I was a top performer in my team – not by my own account but repeated by my management team during my years prior.
About a year ago I developed health conditions that I needed to address and asked to be able to work remote 3 days a week. I was denied and referred to HR to show a letter from my doctor.
When I did, HR took several weeks to approve my request – causing unnecessary delays while I had to chase them down for the approval. They hesitated in approving and at one point stating that my note was “not an excuse for lowering performance.”
When finally approved, my manager and HR included odd restrictions on how I performed my work. Shortly after, I was told my position is being eliminated; offered a severance package and was dusted off by legal paperwork at a time when I needed the money. With the cover of a mass-layoff I hardly had a chance to challenge the unfair termination especially with a major corporation like Cisco.
Since then I’ve applied to over several positions and getting by with contracts although I am back to looking again.
A few weeks ago I was lying down in an operating room wondering what led me to this. The doctor asking me to “just” breath through the mask as he administered the anesthesia. He was operating on my neck to remove cancerous tissue. I knew Cisco had got the best of me and my manager was a total jerk.
Purposely undermining my health and using me as a scapegoat.
Cisco was a great company to work with – when it was not facing so much pressure from competitors but times have changed and pushing turned to shoving.
Still fortunately – being in my late-thirties I have kept my skills sharp and Cisco has taught me several lessons. When a company needs to push people around or out – those connected to the ELT team do the shoving.
Don’t be a jerk. And stay away from a jerk when you see one – especially if they are your manager.