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Occidental Petroleum

Is this your company?

The political minefield they call Occidental Petroleum, where it's not about what you know, but who and saying yes. - Professional Occidental Petroleum Employee Review

2.0
May 7, 2014
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Some good people, decent benefits, flexible work schedule as long as you're working 60 hours per week, there aren't any 980's where I live. They have some good folks but are hemorrhaging them right now to others willing to offer more money, better work life balance and who actually pay for performance.

Cons

Politics rule promotions, it's not what you know, it's who. Despite their assertion people are not their primary resource, with all of the reorganization and becoming a smaller company means less people, therefore they overwork the people that are there, use the performance review system to beat people down, are obsessed with head count and would rather pay 3 times as much using consultants to get rid of a direct employee. I can't see how spending 3x more money for the convenience of being able to get rid of someone without having to fabricate a case in the performance review system is a benefit to the company. Low morale in most people who have been there a while and are honest. There is no pay for performance, and anyone that says there is just happens to be on the sunny side of the field for now or is a sacrificial anode. Oxy pays for blind obedience, inner circles are filled with yes men asking what's in it for them, you are expected to push the ethics envelope, not visibly of course and if you don't you become a liability or at best someone on the way out.

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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