Some layoffs, efficiency improvements, and price decreases keep area dirt movers from being buried alive. By Paul Wiseman “This slowdown has been different [from the 2009 downturn] because it has affected a lot more people this time,” said Nick Tomlin, vice president of Big D Companies. With approximately 280 employees, Big D is one of […]
Ready for Takeoff
The sky’s the limit as business travel, emergency response, surveillance, aviation, and oil industries intersect on multiple fronts. By Julie Anderson One industry drills down while the other climbs up. One taps into dark holes, while the other seeks stillness and sunlight. One is controlled by workers comfortable with the dust and grime, while […]
Bowed But Not Beaten Part Three
In our concluding Part 3 of this series, we arrive at the take-aways. Some are bitter medicine, others are rather more palatable. The dip that the Permian Basin has felt since last fall will soon go into its second year, and some “new normals” are emerging, but they’re not all bad. by Jesse Mullins As […]
Getting and Keeping People
Increasingly, it is described as the biggest challenge facing companies in the Permian Basin. Recruitment and retention of qualified personnel is high on everyone’s list. High on energy companies’ lists and—because of that boom—high on the list of all other industries and services across the Basin regions of Texas and New Mexico. Here’s how to […]
Well Completion from a Human Perspective
By Bill Price As we arrive at this third installment of our three-part series covering the human resources function as it relates to the three main stages of oil and gas production (namely, prospecting, drilling, and completion/collection of a well), we find ourselves dealing with the final stage, completion/collection. And for our purposes here, […]
Drilling and the HR Role
By Bill Price As PBOG Magazine continues its three-issue series on “The Making of a Well,” with coverage this issue of the drilling process (“Getting to the Bottom of Things,” p. 76), I’m tracking along by covering the various human resources (types of people) required in each of the various stages. In this second installment […]
O&G’s Human Component
By Bill Price As PBOG Magazine commences its three-issue series on “The Making of a Well,” with separate installments on (A) Prospecting and Exploration (this issue, page 58), (B) Drilling (“Getting to the Bottom of Things,” scheduled for May), and (C) Completions and Takeaway (June), I’m tracking along by describing the various human resources (types […]
The Small Business HR Challenge
While the personnel functions within a small company can be challenging, there are answers out there, too. By Bill Price Many businesses start as a family affair with their children pitching in. Sometimes it is two friends with nothing more than a handshake and a verbal agreement to split the profits. These small business situations […]
Planning the Right Employee Benefits to Retain Employees
By Bill Price Employee benefits or perks should be designed to encourage employees to remain on the job, think favorably about the company, and generally improve employee welfare. This is not a time to follow the status quo by just doing what is popular. Benefits should meet the needs of your employees, who may very […]
Essentials of Obamacare: An Employer’s Guide
By Bill Price An important question facing businesses today is uncertainty about how the new Affordable Care Act, better known as Obamacare, affects them as employers. The employer ponders some big questions: Will it apply to my company? Will the changes make it too expensive to insure my employees? Obviously the most important human resource […]