Shell Oil US Reviews

Current Employee – been working at Shell Oil US as a contractor for more than a year

Pros – Smart, capable co-workers, decent pay and benefits, 9/80 work week, large budget when working on projects as opposed to when working with smaller E&P's, company has integrity and prides themselves on doing things the right and legal way, stability of long-term work

Cons – Working environment and conditions are poor, not much time for a personal life when working here because of the unrealistic work-life balance expectations, buildings at Woodcreek campus are in very poor shape and working conditions are over-crowded, often 2-4 people in small offices or cubicles--or just a table with 4 workstations set up, no room for personal belongings or maps (personal space is a luxury that you won't get at Shell), scarce parking, no team building activities or even a holiday party, expect strict business acumen and high stress.

Advice to Senior Management – Engage with employees more in a human way, try not to foster such a workaholic environment (by sending emails to staff late at night and on weekends, have more social activities for employees to loosen up occasionally, show more appreciation for employees' diligent efforts, work is work but Shell could use more fun activities like the last company I worked for had (I miss the camaraderie and where people treat each other well). Please stop fostering the idea that contractors should be treated like second-class citizens. Stop cramming people into tight spaces and making employees/contractors work in musty, mildewed offices.

No, I would not recommend this company to a friend

Current Employee – been working at Shell Oil US as a contractor for more than a year

Pros – Good company and great benefits. The work place is not really diverse. Work life balance doesn't exist.

Cons – The company doesn't use the full reach of its influence to become as efficient as possible. Also upper management is not effective as compared to other companies where I have been employed.

Advice to Senior Management – Start implementing lean into each area of the business and see the cost savings

Yes, I would recommend this company to a friend

Current Employee – been working at Shell Oil US full-time for less than a year

Pros – Working hours, co-workers, steady job

Cons – neutral salary, travels, small carrer advancement

Advice to Senior Management – Lower gas price

Yes, I would recommend this company to a friend

Former Employee – worked at Shell Oil US as a contractor for more than a year

Pros – Shell Energy offers the backing of Royal Dutch Shell so it has a strong brand and name that can be leveraged in the industry.

Cons – Shell Energy does not value its employees or have strong upper management that is focused on producing results.

No, I would not recommend this company to a friend – I'm not optimistic about the outlook for this company

Former Employee – worked at Shell Oil US as a contractor for more than a year

Pros – Excellent culture, great opportunities for advance ment and the salary was awesome

Cons – difficult to communicate new ideas due to narraow scope of roles in the company

Advice to Senior Management – Give employees the opportunities to develope their postions to become more efficient

Yes, I would recommend this company to a friend – I'm optimistic about the outlook for this company

Current Employee – been working at Shell Oil US full-time for more than a year

Pros – International opportunities, outstanding pay and benefits, good work/life balance

Cons – Very bureaucratic, very individualistic, too structured/boxed-in, tough for new people to adapt, slow to adapt/change, people change jobs too often so it is difficult to find someone experienced to guide you, unwelcoming to new ideas, lacks creativity

Advice to Senior Management – There is much lip service paid to the desire to bring in high-performers and new ideas from experienced hires. However, if the new hire doesn't fit perfectly into the mold of "the Shell mindset" then their ideas are ignored. If there truly is a desire to bring in new ideas, HR or management should find ways to support those who bring valuable insights to the table. ...otherwise, like me and most under-35 colleagues of mine, they will start looking for their next job out of frustration from regularly dealing with the old guard. What this company needs is for more people and fewer projects, so that employees and the company can actually develop. Otherwise it will always be just a machine following a program.

No, I would not recommend this company to a friend

Current Employee – been working at Shell Oil US

Pros – Excellent technical staff
Conscientious, very hard working, team-oriented coworkers
Excellent benefits
Good salary and bonuses

Cons – Senior management promoted so fast they never learn what it is to do real work and so only follow fashion.

Advice to Senior Management – You have better lower staff than higher. Purge 50% of grade 1 and above and promote everyone below grade 2.

Yes, I would recommend this company to a friend

Former Employee – worked at Shell Oil US

Pros – Excellent benefit package, somewhat stable industry
Operating roles are fast pace and full of responsibility
Knowledge transfer systems in place

Cons – No career development plan for new college graduates.
Management turnover alienates workers
Plenty of dissatisfied people
Limited financial upside

Advice to Senior Management – Put in place mechanisms to keep top talent
Align management incentives with personell development
Develop good engineers into managers

Yes, I would recommend this company to a friend

Former Employee – worked at Shell Oil US

Pros – friendly people
9/80 schedule
great benefits
competitive pay

Cons – lay offs lately are scarry

Advice to Senior Management – Hire more and lay off less

Yes, I would recommend this company to a friend

Former Employee – worked at Shell Oil US

Pros – Interesting work

Low stress level

Decent work life balance

Good support for professional development activities

Generally decent folks to work with

Cons – Way too bureaucratic

Too much focus on form (Do your Power Points look a certain way?) over substance (How
competent you are, What level of enthusiasm do you bring to your work, Do you possess a more compass, etc)

Lots of discussion around career support and development, but did not translate well in day-to-day practice

Advice to Senior Management – Apply higher standards to individuals when making promotion decisions - Focus more on competence and high moral character than an individual's connections

Strengthen the employee benefits packages - not competitive, especially with other large energy companies