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Sustainability

People

At Oxy, we hire and develop remarkable people with a passion to produce life-enhancing energy and chemical products and help us carry out our low-carbon strategy. Our multicultural workforce is dedicated to achieving the company's objectives, improving our environment and contributing to the communities where we operate.

Two Oxy employees leaning on work truck in field

At Oxy, we aim to actively engage employees on a global scale, and this starts with culture built on our core values:

  • Lead with Passion: We love what we do and make sure it shows. We aim to revolutionize the industry.
  • Outperform Expectations: We demand excellence from ourselves always. We think boldly so we can go farther, faster.
  • Deliver Results Responsibly: We hold ourselves accountable. We never stop building value.
  • Unleash Opportunities: We unlock potential others don’t see. We take calculated business risks others won’t dare.
  • Commit to Good: We do the right thing no matter what. We take care of each other, our company, and our world.

ADVANCING HUMAN CAPITAL

Oxy’s human capital and workforce development strategy is rooted in Oxy’s core values, unequivocally empowered by the support of our leadership and executed in collaboration with business unit leaders across the organization. We believe our diverse global workforce creates value for our shareholders, business partners and host communities, provides a competitive advantage and delivers real progress toward Oxy’s mission and vision. 

In our fast-paced, competitive industry, we strive to provide safe, supportive and high-quality work environments that reward innovation, aligned with UN SDG 3: Good Health and Well-Being and UN SDG 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth. Our exemplary safety performance reflects our commitment to protecting the health and safety of the people at our facilities and in the communities where we operate. 

In the United States, Oxy maintains strong ties with 25 major universities, collaborating with university leaders, participating in events and offering best-in-class internship opportunities to compete for university graduates. We recognize the tremendous talent, drive and potential of trade school graduates. These students gain essential skills that drive productivity and help strengthen the economy and society. Oxy collaborates with trade schools in a range of disciplines, providing cooperative relationships for their students that integrate coursework with applied on-the-job training, industry certifications and vital steps toward technical qualifications. 

In our international operations, we strive to conduct comprehensive succession planning including the proactive recruitment, training and development of local employees to help increase each region’s capabilities and expand local hiring. This effort stands as a tangible demonstration of our commitment to knowledge sharing with our host government partners. By focusing on the development of local talent and providing a seamless transition of expertise, we work to foster a sustainable business model while contributing to the growth and development of the communities where we operate. Investing in education and skills-based training in countries where we operate helps Oxy develop and sustain the local technical, operational and commercial talent required to build, operate and maintain critical infrastructure for our work in those markets. 

Oxy’s mission, vision and values unify our global workforce and drive innovation and operational excellence.

Diversity, Inclusion and Belonging (DIB)

Through our Diversity, Inclusion and Belonging (DIB) program, Oxy strives to be a place for everyone to learn, work and grow. As an international company, we value the ability to communicate and work effectively with people from a wide variety of backgrounds, perspectives and cultures. Oxy has attracted, and continues to recruit, a diverse workforce of exceptional talent, including employees from over 75 nations. We believe this diversity enriches our culture and our employees’ experience in the workplace and contributes to an innovative and effective business model that benefits our shareholders as well as the local communities where we operate. The intent of Oxy’s DIB culture is to sustain an environment where employees’ differences are appreciated, celebrated and encouraged. We believe DIB fuels our innovation and spirit of excellence, as well as our knowledge and results. Embedding DIB into our culture enhances Oxy’s collaboration, performance and growth, and helps uphold our mission, vision and values. 

Explore Diversity, Inclusion and Belonging (DIB) at Oxy.

Please view our EEO-1 2022 Consolidated Report for detailed U.S. employment data.

Workforce Development and Learning

Oxy is dedicated to empowering our people to make the most of their careers and capabilities. To that end, we offer extensive training and development programs for employees in numerous roles, specializations and stages of their professional journey. From performance assessments to leadership development, recognition programs and more, our dedication to helping our employees live and work to their fullest potential is evident each and every day. 

Employee development at Oxy is a planned, collaborative process. Oxy offers in-house and external training and development opportunities at all levels and locations to promote career growth. We also provide both instructor-led and e-learning opportunities for personal growth and professional development. Employees and managers share the responsibility to align individual development needs and career opportunities with Oxy’s business requirements and growth targets.

Explore Talent Development at Oxy. 

Employee Well-Being

Oxy makes significant investments in the overall health and well-being of our employees by providing a suite of benefits that include quality healthcare coverage, health screenings, fitness programs, mental health support and services, peer networks and more. These investments align with our values and we believe result in a resilient, high-performing workforce that can deliver consistent long-term value. 

Oxy’s well-being program, OxyHealth, coordinates on-site biometric screenings and flu shot events at various Oxy office, plant and field locations to bring routine preventive care to employees. Employees, spouses and domestic partners are able to get these preventive screenings for free at their local doctor’s office or wellness clinic. 

Explore Benefits and Rewards at Oxy. 

Health and Safety Culture 

The health and safety of our workforce and communities are top priorities to Oxy and important cornerstones of sustainability. Oxy applies consistent occupational health and safety programs and expectations for a safe and healthy workplace across our global operations in accordance with our Health, Safety, Environment and Sustainability (HSE&S) Principles and Policy and our OMS, which incorporate and often supplement national, state and local regulations. Our health and safety culture empowers our employees and contractors to strive for continuous improvement and innovation in our HSE&S practices and programs. 

