Bureaucratic, micromanaging, HR has too much power - Anonymous employee SLB Employee Review

HR is too powerful at this company! There are no internal job postings. Instead, HR comes around and tells people when and where to go. You have no choices. Even managers have little say in who works for them. There are no promotions within. People are brought in from another location who don't know diddly about the kind of work a department does and asked to lead that department. Then they force the department to change the way things are done, and it simply does not work. Customers get mad and take their business elsewhere. Forget this company if you are over 50. Blatant, blatant age discrimination is rampant all over this company. Even when economic times are good, people of certain ages are pushed out the door for no reason. Along with them goes a lot of talent, knowledge, customer relations, and business savvy. There is no real structure to mentor and pass along this knowledge to their successors. Shame on this company for wantonly breaking age discrimination laws and getting away with it. It is cumbersome to get anything done because of all the bureaucracy and forms and approvals needed. A prime example is purchasing. Only certain people have the power to buy anything. If you are out in the field, you cannot go up the road to Home Depot and buy a wrench to fix a pump. You have a P-card, but you can't use it for anything besides meals and travel expenses. Try to use it at a hardware store and it is turned down. This company is so micromanaging that they even tell you how you should park your car!