit. People will die because we have so many young RLT members that still don't understand that actions have consequences, that were just chosen because they're enthusiastic about BT

Phillips 66 needs to consider letting older workers retire early and allow younger employees opportunities to advance, this will immediately create additional areas for optimization and MSP consultants.

Eventually there must be a final structure to what is a workable model. To continually have an environment where this is never settled, even to past 'normal' levels, leaves an always-on undercurrent of concern. Partly this was because of influences with DEI and ESG being pushed from the outside. Still, no one wants to live with constant uncertainty, no one wants to work like that and the best employees will always unhappily move on.

Elliott is not relevant unless they spend a lot more money. They made little impact here because they revealed too much of their plans too early. Their brand is tarnished.

It’s better fo sho