We provide comprehensive health and safety training, including guidance in hazard recognition, use of personal protective equipment (PPE), first aid and cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), emergency response and fire safety. Regular drills and exercises promote preparedness for emergencies. Employee participation in health and safety training and certification programs is tracked in real time through an enterprise-wide dashboard. Training and competency management reviews are developed for Oxy employees. 

The nature of our work varies from facility to field, warehouse to wellsite. This means that a risk-based approach to training is required, whereby employees receive additional training based on their specific needs. Training is performed in-person, online and at specialized training facilities. Technical, field and facility personnel often warrant specialized project safety training. 

Our safe work systems cover specialized critical tasks such as energy isolation, hot work, confined space entry, ground disturbance, line breaking and electrical work. A robust permit-to-work program is in place for these types of activities that includes job planning, assessment of potential risks and identification of appropriate safety measures, equipment and PPE. We also empower employees and contractors through Oxy’s Stop Work Authority to pause or stop any work activity, without repercussions, to prevent a health, safety or environmental incident. 

Employee Outreach and Engagement 

Our Talent Engagement and Employee Experience team is charged with enhancing the employee experience and plays an important role in job satisfaction, morale and retention. Our motivated workforce helps us to continue delivering the bold strategies, complex problem solving and strong execution for which Oxy is known. 

A foundational part of our employee engagement is Oxy’s Quarterly Executive Virtual Conversation (QEVC). These events give employees the opportunity to hear operational, financial and HSE&S updates directly from our President and CEO and other senior leaders at Oxy. They also allow for the submission of questions by employees, which leadership can answer during these company-wide conversations. 

The Talent Engagement and Employee Experience team also makes a systematic effort to solicit and respond to employee feedback in a timely manner. The team applies a new artificial intelligence (AI) driven platform to conduct workplace surveys in a more scalable, precise and actionable way. The system analyzes survey data in real-time and reports these findings on employee views and mindsets to stakeholders on topics ranging from inclusion to compensation and beyond. 

The broader Human Resources department also uses this AI platform for matters ranging from University Relations intern feedback to employee exit interviews. This supports our shift from periodic gauging of employee sentiment to the leading practice of ongoing data collection and analysis. This approach helps our Human Resources leadership address issues promptly as they arise, solve challenges proactively and tailor solutions and communications more closely to individual employee needs. Oxy plans to increase employee engagement surveys to create more robust action plans across a variety of business functions. 

Throughout the year, the OxyHealth team provides well-being awareness and education and activities on several different topics (i.e., hydration education, mental and emotional well-being, nutrition, steps challenges, heart health, diabetes awareness, preventive health care and more). This information is delivered in a variety of different ways, whether through safety briefings, team meetings, webinars, in-person presentations, internal social-networking platform posts, or digital or print signage.

Process Safety and Asset Integrity

Our Asset Integrity management system is used throughout our sites, involving operations, facilities engineering, major projects, construction, supply chain, business planning and health and safety systems. The Asset Integrity system leverages the experience of engineers and specialists in mechanical integrity, maintenance, corrosion and other disciplines to manage technical requirements and assist in program implementation, execution, review and improvement. Oxy uses an internationally recognized and rigorous risk-based inspection process to manage our assurance programs for key equipment. Inspection methods include on-stream techniques that minimize impact to operations as well as gap analyses, implementation roadmaps and intensive data analytics. Key Performance Indicator (KPI) data is governed globally across our business units to promote standardization and data quality. Root Cause Analysis (RCA) drives our Lessons Learned programs while increasing reliability and equipment uptime. Employee and contractor implementation of these processes is reinforced with operational training. We track corrective actions to completion. 

Product Stewardship at OxyChem

Product stewardship is one of the cornerstones of OxyChem’s business, and the company’s rigorous programs have helped it earn a reputation as an industry leader. OxyChem’s product stewardship systems promote the safe and knowledgeable use of its products throughout the world, as well as consistent compliance with product-related regulations. 

As an active member of the ACC, OxyChem has implemented the ACC’s Responsible Care® Principles and the codes and standards of the ACC, the Chlorine Institute and the Vinyl Institute. The ACC’s Responsible Care® program helps member companies significantly enhance their performance, deliver high-quality products, identify new business opportunities, safeguard workers and communities and improve environmental quality. The program is structured around a set of specific HSE metrics with performance goals that are often more stringent than corresponding government requirements. Conformance is verified through internal and external audits. 

OxyChem assesses the health and safety of the products and byproducts that it manufactures in accordance with the ACC’s Responsible Care® program and applicable international, federal and state laws and regulations. These assessments are used to generate product labeling and SDS that provide comprehensive product information, including chemical composition, use of PPE, instructions for safe handling and environmental and health information in accordance with OSHA requirements. OxyChem’s Customer and Technical Service departments provide support to customers on the safe and environmentally responsible handling and use of products. Under the ACC’s Responsible Care® program and ISO 9001 certification, a set of international standards on quality management and quality assurance, OxyChem surveys its customers annually to identify opportunities to improve products and services. 

To read more on OxyChem’s sustainability initiatives, visit OxyChem Sustainability.