I've seen people get huge promotions followed by a layoff. Increased compensation is a liability at Cisco.
This is something not enough people are talking about. Cisco has become a place where achieving career success can lead directly to your layoffs (unless you know the right people, but that's another story). It's almost as if we're being incentivized not to do our best since the alternative could mean losing our jobs. It makes no sense but it is what it is.
This is true for every company. Layoffs tend to hit middle- to middle/high grades moreso than senior executives and juniors.
Yeah that is spot on. Once I was promoted without even knowing it. I checked my statement and the pay was more. Texted my boss to ask did I get promoted and he replied with congratulations. Very kind gesture, and great boss, but he switched groups soon after. New boss laid me off. Complete agreed, it is great to go up the chain, but when next wave of management comes in (and it always will eventually), your prior reward may become your new detriment and LR target.
19 years ago my mgr gave me the kiss of death (i.e. a big raise). I bet you can guess what I showed him after that.
I declined a promotion 3 yrs ago (mgr had tipped me off about a potential promo on the way). I told him to promote Joe "Plumber". Joe was cut 6 months later. Now, 3 yrs later I'm still alive 'n kickin at Ol'Cisco.
if you got promoted and canned then its your own fault for not networking and playing the game. Cisco promotion OJ aint worth the squeeze, you get what a 15% bump maybe which is less than I make at high MRR, enjoy the extra work and pressure. Leave , take the money somewhere else or find out how to brown nose better.
100% agree. If you do well, you will get well rewarded. And an LR.
"It's almost as if we're being incentivized not to do our best since the alternative could mean losing our jobs."
You are being incentivized not to threaten anyones stock awards. There's a limited pool of stock in each org, and those awards are saved for the "inner circle"
If you build skills or want impactful work that could jeopardize someones stock awards.
tell me about it. The last promotion cycle was just a few months ago and I got a great promotion in addition to a nice amount of RSU. However since I was impacted, none of that even mattered. Come to think of it, I wish they didn't promote me perhaps I would have been saved.