Thread regarding ExxonMobil Corp. layoffs

From the late 1920s until the 1950s at least, the neighborhoods around the big refineries (Baton Rouge for example) were neatly arranged blocks of Esso employees. A form of company-sponsored housing.

When they needed a 'layoff' - they'd simply have their garbage collection crew monitor for liquor bottles, baby diapers, books (god forbid). Detailed reports over a month-long period.

Whoosh.
not a layoff.

When you show loyalty and sacrifice to the company, don't you expect to get reward? If yes, then so called loyalty and sacrifice do not count since the company can always save the reward and hire more people.

It is very true that the company does not owe us - we work and they pay us. This is the case no matter what company you go and no matter which country you go (even in Japan) nowadays so wake up!

Sometime in mid-1980's following a round of layoffs that seemed to come every 5 years or so, a senior exec of Mobil delivered a speech informing employees that the company did not owe them a job or anything else in life. Instead of what had been a "cradle to grave" lifelong career opportunity that loyal employees had valued for decades, his new vision was that you show up for a day of work and we pay you for a day of work. Expect nothing more. Instantly, the relationship between employees and the Company changed dramatically. Gone were the days of employees making significant sacrifices to benefit the Company with no questions asked or pushback. When "asked/pressured" to jump through the usual hoops and make the Company the top priority in their lives, employees started repeating back to management that loyalty was a 2 way street. We don't owe you anything, remember? Forever changed relationship between Company and employees. Current management would do well to remember repercussions of treating employees poorly with current downsizings. What goes around, comes around, and they aren't going to like it.

We had multiple large scale lay-offs in the U.S. in the 1990s and Chemicals had a big one in the 2000s. There may have been more. Nothing new and management knows it. For crying out loud, the Company is calling the workforce reductions now under way in Australia and Europe lay-offs! A sham that they think Wall Street analysts and employees in the U.S. can’t see through! Aren’t they clever?

We were investing in Exxon Office Systems (word processors) and electric motors (Reliance). Both were big busts.

"We don't have layoffs" became a thing because the layoffs of the 80s were hugely traumatic. DW didn't experience that, so he is free to repeat the same mistakes.

Management may forget but us rank and file never forget.

Old timers often spoke of Colony Project. Usually followed by advice to never buy the we are family and our people are our most important asset BS.

1985 10% of a single division

https://www.nytimes.com/1985/05/14/business/exxon-layoffs.html

Forget the past and you will repeat it. Maybe we should share this instead of safety moments.

https://www.gjsentinel.com/news/western_colorado/black-sunday-still-reverberates-30-years-later/article_da94d5be-76d5-551c-ac10-d0d7fda14930.html

30 years later they remember

https://www.postindependent.com/news/today-may-2-marks-30-years-since-black-sunday/

They don’t forget in Colorado

https://www.hcn.org/issues/346/17017

Google Exxon Black Sunday. They don’t teach this one during the ECM training

https://www.hcn.org/wotr/black-sunday-30-years-later

For the naive who don’t see what is coming. Great reading list.

1982 we put a whole town in Colorado out of work - 2,000 laid off in a single day

https://www.postindependent.com/news/may-2-1982-the-day-exxon-hit-the-road/

Wow!!

1981 20% layoff

https://www.nytimes.com/1981/12/02/business/exxon-closes-plant-and-lays-off-1100-in-office-company.html

1986 and we were still making 5 billion a year in 1980’s dollars

https://www.nytimes.com/1986/04/26/business/exxon-move-for-slash-in-staff-called-startling.html