SLB reviews

There is a culture in Schlumberger to continually improve processes and limit mistakes by keeping track of mishaps and hazards no matter how small. While this is a good thing on the surface, this generally leads to policies and standard procedures to be changed without enough thought on how the changes will effect other areas. This tends to lead to continual modification of polices that counter each policies' effectiveness. One oddity that this has led to is a company wide requirement that all employees back their cars into parking spaces when parking. No joke, there was a problem with people backing out when leaving and not paying enough attention so they force people to back in, or at least pull forward when leaving. In addition to having parking policies, everyone in Schlumberger is required to pass a 'Commentary Drive' driving test that requires employees drive a car around with a trainer and tell them what they are doing the entire time ( like: "Im looking in my rearview mirror, there is a car behind me that may be following to close" ). This would make sense if it were require of individuals where driving on company time, however, it applies to everyone that has a drivers license.

Everyone knows the oilfield is hurting and lay offs were to be expected. But When Schlumberger who is supposed to be one of the most family oriented companies in the world, layed me off a few days before my wife was supposed to go in to labor with a high risk pregnancy, they showed me different. Not only did they cut my benefits, only offering me COBRA a high cost insurance, they made me sign a waiver saying I will not consult an attorney. If I didn't sign, they would release my salary, job bonuses, and severance pay. When I asked how I was chosen for the lay off, they told me it was computer generated. Its nice to know management doesn't have to feel guilty about laying people off now. They get an emotionless computer to do it. Then the operations manager told me that when the oilfield picks back up, ill be one of the first ones they call back. As far as I'm concerned, I hope they loose my phone number.