I hope all who are impacted get new offers very quickly. I had an earlier experience when the source of income was suddenly pulled out from under me and I know how stressful it is. I hope that this will not happen to me here, that is, that I will survive.
However, even if I am not LRd, this has removed all my dilemmas whether to try to stay here for a while longer or to accept the first solid offer and leave. I think I'm not the only one?
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I was spared but am now planning to leave just on principle.
Attrition should be higher. Why stay at a company that has a layoff every two years? There are better run companies out there, just don't set your sights on large companies during your job search.
Context... I have been in five major companies over 25 years. One a Fortune 10, 3, including Cisco, a smidge smaller then one major state insurer.
Every single one had a flavor of this. Leaving for something else is going to solve nothing. So leave for a better company or offer but not because you think you will somehow avoid this going forward
Unless maybe you want and can get a good government job.
Cisco doesn't offer any volunteer packages, my guess is that top management finally realize that they hired too many. After long time working from home, they have also learned who have real impact. Therefore, offer volunteer packages will only lose good people.
They think that they know who should be got laid off.
Anyone with talent should have connections with the thousands of ex-Cisco folks that are at competitors and are hiring
If you are still at Cisco and no one wants you, then you are not skilled and/or lazy and watching Netflix at home all day collecting a undeserved paycheck
Layoffs could be followed by high attrition
Since it’s never happened anywhere before there is no way to know.
It’s hard to believe that only two decades ago the biggest complaint from Cisco employees (well, those that survived the unexplainable drop in bodies from 48,000 to 35,000) was losing many millions in options value because they sold nothing going up and nothing going down. If only someone experienced a stock losing value before. At least Cisco has saved you from that horror.
I am wholly sympathetic to those who lost their job but not their attachment to reality. The comments and the voting over the last few weeks here suggests many more lost (or never had) the latter and yet somehow still don’t see this as a wakeup call. After 40 years of layoffs, market crashes and increasing debt in both the public and private sectors the consequences could suddenly become far greater for everyone everywhere and with things being relatively good in the western world compared to the rest of human history people have become way too complacent.
Why would you be any safer anywhere else? Let's face it, if you do end up on the chopping block, the severance is not bad, especially if you have some years behind you. Even if you don't, it's still good. Companies don't owe you a living and this sh-t can happen anywhere, company big or small.
Nothing is a job for life. Just chill, keep you and your skillset relevant, and sure, if your face doesn't fit, take the bundle of severance pay and go somewhere else.
Don't leave because of the fear of one day being laid off....it's financially d-mb. You can get laid off anywhere.
Sounds like the days of letting things play out (take the package and have a new job before your Cisco badge stopped working), might be over.
More and more, I realize how lucky my scenario was, five years ago. I had a few good connections at other companies that were ex-Cisco; and was squared away at the products while at Cisco. Once I recieved the LR, I had a job in about a month. Soon as I got the LR notice, I called my ex-Cisco buddies and two of them started the ball rolling with HR in their companies. I teed up other contacts just in case those did not pan out.
This was a tight knit group of folks that cycled through TAC in the 2000s. We all have gone our own ways now.
Now on the outside for five years, I still have a few friends at Cisco; but most have left.
I wish those that are staying the best; but I can tell you one thing: once you get outside, and see how much there is out here - it is amazing. The technology is changing yearly; and really the brunt of Cisco for the medium sized Enterprise I work on (design and implement), is to move packets. Other players have taken over the Firewall / Segment completely, and have some pretty kick-bu-t migration methodologies to roll off of Cisco firewalls.
Once an Enterprise changes firewall vendors, it is just a matter of time for the other big parts of the infrastructure also go to other vendors at renewal.
Best of luck, and sorry this is happening. I am so fortunate and thankful to have a good long run at Cisco that allowed us to raise a family. Not sure if you can do that now. Not effective to go through life scared of being LR'd almost on a perpetual basis.
I am in the same boat, debating whether to stay or not , uncertainty of the next LR's is always on mind