Shell reviews

Company struggles to combine global presence with local leadership. It's very common not to have your line manager in the same location (sometimes the other side of the world), leading to poor team dynamics and strong dependence on deputy leadership. Additionally, questions arise around the quality of performance reviews by line managers that have only very sparse personal interaction with their staff.

- In sales, the focus is often short term (annual performance). - Too much focus on individual reward and recognition which often stifle collaboration and teamwork. - Annual performance management process with forced ranking. - Limited senior roles doing local jobs. If you want progression, you need to do regional or global roles. - Susceptibility to succumbing to the "not invented here" syndrome since most assignments only last 4 years and staff wanting to move up would have tendency not to continue what was started by the predecessor even if they are working but instead develop new things. This is apparent in lubricants marketing where there is hardly any sustainable product positioning. - In Lubricants - Tendency to hire too many experienced marketers from FMCG companies who hardly make an effort to understand their products and the business first to come up with strong marketing programs and campaigns but instead rely too much on events and promotions. - Tendency to develop a culture of "sucking it up to the boss" and breeding a group of "Yes men" at senior management levels stifling generation of new and/or opposing ideas. - Believes that promoting gender diversity is just all about hiring women with limited programs in place to make the workplace more women-friendly especially to those not willing to sacrifice their family life for the sake of their careers. - Understaffed front-line human resource staff. - Becoming an organization of fiefdoms led by leaders promoting their own agenda and each wanting to "look good".