Ready for another round?
Over 300 people have already left since the September 29 announcement, projects are scarce, meaningful work even scarcer and the long-term outlook for Canada couldn’t be clearer. Naturally, this seems like the perfect moment to proceed with the ranking cycle.
For those unfamiliar with the tradition: everyone gets ranked against colleagues worldwide, the curve must be filled and a pre-determined slice of the population will inevitably land in the “Needs Significant Improvement” category because nothing says modern leadership like deciding in advance how many underperformers you need.
From there the process is beautifully efficient: a helpful Performance Improvement Plan, a quiet exit and the reassurance that this isn’t a layoff just the system working exactly as designed.
Given the current morale and the steady stream of departures, the timing is almost poetic. If anything, the exercise should help clarify priorities for the few remaining optimists.
After all, when the future of the business in Canada looks this bright, someone will surely be eager to relocate to Edmonton and help keep the Strathcona refinery dream alive.