Thread regarding Cisco Systems Inc. layoffs

I've just been given notice in the UK after 16 years (I'm 42).. I've heard for a while that the age+years of service = 60+ was a factor in the elimination process and some of you are saying the same in terms of the millennial workforce.. what did Dedicoat say to re-enforce this? Some colleagues and I felt it became a 'subtle' theme at GSX

I've just been given notice in the UK after 16 years (I'm 42).. I've heard for a while that the age+years of service = 60+ was a factor in the elimination process and some of you are saying the same in terms of the millennial workforce.. what did Dedicoat say to re-enforce this? It was clearly a theme at GSX

Enterprise/BTX

Over 50

Female

2 years with company

Exceeded goals

Grade 011

There is an obvious gender bias also. You should ask.

At Cisco, in the enterprise org and specifically BTX, seems like mostly the over 45 worker. Also, a lot of smart successful women over 50. I hear they will replace with millennials. When you get rid of the successful experienced people, it is a downward spiral.

They target the older folks and layoff a few youngsters to bring the average age down to avoid lawsuits.

I retired in 2011, and don't miss the H1-b created rat race agile environment one bit.

My young friend. SDLC is where it is at. EF token ring.

Oh we are! Except of course the ones we have in the engine building building stuff to sell. Oh and some managers who clean up my mistakes. But you know it's true, Cisco needs more young, intouch minded people and all you guys know about is token ring

@J2YmBLC-1fur: Thank you for making my day. You are exactly the type of younger employee Cisco deserves, and I can only hope the rest are exactly like you.

Look I'm a young guy, and working in a company with older people is really not only boring, there simply isn't any drive or buzz. You guys should just be put out to pasture and accept you fate, I mean drinking all the booze thus past week in Vegas isn't easy for you, but my young body can handle it !

The hiring policy is that to hire only those who were born after 1990 and promote new managers who are 35 and younger.

The millennial hot shots will be in the same boat before they know it, but that mentality is so unfortunate. I was one of the youngest members of my organization at my former company, and I looked up to and learned from my older colleagues from the day I started to the day I left. They are still my mentors, role models and friends today, and even though many of us have since moved to other companies, we continue to support and advocate for one another, benefitting ourselves and our new organizations. I was hoping to find a similar culture at Cisco but am saddened to find that it's every man for himself here, a lose-lose for Cisco and all its employees. Seeing the lack of development at Cisco across all the lower career levels makes me all the more thankful for the wisdom and experience I gained from my professional upbringing.

"Severance." Old people like me can't use a keyboard. Should have a millennial do it for me after wiping my butt.

Millennial hot sh--s will be in the same boat sooner than they think. I remember being a hot sh-- too. In retrospect I'm embarrassed for the way I thought of my coworkers. "Ayf" is spot on. Old deference was really good. Today not so much.

I started my career in the early 80's. I have seen this happening throughout my career, layoffs targeting the older employees. What has changed is the separation package continues to shrink. People used to get a nice package for 20+ years of service, now they get crap. The young people mocking us older guys who just got whacked will be 40+ sooner than they think. The way things are going they may be paying the company to cover the expenses of their replacement when they get whacked.

They're dumping the smart people who will figure out company is finished.

Only the dumb people are being kept, cause they'll keep working as the roof caves in around them.

My VP is Indian, 80% of VP's direct staffs are Indians, most the LR'ed people are white, Spanish, and non-Indian Assians.

I don't think people would share much information until after they get/receive the separation check. In order to get the separation package (which includes 3 months of salary + 3months Cobra for up to 9 years of services, 2 more months of Cobra for more than 10 years of services ,plus 1 week pay per year of services from year 10 on , and 2 week pay per year from year 20 on...), you waive your right to sue Cisco or its employees as an individual. Class action lawsuit is an exception... so no, you wont get a lot of information in US until after September is over. Then they may/may not join the class action suit. It is more productive for people to get another job and move on than being stuck with a law suit and have to deal with these lingering hard feelings. Cisco is very smart, it has the layoff strategy laid out for years ago... If you are aging and your managers want to let you go, they "strategically" place you in an dead end position/project 6 months in advance. They have HR and lawyer assist them in doing the wrong thing the RIGHT way. Hard to win...

It looks like some ex-HP employees have already taken the lead on ageism lawsuits. Assuming the statements in this thread are accurate, Chris Dedicoat has better start watching his words. It might take several years and significant hits to their bottom lines, but most of these companies will eventually learn that age is a mindset and not a number. I've met plenty of 20-somethings at Cisco who may as well be 70, and a few (though not enough) people like me who are in their 40s but far more experienced in the "new IT" than all these early careerists can ever hope to be, given Cisco's lack of effective training and development programs, lack of innovation, and inability to execute.

It looks like blatant discrimination in my group. Older whites and older non-Indian Asians. In general they are told they don't have the right skill set.

What I think is hysterical about what Chris Dedicoat is saying as well as Cisco's entire campaign (and I'm sure other companies, too) to recruit millennials is that it's an out and out attempt to hire one group over another. If you replaced "millennials" with "white people" you'd have massive protests in addition to lawsuits. As 40+ers, we're all posting here whether or not to sue. Such a gray area for us but if it was about color or s--ual orientation or something else that's awash in the media, there'd be a lot more suits being filed without hesitation. Maybe we need to start "encouraging" the media to report more on the rampant ageism.

If they lay off someone who is over 40, how can you prove it's age discrimination, versus laying someone off for financial reasons based on your salary? keep in mind the older folks tend to make more money, so what stops them from spinning it as "It's not because of your age, it's because of how much you make" Which I guess is still age discrimination, albeit indirectly.

Can we please tag all posts with age discrimination so we can easily find them later #AgeDiscrimination

I think they are legaly required to categorize laid off workers into age tranches and report to the state - will dig more about this and post

10% in 30's 10% 40's 80% 50+

Wonder about race... See many whites, some non Indian Asians...

there is no doubt about age discrimination in my org - 80% of the fired people (aprox 50) are 40+ and 50% are 45+

In SP Marketing, senior grades (11/12), older women a majority. Discrimination is pretty clear.