On Entitlement

Employment rights and human rights are relatively modern concepts. We still frequently read of families tied to labour in perpetuity by debt or other bondage. And grand though the Geneva declaration of human rights sounds, only a tiny proportion of the human race enjoys all of its stipulations. Reactionary political parties in Britain and elsewhere base election campaigns on being against human rights acts, at least those coming from outside (the evil Brussels), and mainstream people accept this without irony. We have a long way to go as humans before we can call ourselves truly enlightened.

It is not a simple subject. Some feel that entitlements only do damage, or at least infringe against other liberties. Think of parents schooling their kids at home, or the debate about euthanasia, not to mention the right to bear arms. Messy stuff. Certainly there is widespread belief that recent generations have grown up with an entitlement mindset, working against hard graft, learning by earning or even family values. People in America feel that Europe has become weak by having too many entitlements. People in Asia feel the same about America.

Entitlements can also become a way of forcing discrimination. One person’s entitlement becomes another person’s exclusion. South Africans, Palestinians, Malaysians, all know about this, and increasingly Europeans – have you spoken to anyone from outside the EU trying to get a residence permit for the Netherlands or UK lately?

What about as employees of Shell? We have our legal and contractual rights. Expats have few rights but many expectations. Contractors have fewer rights than full Shell staff. It depends which country we come from, and there are bodies like staff councils and trade unions to represent us.

But are there, or should there be, more entitlements and responsibilities than contractual ones? Judging by the long faces and utter shock among many senior managers lately, there must have been a belief deep down that somehow lifetime employment was one of our entitlements. I wonder what planet we thought we were living on? There is a world recession out there and Shell needs to compete, guys! Just as whole generations can go soft, it seems the same can happen to the executive cadre of cosseted corporations.

But what should we be able to expect? Certainly not a job for life, nor even a job beyond our minimum contractual notice period. What about a good boss? Career development? A canteen? Interesting work? Being paid on time? None of the above, I say.

A good employer will offer these as much as it can, since it wants to attract and retain good staff, but that doesn’t make them entitlements. That is one point in favour of setting entitlements publicly – they can create some brand value (when followed), can offer reassurance to individuals and also some platform for discussion. What about not being disturbed in the middle of the night or on holiday, except in a real operational emergency? That is interesting, and I say that we are entitled to that, but we are often too craven and ego-driven to actually follow it through.

I have three other hopes that I would like to promote.

The first is consistent application of a transparent performance (and retention) management system. It may be a rubbish system, but I think I have a right to feel upset if I’m kept in the dark about what it is, or if I am not treated the same as others. I recognize there are limits, for example between countries. But I expect intent of my company to achieve this. Do I see it in the current situation? Well maybe I’ll give Shell 7 or 8 out of 10. I can see that merit and business logic are driving this, not nepotism or anything else less savoury. I like the emphasis on pace. But by now I would have liked to see more clarity about which roles would be open resourced and which ring-fenced, and evidence that this would be applied according to universal principles.

The second aspiration is around communication and feedback. I wrote about Silence in my last blog, so you won’t be surprised that this one scores less, maybe 5 or 6. The websites are great, the webcasts fulfill a useful function, but there is still much too much silence out there. We should have clearly defined expectations of existing and new line managers, supported by information packs.

The final one is humanity. This is about basic human respect. I sometimes miss this in the way we handle contractors, making it very obvious who they are and that they are second- class citizens. I also struggle with how the people who are unplaced have found out and then been treated, almost left on a lonely island as some sort of fairground attraction, deprived of dignity. Surely these people deserve better than that? That whole aspect requires careful, proactive management, with protocols and assigned responsibilities. I don’t see evidence of that happening. So this one is a 4 or 5.

These hopes could maybe be summarized as Honesty, Integrity and Respect for People. I haven’t seen many Shell People Survey results yet, but I wouldn’t be surprised to see some slippage in values such as these. It should not be a surprise – the situation we are in puts people under enormous pressure. From what I see outside, Shell retains close to role model status on values. And I do expect that as things settle down the new Shell can re-emphasise these values and fix any lapses that have emerged in 2009.

And this is not just about leaders. One final entitlement we have no right to expect is that leaders have to behave one way while staff can behave in another. The best way to promote and to earn fair expectations is to demonstrate it ourselves as individuals and teams, offering feedback, both compliments and challenges, to others around us. Whatever your level in Shell, ask yourself these questions. How have I performed in Honesty, Integrity and Respect for People during 2009? What feedback have I given? Am I a victim myself of an outdated entitlement mindset?