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Occidental Petroleum

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Going Downhill Fast - Geoscience Occidental Petroleum Employee Review

2.0
Jan 24, 2018
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Casual Dress Code 9/80 schedule Decent compensation and benefits Good work/life balance

Cons

Oxy used to be a very fulfilling place to work. Employees used to be empowered to make decisions and implement ideas. We were nimble and flexible. After a disasterous reorganization executed by some bean counting consulting group, bureaucracy is becoming stifling. Technical employees are no longer empowered to make decisions. Decisions are made by an increasingly large and unnecessary cadre of mid-level managers who spend their time trying to expand their political influence and don't consult their direct reports when decisions are made. Much of the hard work by the rank and file employees goes unnoticed and unused. It's essentially impossible to get into the management track if you are a geoscientist. The limited number of management positions are filled either by reservoir engineers with 3 years of experience or by beneficiaries of nepotism. Geoscience managers are constantly promising to rotate employees but it never happens because they don't have any power to do so (thank you for trying at least). You basically have to threaten to quit...they will never offer you a new project or assignment. As such, career opportunities are basically nonexistent. If you like working the same field in the Permian for the next few years without any real challenge or potential for professional development then this is your place. If you don't like change and you don't like pressure, this is your place.

Explore other reviews about Occidental Petroleum

5.0
Jul 11, 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Peak benefits, amazing coworkers, giant organization/market altering company to be apart of

Cons

Chances of promotion might come from retirements

5.0
Apr 16, 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Compensation is solid for Houston energy: roughly $150K base plus ~$45K bonus/stock for DS-level roles, with a standout ~14% employer retirement contribution (7% 401k match + 7% company contribution). Benefits, PTO, and hybrid flexibility (M/F WFH, 9/80 schedule common) are consistently praised, and Texas has no state income tax. Overall comp & benefits rating is 4.2/5 company-wide on Glassdoor, and bonus upside scales with oil-cycle performance.

Cons

Base pay for ML/computational roles trails top-of-market (FAANG, quant, AI-first firms), and Houston DS employees specifically rated comp 1/5 on Glassdoor — suggesting pay compression or slow raises relative to market. Career progression is reportedly slow, with employees citing 12-year waits for promotion and salaries held toward the low end of the band. Bonus/LTI are tied to oil prices, so comp is cyclical, and recent layoffs tied to the OxyChem sale and debt-reduction push have made job security feel less certain than at integrated majors like XOM or CVX.

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