Tomorrow morning we will begin employee reduction notifications. Notifications will be conducted on an individual basis, and we ask that all Oklahoma City employees stay near their primary office location the next two days. Leaders and HR representatives will meet with employees on each floor to provide status notifications.
So that the organization can properly focus on conducting these conversations in a thoughtful and respectful manner, the Devon Energy Center is now closed to the public and will remain so until Friday morning. We ask that all meetings scheduled for the next two days in Oklahoma City, including those with external vendors or visitors, be canceled.
In addition, the Well, dry cleaning services and car wash will be closed Wednesday and Thursday, but nebu and Aravalli will be open regular hours. The Doc also will be open regular hours all week.
The schedule for notifications is as follows:
· Oklahoma City, Feb. 17: Primarily supervisor level and above notifications will occur. We expect most notifications to be completed by noon.
· Oklahoma City, Feb. 18: Non-supervisory position notifications begin at 8 a.m. and are expected to be completed by noon. Additionally, a small number of employees in Canada will be impacted.
· Bridgeport, Feb. 19: Leaders in Bridgeport will be notified of their status.
· Spring, Feb. 22: Affected employees in Spring, Texas, will receive notification.
· Other field: Employee notifications in field offices unrelated to the non-core divestitures also will occur by Feb. 22.
The number of reductions will activate the WARN Act (Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act). More information on the WARN Act and what that means for employees can be found here.
As communicated at the Town Hall last month, these actions are primarily a result of the current commodity price environment and are no reflection on the talents and skills of the impacted employees. Devon’s cost structure is simply too high, and the company must reduce expenses across the organization to maintain its financial flexibility and competitiveness. This effort has included an extensive and critical examination of spending across the company.
This is an extremely challenging time for everyone involved, especially those who are directly impacted and their families. We remain committed to managing these actions as thoughtfully and carefully as possible.
We again urge everyone to maintain a focus on safety, which is always a top priority. If there are any concerns about security, employees can call the Security Control Center at 405-228-8899 or toll free at 1-800-361-3377. Additionally, Devon’s Employee Assistance Program is available 24/7, and information on how to access it can be found on Strata.
We appreciate everyone’s shared commitment to work through these important steps with professionalism and respect for all involved.
Devon Executive Committee