Prós
1) Flexible working : virtual working and home working opportunities. Job rotation and part time are other flexibilities available together with sabbatical leave. 2) Respectful culture: As a European company, there is a high appreciation for people’s personal time and space. Weekends and vacations are fully respected and 3 week annual leave is encouraged to prevent burnout. People are respectful in their interactions. 3) Truly Multi national. In any meeting, it is common to interact with people across 5 different nationalities with it going your 20 for team meetings.
Contras
1) Management changes invariably bring in sweeping organisational changes. Every two years there is a revamp which is always a hindrance to smooth functioning. At shell “change is a constant”. 2) Employees who come in must be conscious of job grades. The job titles at Shell can be very misleading. Job grades pretty much define salary banding and promotions are the only way hikes in salaries come through. Also there is huge disparity of salaries between countries and within country. 3) Shell is an elephant that is hard to prod forward. Global company trying to align across the board in every little decision hinders progress substantially. Working the system is the biggest job.