Great Work, Increasing Concerns About Fairness in Career Progression - Product Manager SLB Employee Review

What is disappointing is that this was not always the culture here. A few years ago, career growth generally felt tied to expertise, contribution, and the value you brought to the business. Over the last couple of years, however, there has been a noticeable shift. Many employees now feel that promotions, role changes, and appointments to influential governance or leadership positions are increasingly driven by sponsorship from the right people rather than demonstrated capability or relevant experience. The rapid rise of certain individuals has been hard to ignore, especially when they have limited customer-facing experience, domain knowledge, or track records in comparable roles. What makes this particularly frustrating is the inconsistency. During periods of restructuring and layoffs, employees in some roles were let go, while others appeared to be moved into different senior positions in the tech centre and protected from similar outcomes. Whether this was intentional or not, it has created a perception that the rules are not applied equally to everyone. The result is a growing sense of disengagement among many experienced employees. When people start believing that relationships matter more than performance, expertise, or results, it becomes difficult to stay motivated and trust the system. There is still a lot to like about the company, including talented colleagues and meaningful work. However, rebuilding trust will require greater transparency around promotions, leadership appointments, and role changes, so employees can clearly see that opportunities are being awarded fairly and based on merit.