As a Development Communication graduate of UP Los Baños in 2014, Kurt Pangilinan was bright-eyed, fresh-faced, and eager to start his new job as Talent Operations Advisor at Shell.
After four years of working with different individuals in Shell’s operations in Europe and overseeing the training and growth of many equally-excited young employees, Kurt’s demeanor and attitude has not changed. If anything, the excitement is something that he is eager to share after having a firsthand, in-depth feel of what it’s like to be a part of Shell.
His own story is a testament to the cultivation and growth that happens in young people’s careers in Shell. Kurt shares that he is a writer at heart, and he may have gone a very different path if he had taken the other opportunities lined up after graduation. Yet his employment with Shell proved to be the best path for him.
A common practice within Shell is to expand employee experience by letting them take on leadership challenges that push them out of their comfort zones. For Kurt, this meant going to places literally and figuratively by being sent to work on global operations and encountering people of all levels within Shell’s enterprise.
“Imagine being able to interact with VPs and senior leaders so you get to know the company’s direction,” he shares. “It also makes you appreciative of the fact that you get to have casual conversations with these leaders!”
What Kurt finds admirable in Shell’s training environment is its continuing cultivation of talent in many different ways. As part of the human resources division, he is both exposed to different levels of management and tasked with ensuring a smooth workflow within departments.
“When I hear employees saying that they can focus on their jobs without worrying about HR concerns, that makes me happy. No noise on the back end lets them be completely immersed in their work to give it 100%.”
In Shell, there is such a thing as the 70-20-10 principle. Kurt shares that this is the same formula for learning the culture and ways of being a part of Shell. The 70% is the exposure that employees get on the job, including global projects he had been a part of. Shell also provides training programs including classroom instruction, seminars, and fora, which make up 10% of the learning experience. Finally, 20% is achieved through social learning.
“This small but crucial factor is honed from various encounters within the office—it can be having one-on-one feedback sessions, mentoring from more senior folks, or basically connecting with others in the company that lets you grow beyond your specialization,” says Kurt.
In a world of fast-paced change, the biggest challenge for HR practitioners such as Kurt would be keeping employees for the long run. What sets Shell apart is its unique workplace, one that’s governed by practical bureaucracy yet enriched with a sense of belongingness.
“What I’ve found out with our valued employees and senior leaders is that working here becomes similar to breathing—a necessity but not a labor—when Shell’s core values resonate with your own beliefs,” says Kurt. “This is when work becomes a positive extension of myself instead of a daily grind.”
Despite the high stakes and the fast pace of operations, Shell also promotes a work-life balance, wherein employees are on their toes on weekdays and able to dip their toes in the sand during down times.
Kurt himself is a self-professed travel junkie, and even his drive to see as many countries as he can is never hampered by his work in Shell. If anything, this passion for travel is the cherry on top. For him, the work in Shell is both a passion and a profession, not just one or the other.
Now, as Country Human Resources Advisor, Kurt may have achieved a milestone in his career. “What excites me are the limitless opportunities. There’s no concrete vision of what I am going to do in the future because many routes open day in and out,” he shares with a smile. “I know that if I continue in this journey, I may not know where I will be, but I know it’s movement to the betterment of my career.”
Shell goes above and beyond its services and operations, cultivating both career and cause for those under its wing. For its employees, this means more than just a fulfilling career. It means co-building the future, one that makes Shell employees the co-creators of their career and the nation’s progress.