By a former employee of Shell Oil USA
Reuters Article: Shell critic says oil major targeting his website
John
I must say that I have been very surprised (and disturbed) to learn of the extent of Shell’s activities in the monitoring of their employees, their outside critics, etc. I find the creation of an internal ‘thought police’ organ very disturbing. Even more disturbing is the employment of former high level British and American governmental ‘spooks and cops’ to run these organizations. Shell’s relationship with the FBI is also very disturbing. Furthermore, Shell’s actions toward you and your blog have been almost ‘neo-facist’ in nature. (Henri Deterding would be proud of them, I am sure. Traditions die hard, I guess.)
Who hires these guys? Fear does nothing for staff performance or loyalty, and it breeds loathing, contempt, and rebellion. It is very bad for business and the bottom line because it drives away the best and the brightest.
All this nonsense brings to mind a number of books I read as a youth. One was George Orwell’s ‘1984’. There are some lessons to be learned from that book, good and bad I suppose. (As I recall the ‘pigs’ were the ruling caste. No. That was Orwell’s ‘Animal Farm’. The ‘Party’ and ‘Big Brother’ ruled in ‘1984’.) I wonder if these two books are recommended reading for Shell management? (They might try reading John Locke’s comments on tolerance and the various forms of tyranny as well. However, you might have to remind these folks who John Locke was.) There has to be a good editorial comment lurking in this observation somewhere. I will have to ponder it and see what I can come up with.
When I worked for Shell USA in the 1980’s the HR gang (Human Resources) was referred to as the ‘thought police’. The term ‘Resources’ was snickered at as well. Staff was a ‘resource’ to be ‘exploited’, just like natural resources. Why Shell USA management chose the term ‘Resources’ is a mystery to me. Very bad form. Most companies would use the term Human Relations or Employee Relations. Not Shell. But the term accurately reflected the attitude of management towards their staff.
Times have changed but management culture and their attitude toward their staff clearly has not. Shell would be served far better if the time and resources involved in policing and repressing staff attitudes and discontent were directed toward the process of selecting competent managers of both talent and character. This would do more for staff moral, attitude, loyalty and performance than any degree of bullying and repression.
Just a thought or two from a former Shell USA employee.
This website and sisters royaldutchshellplc.com, shellnazihistory.com, royaldutchshell.website, johndonovan.website, and shellnews.net, are owned by John Donovan. There is also a Wikipedia segment.
Royal Dutch Shell conspired directly with Hitler, financed the Nazi Party, was anti-Semitic and sold out its own Dutch Jewish employees to the Nazis. Shell had a close relationship with the Nazis during and after the reign of Sir Henri Deterding, an ardent Nazi, and the founder and decades long leader of the Royal Dutch Shell Group. His burial ceremony, which had all the trappings of a state funeral, was held at his private estate in Mecklenburg, Germany. The spectacle (photographs below) included a funeral procession led by a horse drawn funeral hearse with senior Nazis officials and senior Royal Dutch Shell directors in attendance, Nazi salutes at the graveside, swastika banners on display and wreaths and personal tributes from Adolf Hitler and Reichsmarschall, Hermann Goring. Deterding was an honored associate and supporter of Hitler and a personal friend of Goring.
Deterding was the guest of Hitler during a four day summit meeting at Berchtesgaden. Sir Henri and Hitler both had ambitions on Russian oil fields. Only an honored personal guest would be rewarded with a private four day meeting at Hitler’s mountain top retreat.
IN JULY 2007, MR BILL CAMPBELL (ABOVE, A RETIRED GROUP AUDITOR OF SHELL INTERNATIONAL SENT AN EMAIL TO EVERY UK MP AND MEMBER OF THE HOUSE OF LORDS: 
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A head-cut image of Alfred Donovan (now deceased) appears courtesy of The Wall Street Journal.
