Today's townhall was a heck of a display of ego and self acclimation, all they accomplished was congratulating each other on being masters of the universe. Gotta keep the shareholders (themselves) happy never mind the rest of us we are expendable. What a pathetic display we saw today, other companies drilling yet we seem to be the only ones laying off. Very disappointed!
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Agreed! That was a frustratingly useless Town Hall. The scripted answers to prepared questions, the unprofessional and poorly-timed "humour" of Al Hirschberg (looked like it made Matt Fox uncomfortable on a couple of occasions). There are a lot of people who are very stressed out and scared for their futures and families. Now is the time to be frank and open and acknowledge the monsters in the room. I hope COP isn't in a knee-jerk state of layoffs vs quarterly performance! I thought after COST and the last 2 rounds we were built to survive $45 oil. Guess not.
AH's crass attempts to crack jokes during a Corporate Townhall when layoffs are imminent is beyond unprofessional...it shows how the ELT thinks the company is their own personal kingdom to rule...still with massive paychecks and private jets even during the downturn. Never mind the accountability of wasting billions on Deepwater and corporate largesse, show some dignity when you talk to us.
Hey Sherlock, it's like that at most companies
The debt holders run the company ...
Thanks for the excellent advise. This is much easier and fun than learning to do my job. Gisting on Facebook and hanging out for coffee with those that matter instead of my powerless colleagues. I need to change my orientation and way of thinking very fast.
I have only one month to implement the recommendations.
Tips to not get laid off:
Example in Canada
Step one: Introduce yourself to one of the expat managers from Houston
Step two: Buy him or her coffee in the morning
Step three: Hang out with him or her at lunch (ie. Work out at the gym or play squash)
Step four: Hang out with him or her outside of work (ie. Get to know the spouse and children personally, go out for drinks and dinner)
Step five: Add them on facebook! This will solidify your position at work!
If you do this, you do not need to worry about being laid off!
Even better, you do not even need to know how to do your job! You are float through and be safe for the September layoffs!
Working for almost 27 years in the oil and gas industry, this has proven to be successfull for me especially at Conoco!