Thread regarding ExxonMobil Corp. layoffs

Deadweight HiPo

I just don’t understand how XOM can keep so many layers of HiPo supervisors, managers, and advisors around.

The HiPos that flit through organization who do nothing. They were all pleasant…said all the right things and maybe sponsored some low impact initiatives. The really dangerous ones propagate bad ideas for some poor bloat to execute. You can see it heading for failure and some non HiPo eventually get blamed.

It’s hard to watch the deadweight getting the fancy assignments and promoted every couple of years. The rest of us toil just to keep up with the soul crushing work.

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| 2301 views | | 8 replies (last July 5) | Reply
Post ID: @OP+1jymfqxt6

8 replies (most recent on top)

Exxon has always been a quasi- military organization, nothing new. Difference is it meant a lot more to be promoted to CL26+ in the past, i.e,, one was qualified at that senior level and could make a career at being good as an individual contributor. The exception were those tapped to he trained as future executives after 5 years, understandable they were exceptional and required special training, no problem. Once, masses of people make it without earning at least a bit, it skees the whole system and creates resentment. Now it's just a mob scene free for all.

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Post ID: @1q8+1jymfqxt6

@te+1jymfqxt6

ExxonMobil is a very large global company and has to adopt a "command and control" military organization structure to make decisions.

Bottom line, if you are not the 3-star general, you follow orders or your career is sidelined. Insubordination is considered grounds for a court martial in a military style Fortune 50 company.

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Post ID: @vt+1jymfqxt6

The ranking and CL system is modeled after major consultancies and the US military. Both of these have an “up or out” system, but somewhere along the way EM removed the “or out” part of the equation. This leaves too much dead weight at nearly all CLs as people top out and stagnate versus being coached out.

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Post ID: @te+1jymfqxt6

what about non hipo managers who know their career has reached a ceiling? they could actually be worse.

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Post ID: @f7+1jymfqxt6

There is still one mediocre working as Permian GHG manager in Houston.

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Post ID: @eq+1jymfqxt6

It’s honestly what is so galling about what EM has become. An unvarnished money grab by several hundred people who: 1. Are going to make sure you do all the work 2. Are going to make sure they are handsomely compensated for you doing all the work while doing no work but saying how busy they are with important “meetings” and “alignment” 3. Are going to make sure they take no risk that could jeopardize their massive income on your back 4. Are going to offshore your job and get rid of you as soon as they can find someone in another country and pocket the difference like the low integrity sc-m they are 5. Will then reward themselves for an efficiency and start at the top again

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Post ID: @cd+1jymfqxt6

Since COVID there has been a mass reduction of positions for HIPOs, and many of them left the company.

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Post ID: @bq+1jymfqxt6

I am not against HiPo, but that should be an off ramp as well if it doesn't work out.

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Post ID: @b0+1jymfqxt6

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