Calgary Economy

[Policy Wonk]

Me and a colleague were stood-up for two of three meetings downtown today on account of the people (in both cases plural) we were supposed to be meeting with had been fired yesterday or today. One of those fired has a deadline with a regulatory agency next week. Should make for a rough weekend for someone.

For our final meeting of the day we were booted out of the meeting room because an HR bimbo who could barely string words together and a security guard who could barely walk and looked to be at least 70 "needed it".

Meanwhile three people I used to work with were all canned from Penn West. One in an absolutely indispensable role and had only recently been given a retention bonus.

[Ramsayfarian]

Originally Posted by Policy Wonk

Me and a colleague were stood-up for two of three meetings downtown today on account of the people (in both cases plural) we were supposed to be meeting with had been fired yesterday or today. One of those fired has a deadline with a regulatory agency next week. Should make for a rough weekend for someone.

For our final meeting of the day we were booted out of the meeting room because an HR bimbo who could barely string words together and a security guard who could barely walk and looked to be at least 70 "needed it".

Meanwhile three people I used to work with were all canned from Penn West. One in an absolutely indispensable role and had only recently been given a retention bonus.

Hearing from someone who has been let go is pretty much a daily occurrence for me. So far, I've only seen one example where the right person was cut.

If companies actually based their layoffs on performance, the average O&G in this town could eliminate at least 20% of their workforce, unfortunately they don't. If I was making the decisions, I'd base them on folks at work web browsing history.

[LFRENCH]

I still have the feeling the layoffs are being under reported( or failing to show up in meaningful way in the data). Although its rather anecdotal I have noticed that driving the girlfriend to work downtown has gotten much easier in the past couple of months. I'm often in and out in less than 15 minutes now where before it was atleast 30 mins down and 15 back.

A friend of mine also owns a gas station in red deer and has experienced a jump in drive offs by about 3-4x what they were earlier in the year. another anecdotal piece that leaves me to believe we really don't know how bad this will be and for how long.

[Rusty van Reddick]

Originally Posted by LFRENCH

I still have the feeling the layoffs are being under reported

The labour market survey is a self-report study (remember? soci 201?) and not contingent on employers' reporting, over- or under-wise. And unlike in the US, it doesn't count long-term unemployed as out of the labour pool. So what do you mean by "under-reported"? By whom? Why? Investors WANT layoffs.

[MalcolmTucker]

I bet he means media coverage?

[Policy Wonk]

Originally Posted by Ramsayfarian

Hearing from someone who has been let go is pretty much a daily occurrence for me. So far, I've only seen one example where the right person was cut.

If companies actually based their layoffs on performance, the average O&G in this town could eliminate at least 20% of their workforce, unfortunately they don't. If I was making the decisions, I'd base them on folks at work web browsing history.

What I find puzzling is how many departments and projects have faced massive layoffs when they should be relatively sheltered from any immediate fall-out of the oil crash. One of the people I know who was fired this week was an investigator who led internal pipeline incident investigations and liaised with the AER, I don't think those are going to happen any more or any less because of the oil crash.

Another person was an American from Bakersfield who was canned just before Christmas and had gone home. This is someone who knows *everything* there is to know about shipping oil by rail. They were astonished when they were fired. No sooner were they getting settled in back in California when the company contacts them and offers them a six month contract in Edmonton.

I know an IT guy who was canned right in the middle of "scheduled downtime" on Friday afternoon in January. His boss wasn't there when he was fired and the male HR bimbo told him "you don't work here anymore, you need to begin the process of letting go" when he tried to write down logins and passwords and such. In any event he left with an unbootable server laying on the counter.

They started calling him at home around 7:00 that night, but he decided to ignore them and he and his wife flew down to her parent's place in Arizona. They were pretty angry when he told them the HR dude had rebuffed the offer of passwords when he finally returned a call.

[LFRENCH]

Originally Posted by MalcolmTucker

I bet he means media coverage?

its definitely not reported much in the media, however i was meaning more like how the LFS deals with independent contractors/Self Employed.

Without making this too simple to ruin the intent of the question. An example would be that I run and own a firm because it simply is one of my only options at this point, Would I report as unemployed or employed.

If I had stats can call me between contracts I would still say i'm employed ( despite there not being work on the other end). Thankfully I mostly work in BC so my work hasn't been impacted.

Rusty, I'm pretty sure many groups don't like hearing about job losses, especially politicians entering elections or those running on a slate about their job creation successes. Not to mention there is lots of stigma/emotional damage to being laid off(surely you as a soci guru can understand that)

[DarthMalgus]

Amongst the tiring doom and gloom, there is the odd piece of positive news now and then. For example, there seem to be many that think Canada will come out of the oil downturn better than most:

http://business.financialpost.com/2015/0...zations-influence-wanes/?__lsa=9c45-8a26

[Ramsayfarian]

Originally Posted by Policy Wonk

What I find puzzling is how many departments and projects have faced massive layoffs when they should be relatively sheltered from any immediate fall-out of the oil crash. One of the people I know who was fired this week was an investigator who led internal pipeline incident investigations and liaised with the AER, I don't think those are going to happen any more or any less because of the oil crash.

