Canadian Natural – “Some challenges, but on the right track.”

Pros

Canadian Natural has an excellent compensation package, and decent corporate culture. It's not the best, and it's not the worst. The savings plan is excellent - they match 150% of employee contributions. The stock is the healthiest in the industry, so when you get stock options (and everyone does) it's worth quite a bit. The opportunities for advancement are totally there if you're willing to work and have a good attitude. They also provide bottled water which is awesome.

Cons

CNR has a low cost corporate culture which pervades all aspects of working there. So no frills in office decor or supplies. They are not at the lead when it comes to time off for employees, many competitors do way better with flex days, Friday's off, and much more generous vacation packages. All this contributes to stress and burnout. The workload is quite high - part of keeping costs down and staff turnover can be high because of that. There is a lack of communication in the corporate culture with employees often feeling out of the loop and a huge grapevine. They lack implementing technology quickly due to costs. (software, extra monitors)

Advice to Senior Management

Don't treat your employees like retards. Encourage true communication and trust. Quit working people to death and admit that even WITH the flex days and vacations Encana performs just as well. Inspire people to work harder and smarter by encouraging home grown solutions to dept. problems and challenges. All employees have good ideas on streamlining their environment and being more productive. When a department pulls a feat beyond the call of duty - allow them to reap the benefits. i.e. when payables recoups over a million dollars in 'found money' perhaps allocate a portion as a bonus for the dept. I can guarantee they will recover two million next year.