Are you in the top 20%?
Are you in the middle 75%?
Are you in the bottom 5%?
Suncor laid of around 600 employees this past month.
Great Place To Work !!
6 replies (most recent on top)
The 2023 lay-off strategy was so bad that I personally know a couple of people who were laid off and then ended up working as contractors for another business unit in Suncor (because they are good at what they do) while still getting their severance. Tell me about saving!!
All he want to do is lower the number of people to CNRL levels (production per people) and hope the stock market reacts. NO, the share price depends on your growth as well as costs/profits.
For the very first rounds and the layoffs done back in 2023 they didn’t even consider performance. Just load a couple bullets in a revolver g-n and shoot at the crowd basically randomly then hope for the best. Shoot at a number x say 10% of the entire organization, cut 1-2 people from every single team at all different levels, cut 1 person at this level, 1 person at this level, 1 person from this level. Pretty sad strategy. Ya there was in some cases oh we have to make a case for it oh you have a position title that is off a bit, okay we’re targeting you. Without even considering performance. Even if there were entire teams that were very critical and super busy and on site with operational support no exception lay off 1 person from each level. You goto the field? Ya we said we aren’t laying off people that goto field but we decided we’re going to break that rule in your case. People in downtown Calgary… same strategy layoff 1 person from each level. We witnessed ya occasionally they got someone that won’t impact the business much, but there were also many decent people that were well established, and also well established in the community of Fort McMurray, and some very exceptional people who had great contributions to the organization laid off too. While leaving a whole bunch of people that sat back with their feet up all day.
Totally wreckless way to lay-off people it’s pretty sad Suncor and Freddy decided to go this route. That’s why he’s got the nickname Freddy.
It seems to me that they took this criticism and for 2024 decided oh we can hire back no problem to replace if we need someone and slowly drop the people that are slacking. And if they just do a 5% target then that’s pretty sad if you have a team of all great people and just because there is one team member that doesn’t have a good relationship with their manager… their manager that doesn’t know what goes on below them then that’s not good either.
Do we know where those 600 folks were laid off from? what location?
I love @yhp+1vwtYDIf posting. Very insightful. I was one of the employees hired in recent years to work on the Energy Transition. Naturally we were one of the first teams to go. Funny thing is I almost turned down the low-ball offer but was convinced to accept with the promise of $$$ in RSUs. Of course those were lost. So he I was working extended hours to match schedule of the EPCs / Licensors around the world. Produced a pile of paper no one will read.
Lesson to future employees considering an offer from Suncor. Don’t accept any offer that backloads your compensation with a promise of RSUs. Pay me now !!
And when it talks to the bottom 5%, it is more depends on the relation between employee with the manager. Especially after last year layoff, a lot of bad managers/directors who is not good about work but good at politics survived and they tried to get rid of the old team members and build their own team with more politics
This style of hiring and firing all in the name of saving costs is ridiculous and will have the following devastating impact to the Suncor brand!
- Short-term gain, long-term pain: Arbitrary layoffs without strategic foresight might save costs in the short term but destroy morale, institutional knowledge, and trust—assets that are irreplaceable.
- Reputation is fragile: Your employees, current and former, are your most powerful brand ambassadors—or your biggest critics. Word travels fast, and the damage to your reputation will far outweigh the perceived cost savings.
- Cost-saving is your job—not theirs: If you’re cutting employees arbitrarily, you’re admitting you failed to manage resources, plan effectively, or lead during tough times. Blaming others while showcasing your "efficiency" isn’t leadership; it’s cowardice.
- You’re undermining loyalty: Treating employees as disposable might make you feel powerful, but it shows you lack the foresight to understand that loyalty is a two-way street.
A word of advice to little fredy kruger - True success lies in building resilience, fostering loyalty, and finding innovative ways to save costs without recklessly gambling with people’s livelihoods. Ask yourself: When the dust settles, will anyone trust or follow you?
Oh, Great Place To Work!! - Keep winning!