Another person was an American from Bakersfield who was canned just before Christmas and had gone home. This is someone who knows *everything* there is to know about shipping oil by rail. They were astonished when they were fired. No sooner were they getting settled in back in California when the company contacts them and offers them a six month contract in Edmonton.

I know an IT guy who was canned right in the middle of "scheduled downtime" on Friday afternoon in January. His boss wasn't there when he was fired and the male HR bimbo told him "you don't work here anymore, you need to begin the process of letting go" when he tried to write down logins and passwords and such. In any event he left with an unbootable server laying on the counter.

They started calling him at home around 7:00 that night, but he decided to ignore them and he and his wife flew down to her parent's place in Arizona. They were pretty angry when he told them the HR dude had rebuffed the offer of passwords when he finally returned a call.

I hope that cost the HR dude his job. I'm sure Calgary is no different that other cities, but there a lot of times it depends on who you know, not what you know when the lists are made.

Another thing that isn't making the news is how many companies are asking their contractors to take a rate cut. I know of at least 5 large O&G companies who have done so. With cuts ranging from 10-20%.

[Policy Wonk]

I have no idea, but he did receive a very carefully worded apology and thank you for his cooperation in-spite of that.

I have been very fortunate in that I have never really been in a layoff situation, other than where a company was collapsing and nobody was going to have a job soon enough.

[Policy Wonk]

Originally Posted by DarthMalgus

Amongst the tiring doom and gloom, there is the odd piece of positive news now and then. For example, there seem to be many that think Canada will come out of the oil downturn better than most:

http://business.financialpost.com/2015/0...zations-influence-wanes/?__lsa=9c45-8a26

Whatever the current circumstances are ultimately decided to be, our long-term fortunes are tied to half a dozen discrete issues to be decided in the US by refiners and policymakers over which we have no sway.

If the US shale boom and US crude export ban both hold up, we're probably in a world of trouble no matter where oil prices shake out in the long-run. In that scenario we not only lose the US crude market but Canadian refiners are wiped out by US refined product imports too.

[Ramsayfarian]

Originally Posted by Policy Wonk

I have no idea, but he did receive a very carefully worded apology and thank you for his cooperation in-spite of that.

I have been very fortunate in that I have never really been in a layoff situation, other than where a company was collapsing and nobody was going to have a job soon enough.

At least the company acknowledge him for doing the right thing.

I've been in a few large scale blood baths. Worst was at Amoco, HR started tat the top floor and slowly worked their way down. That is until the someone decided to jump from the International Hotel that was next door. Never did find out if it was an Amoco person, but they did halt the carnage for a week or so.

I was laid off once as the company had to reduce costs by 30%. I was gone for less than a month when the asked if I'd be interested in coming back as no one else could support their invoicing and allocation systems. Was there for another 2 years and left on my own accord.

[lubicon]

One of the gals I work with just got an email from her sister who works at Sobey's Western office in Edmonton. They have just been notified that the office will be consolidated with Safeway's office in Calgary and anyone who is interested in moving will need to re-apply for their job. I have not been able to independently verify this however. Her sister is not exactly thrilled.

[Fuzz]

On the plus side, they have a reason to move out of Edmonton. On the minus side, WTF? They actually have to apply for their job? When Shaw moved, they offered anyone who wanted to move their job. No re-applying.

[Cage]

Originally Posted by Fuzz

On the plus side, they have a reason to move out of Edmonton. On the minus side, WTF? They actually have to apply for their job? When Shaw moved, they offered anyone who wanted to move their job. No re-applying.

The shaw move was within a single employer, where as the Sobeys Safeway consolidation was two separate companies. IIRC Empire Foods (or whatever the Empire group is called) owns both Sobeys and Safeway store separately. The separation remains because one is a union shop and the other is not.

[Fuzz]

Ah, right. Maybe it's a way of reducing union members?

[Ramsayfarian]

Originally Posted by Fuzz

Ah, right. Maybe it's a way of reducing union members?

or weeding out the deadwood.

[lubicon]

Originally Posted by Fuzz

On the plus side, they have a reason to move out of Edmonton. On the minus side, WTF? They actually have to apply for their job? When Shaw moved, they offered anyone who wanted to move their job. No re-applying.

Shell did the same thing a couple of years ago when the parent company bought out Shell Canada. The Shell Canada employees had to reapply and interview again for their jobs.

[Tropics]

Originally Posted by lubicon

Shell did the same thing a couple of years ago when the parent company bought out Shell Canada. The Shell Canada employees had to reapply and interview again for their jobs.

I am not sure if it is Shell or CNRL but one of the big oil companies does that regularly. All full time employees are basically on a set work frame and when the timeframe is up they need to reapply for a job. It is not a oddity, it is the regular way the company works and everyone who works for that company or applies for them understands that.

It is definitely a somewhat nerve-racking thing for most employees I would imagine.

[WhipperSnapper]

Sounds more like contract work than full time employees