Incredibly dysfunctional corporate culture - Anonymous employee Devon Energy Employee Review

1.0
Nov 16, 2015
Anonymous employee
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Well compensated salary and benefits package. Corporate wellness perks such as on-site fitness and cafeteria facilities. One of the more financially prudent O&G companies. Fairly decent internal corporate training options.

Cons

Awful management and leadership practises, very ineffective. Stuck in the 1950s for corporate culture. Poor engagement scores among employees despite advertising otherwise. The great places to work program masks the culture problems that will take you 6 months to discover. Highly toxic work environment, management regularly totes the "perception is everything" line, and bases decisions mostly on rumour and fear. Management decisions regularly compromise advertised corporate values. Highly political environment, very difficult to get anything done. There's a large dictatorship faction in the company. Management functions with a strong preference for command & control, and doesn't heed advice from front-line employees. Devon hires a ton of former military members who are excellent in command & control but are often abrasive, brass, and have difficulty transitioning to civilian work-life. They struggle to work well with others, "HR moments" are quite frequent. As a result of all of this, working at Devon feels like being in the military where you're constantly bullied and forced to tow the corporate line or get out. There's a history of firing high-performing employees who've spoken out constructively on these issues. They're labeled as "not a good fit". Cross-border management is a large challenge that most often results in ostracized team members. Management has a poor sense of people resource limitations and commits to several initiatives without considering if they have the capacity to actually fulfill them. Low chance of project success as a result. Most employees end up feeling suppressed and keep their mouths shut in order to keep collecting the high paycheque.

Explore other reviews about Devon Energy

5.0
May 28, 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Lots of bells and whistles, opportunities for learning & development

Cons

Teams are ofter spread out due to the physical layout of the buildings. This makes it extra challenging for newby employees.

2.0
Jan 17, 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

1. Strong compensation and benefits 2. Good brand recognition in the industry 3. Talented individual contributors

Cons

1. Serious leadership issues at the mid-management level 2. Extremely high turnover within certain teams (approximately 30% of employees lost in my group within one year) 3. Poor employee survey results with little to no visible accountability or corrective action 4. Culture of fear rather than trust—employees felt uncomfortable speaking up, and some openly feared retaliation 5. Problematic managers were widely known internally, yet remained in place

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