Management seems to finally realize there is an attrition problem. I can see they want to address it somehow, but relating to employees doesn’t seem to be their strong suit. In all earnestness, what would you need to hear in order to decide to stay?
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If they really cared the exit interviews wouldn’t have turned into digital surveys that go nowhere.
Later they explain to their teams and their bosses that the high attrition on their team is all due to “personal reasons” and has nothing to do with the role, the culture, the leadership, or anything in their control.
I call bull on them “caring”. They are just worried it will be only “managers” left to row the boat.
Yup, admit they made mistakes, allow us to cut some of the fat that is visible - low value busy work that is only done to slap some chart on a PowerPoint and pretend it made some difference. Bring back some SPV empowerement so they can give recognition awards and take necessary salary action to correct last years missed cl promotions for the early career folks. Aaaand… please do not think that our “culture” is a retention factor. I don’t want to be the bad friend that is encouraging people to stay in a bad situation.
I've been searching for jobs for a few weeks now for a variety of reasons, but mostly because I'm not wanted anywhere and feel like I have no future. This is in spite of being "Outstanding" last year. (Technical career path, HQ)
All I would need to hear is that I'm really needed somewhere and they have an interesting role for me there. Then I would stay.
Be humans that treat employees like humans.
@nac+1aUKY7rR heard that the interviewer is looking out for job too.
XOM captures information about why people are leaving in the exit interview. Management can always request this information to get a sense of why people are leaving. If they need help from their employees they can ask. I wouldn’t try to solve this for them. You would be working with limited information on the long term strategy.
The awareness that half the work that has been outsourced isn’t really needed.
The awareness that about 25% of the outsourced work will never leave the employees plates. It will come back stirred, shaken up, and inflated to take 400% more of your employee’s time to solve. Overall, it is a net 0 benefit. In fact, it is even worse, because responsibility and accountability are no longer clear. And neither outsourced nor local employees feel rewarded.
The constant IT projects. You cannot IT your way out of this problem.
And even if you tried, it would be over designed, over budget, not fit for purpose, and require millions of dollars of future design because you are too far-in to pull the plug. And it still won’t deliver the customer service expectations from 5years ago.
No more super-secret, check-the-box career tracks that some old VP is convinced makes the golden goose of managers. “Ooops, you missed the role of Contact Engineer 30-something Supply Manager. Back to the Refinery. You got to do your 2-years of Contact Engineering.”
If you are not a dentist, don’t think you can write a procedure on how to perform a root canal. Then don’t give that procedure to some guy on the street, and let him start calling himself a dentist too. ExxonMobil has lots of dentists.
(This is for you Power Walker. Management wants you to photocopy some root canal procedures, because we need even more dentists.)
Stop putting generalist managers into roles that require specific knowledge and skills. Nobody wins. Your specialist employees get frustrated and quit. Your general manager stops creative ideas because of lack of understanding. (And needs to see PowerPoints to make any relevant decision.)
And stop thinking those generalist managers who fall off the ‘golden career track’ can fill any management role. They cannot. In fact, maybe they shouldn’t be managers. Make them feel comfortable going back into the work force as an independent contributor. And if they have nothing to independently contribute? We’ll, that’s not my problem. Stop making special roles for them, just because they don’t want a more common title.
Management: Every time your direct report presents an initiative (even informally), ask “Is this your idea?”
If the answer is ‘no’: Get the originator of the idea into the room to discuss directly. (Wow, you are getting to know your employees!)
If the answer is ‘yes’…ask a couple probing questions and see if your direct report starts to squirm. If they cannot explain the idea, they are not the originator.
Stop rewarding supervisors and lower managers for parroting messages up tiers of management. It’s ridiculous. Instead talk to some of your smart employees. Let your direct reports know that they will be rewarded for developing other smart employees….not excepting at a perverse game of ‘telephone’ with adults who should know better but don’t.
And lock-down Powerpoint. The only reason someone is giving you a PowerPoint is because 1) you are (consciously or unconsciously) requesting it 2) it’s not that guys idea, and they need it to remind them of there game of telephone or 3) you don’t trust the capabilities of your employees without that one cool chart or picture that convinces you that they actually did some work.
Tell us all the recent green initiatives were due to the employee’s request (and not EngineNo1). …oh wait, you cannot.
I will tell management I am happy and content just being gainfully employed. At least that's my game plan so management continue to stay while one of my foot is already outside the door. I want for them to turn off the lights one day. I certainly don't want to do that myself!
I’d love to hear my section head tell me he’s got a terminal illness
Say they were wrong….and they are sorry. I really don’t care what it is, just pick something and apologize. You too, DW. Wonder how many of our leaders would pick early retirement rather than admitting that they were wrong. Needs to be on an employee forum…not some buried video-short.
Managers to know what their employees want for the company WITHOUT a consultant study. If Management can figure out how to do that….well, maybe there is glimmer of hope.
Oh, and Management needs to also recognize that employees ABSOLUTELY have a relevant say in the future direction of the company. Most of us are shareholders, and are at work as much as we are with our family. No more pretending like we are sheep, following infallible directions from above.
Get out all the lazy employees out
401k match back to 7% within the month. Would accept those ExxonMobil shares we are buying back, at least temporarily.