BP has taken quite a rap—and deservedly—in the wake of the oil spill disaster in the Gulf of Mexico. However new CE Bob Dudley is trying to change BP culture, and turn over a new leaf by telling staff in a company-wide email that the next bonuses on their paychecks will be based on how they adhere to safety guidelines.
The usual practice is for employees to receive a bonus for adherence to financial and operational/safety goals, according to a BP spokesman Toby Odone. Odone confirmed that the email did exist, as some had questioned the authenticity of the report.
He further clarified that in the first three quarters, bonuses would still be based on the original three yardsticks of operational, safety and financial goals, but in the fourth quarter, it would be safety alone which determined who receives a bonus. There was no change to base salaries.
The move comes after BP has received stinging criticism for putting profit before safety as well as environmental concerns after the explosion in April which caused one of the world’s biggest oil spills. The explosion, which happened aboard the BP drilling rig Deepwater has caused thousands of gallons of oil to leach into the Gulf of Mexico over the past months, causing untold damage to the sensitive ecosystem as well as loss of industry to fishermen in the region.
BP, along with the Obama administration have been chastised and lampooned for their inability to come up with a solution to the oil leak for so long.
