Thread regarding Cisco Systems Inc. layoffs

The review process is so poor. I was involved in a lot of the 3x3 rankings of teams. It’s just a big s— fest with no real metrics or data involved. One VP who was leaving said they felt really uncomfortable when I joined their team as they had no way seeing what I’d done in my preVious role. Talent space is a waste of tine, it still can’t be mandatory and take up is way behind target. It’ll only get worse as with no formal review process it’s just s— ups and politicos who’ll get the promotions, pay rises and RSU’s. It’s no surprise at the amount of Cisco till I die, cut them and teal coloured blood comes out that are taking the ER this time.

@1nfq+17eg7ZiS I was the same way. I grew up in a home where a company was loyal to its employees and the employees loyal to the company. The change happened when I was in college and the stress it caused my dad I never knew. I started feeling it after being sold off to another company. I feared finding a job because when I looked while working I was not hunting for a job the same way as if I was not working. I pigeon holed myself and that was the mistake. I moved on to the public sector which is far different than the private sector. Work is appreciated, rewarded, and meaningful. There are some quirks to it, but there are no office politics and brown nosing like the private sector.

Luckily for me, I had the advantage of making a choice locally. Cisco, a big insurance company, another IT company, and public sector job all came about the same time. I knew I made the right choice when the managers at Cisco called me complaining that I did not accept their offer and that they wasted all that time on me, negotiating compensation and everything. In the end, I am making less annually, but I make more take home and for retirement. My insurance cost is 25% of that at Cisco and the other employer. I get a pension that will net me ~$2,500 per month when I retire after only 10 years. They have the same 401k match.

Life is good outside of the cutthroat, backstabbing, and lies from these large IT companies. Go enjoy it. If I had a recommendation for anyone about to be laid off, look into the railway IT industry. You could be amazed. I wish I would have gotten that job. It is about the only industry I would leave my current job for.

I kind of agree. I am part of a team where an employees does not have work ethic for almost 3 years and all of a sudden he is very active infront of management and now they want to move him to leadership.
They give so many chances to employees but in reality it hurts the culture of the team as a whole.

I was part of a LR and thought no one would hire me. Eventually I was hired and soon enough I forgot about all the stressful nights leading into the LR. Don’t be fooled by demanding management pretending to make you feel Cisco is the only place to work because it is not. Life is short and these times will pass but you will not get your time back.

Sales is tough. I worked remotely in a local office and saw the sales ranking of everyone posted over the urinals in the mens room......

Huh - not disappointed with Cisco = that is naïve. While I wish the best for colleagues there at Cisco, the management has created a culture of animosity. When you have been laying off people constantly for years and then stating you want social justice and don't truly practice it, then morale is going to be very low. It is an embarrassment and eye opening when you pay enormous salaries and bonuses to executives when a company is underperforming. Worse yet, the latest surrounding Maria Martinez and the sickening amount of signing bonus and relocation expenses only to very shortly after lay off people. Then, in the middle of this 1 billion dollar adjustment, go and acquire Babbel. All for Cisco looking forward....but how many people could have been utilized and saved if Cisco would have been a conscious culture. The truth is, the people who need sensitivity training are the middle to upper management that allowed this company to falter.

Everyone is stack ranked. You simply don't have any visibility or input to the process or ranking as an individual contributor. I have been involved in the process in the past. In my experience, past performance in role doesn't count for much in these discussions. It's all about now.

They still do performance reviews, it is just all management up who do it without your knowledge. Exactly what one of the other commenters said - they do it on talent space + with their leadership. We are all stack ranked. At least in sales.

Don't expect humans to be at the same efficiency when instead of fueling them up, you are draining them up with the fear of layoff in a week. I am one of the top performers on my team and among them who don't want to do sh** today because I know you are going to hit me up hard next week. What are you expecting?
Jeez people using ML are now acting like Machines

It's simple: People don't care about Cisco because Cisco doesn't care about them. When you have regular rounds of layoffs for years and years, that's what happens to your culture.

And as someone pointed out.....no formal performance reviews hurts also. They stopped that back in 2016. What hurts even more is that mgmt actually DOES rank (performance, and pay/grade) everyone, but it's done behind closed doors, with no notification to the employees, and no paper trail. That's the worst part....knowing you are being ranked, but having very little idea where you fit into the rank list.

Must just be your org... I’m in Europe, and I don’t!

@ucp+17eg7ZiS and others
When you guys say no formal performance review, what do you mean?
In Europe we do have quarterly performance reviews (Talent Space).

Can Original Poster detail why annual review process, with formal rating and ranking is not warranted.

The low performers (bottom 5%) are the ones that should be targeted.

That was old Cisco. First PIP then bottom 5% formal ranking. Then gone.

This is how people were motivated and compensated in late 90s / 2000s.

Did many 60 hour plus weeks. A few 24 hour TAC conference calls. But was heavily rewarded.

Now. Why bother?

How can work ethic be defined without a formal annual review system?

When everyone gets an exemption from being formally reviewed, the equilibrium of
mediocrity is the norm.

Why would a highly capable performer put in anything more than the minimal effort when there is no documented rating and record of their contribution versus peers.

Not everyone gets a gold star for the day. The slackers indeed need to be documented and ranked. In today's world, that philosophy is mostly gone.

OP Must be one of the college new hires that believes the corporate hype.

Ditto. 1000+. Many people are way too focused on politically profiling themselves, calling endless and meaningless Webex meetings, wasting time, profiling themselves. Some people are very vocal when their boss is on the call, totally opposite, lost and technically unsound when probed. The desperate attempts to be yes-men to their managers is totally pathetic and conspicuous. They do not have a straight answer to a straight question, they will try and do double speak like politicians, will resist writing the simplest requirement down in a simple email to avoid taking responsibility . And when things go belly up, they will complain and point a finger of accusation at others. Give excuses. These people are parasites, without self-respect and any sense of decency.

And then there are others, some at very senior ranks, who wants to ride on other people's success - get their name in innovative and next generation projects somehow . Get rid of these people. They are useless dinosaurs. S—ing Cisco's blood out. There are thousands of them. This has become a cesspool. Get rid of the leeches, parasites and lazy megalomaniacs running their own little fiefdoms.