“Pay will be tied more closely to differentiated performance…”
Once again, raising the bar to heights they themselves did not have to achieve.
27 replies (most recent on top)
This is what they do at Exxon and everyone there is sooooooooooooooooooo happy.
@fp the new system will be stacked ranking on 5 scale
@fp
I agree with you. I watch people people produce user stories that have essentially little value and our managers cannot value the work. So he counts volume as value. People are generating volume because they they have figured it out.
OP
The new system will be ripe with favoritism and continue to erode the confidence in first line management. The system was already too bias. My team has at least 2 people that were retained because they were friends of the managers. I believe they will receive better raises and bonuses than other members of the team. Favoritism is rampant at Chevron and will only get worse.
Hopefully not lost on all that this is just more alignment of HR processes and compensation structure with Exxon, setting up for the inevitable...
@e3
There are reputable news story posted referencing the racism that exists within Indian culture. The articles state indis India is the most racist country in the world. Have you ever watched the movie, “Slumdog millionaire”?
In theory, differentiating pay on performance is the right approach. In typical Chevron fashion however, the implementation will almost certainly be flawed.
Differentiating performance requires that those leading the team and assessing performance understand what good looks like. In my experience at Chevron, this is almost never the case.
My managers over the past seven years have had no background or qualifications in the functions they are leading, three of which have been in Manila. They have no idea what good looks like, because they’ve never worked in those functions, let alone delivered anything themselves. Consequently, they have all tended to assess performance purely on soft skills familiar to them: presenteeism, contributions in meetings, interpersonal skills, volume and speed of work delivery, etc.
The problem with this is that there have been people in the team who have recognised this and used it to their advantage, delivering what will make them look good, but often completely technically wrong (sometimes to the point of being dangerous). And with no review process in my function besides the unqualified supervisor, these errors go unchecked.
The most highly recognised people in my team churn out copious amounts of work, most of it completely wrong, at a volume that those with a conscience could never hope to achieve. They don’t challenge incorrect assumptions in meetings. They don’t disagree with their leaders, even when their lack of qualification is dangerous. And they are rewarded with expat assignments, promotions, and pay increases.
The second issue with differentiating pay on performance as it has been implemented in Chevron is that there simply isn’t sufficient granularity in the possible rankings to meaningfully tie performance to differentiated pay. The following ratings are possible in the new system:
EM/EM
EM/VC
EM/EE
VC/VC
VC/EE
EE/EE
Very few people will ever receive an EM/EM or EE/EE. It’s unlikely many people would receive an EE and EM together. So that means the vast majority of the cohort will fit into one of four ratings , which isn’t a lot of granularity to be able to tie to payment.
Jobs will be slowly shipped to Engine. The slot that is in the US will be eliminated. Your ranking will reflect the fact that your job is gone. There will be no opportunity, no PDC and you will be gone.
It is what it is my friends. Hunker down, get those easy VCs, and wait for the next severance opportunity.
People that worry about the new system are poor performers so deal with it.
@c7 OR just leave.
Indians are only doing the same nepotism which has been around for family and friends....certain school cliques and of course the venezuelan mafia
100% true. they only hire and promote each other. and then when a place is inevitably only indians they turn to the caste system and which village they grew up in to keep up the discrimination
@a5
"""
How to protect yourself (practical advice)
• Ask (or observe) how performance is defined — goals, metrics, behaviors
• Keep a written record of achievements and impact
• Clarify what “great work” means specifically in your role
• Watch whether reviews become more numeric, scored, or calibrated across teams
"""
so do less engineering and more bureaucracy
yeah, this is going to turn out well
@b7 that’s pretty much fake news as structure is less than 3%
God this will devastate ABU supervisors as their reason for being is just existing not efficiency.
Everything comes out to about 4.7% for structure
@b1
working for them is a soul su-king endeavor
you should be thinking to get away as soon as possible
If you work for an Indian manager and aren’t Indian yourself, start looking for your next job becuz you’re boutta get sc--wed every year
The problem I’m hearing about consistently is the number of people stepping into leadership roles having never managed direct reports before and just being expected to know what they’re doing. It’s so risky treating people leadership as something you’ll “pick up along the way.” Delegation, coaching, and decision clarity don’t come automatically. They have to be learned, practiced, and supported. Reorgs are obviously supposed to test org charts but they’re also supposed to test leadership readiness. Entire teams are going to underperform…and won’t be for lack of skill or capability as much it will be for lack of direction.
@OP This is a problem with management across almost all Oil & Gas and Chemical companies these days. Managers are carefully selected across age groups and demographic groups with the goal that many will serve a few years and move on. This keeps overall salaries down at that level, and it reduces competition for the really big salaries at the top. But the consequence is that very often the managers just don't know what it is that their technical-side employees do. They certainly don't have a good understanding of what is a "good job" vs. a "mediocre job." They can, at least, usually identify a truly bad job. They see the work through the lens of their own experience, which is often too trite and surface-y to really get it. And there are not many ladders for strong technical performers who DO have interpersonal skills and management goals because the the pseudo-leaders cannot compete when it decision-making meetings. Then then gets in the way of what the top level managers want to cram through, regardless of what might be the actual-best solution.
Hurray, I will be recognized for great work.
Oh wait. Managers aren’t allowed to give out EEs…
So just another way to suppress pay…
Smh
This company’s managers wouldn’t know how to develop meaningful KPI if their lives depended on it. I cannot wait to game the ever loving sh-t out of this nonsense. My boss doesn’t even know what I do, and has no technical expertise, and zero ability to understand any true KPI. Good luck clowns!
Genuine question. Has leadership/HR given any guidance to front-line management on how big these performance recognitions should be? Are these new guidelines effective for this pay adjustment cycle?
Pay determinations are sometime next week. Let’s say someone got an EE or double EE this year - will they get a decent raise? Or will it be more “kiss the ring and be thankful you’re employed”?
Like most people, I’m only here for the paycheck at this point. So it would be nice to get some concrete info on what this will look like…
@a5 thanks for the AI slop.
The "new tools will simplify performance reviews" portion feels ominous as well. If you didn't feel like you've been reduced to just a number, there's a tool that'll help with that.
Most common real-world outcome
In many companies, this language results in:
• Wider pay gaps between ratings
• Smaller or zero raises for “meets expectations”
• Bigger bonuses or merit increases for top performers
• Managers being pressured to justify high ratings
It’s often more about cost control + retention of top talent than immediate layoffs.
⸻
How to protect yourself (practical advice)
• Ask (or observe) how performance is defined — goals, metrics, behaviors
• Keep a written record of achievements and impact
• Clarify what “great work” means specifically in your role
• Watch whether reviews become more numeric, scored, or calibrated across teams