Say what you want about these constant layoffs, for or against but the reality is it is starting to impact CISCO's ability to hire. Nobody wants to come to a company where there is a yearly 'Hunger Games'. Unless you are an exec getting FU $alary and a load of options, the worker bees would rather not be subjected to the constant uncertainty and stress. Having CISCO on your resume is no longer an asset.
A short but a very truthful post. Originally posted by @W6qaI3f-wwo on another thread
This company experiments with people and their careers at the stake of one's happiness, peace of mind and family!
Not sure how many more years it will take them to realise that people are more important than its revenues!
Hunger Games - that's awesome. And so very true. But it's not a yearly thing in CX, it's quarterly.
I know that certain people here are dissing CSCO (I used to work there). But do you want to know what a real clown show is? Then join Juniper, where stealth layoffs happen EVERY(!!) month! To put it in perspective, 3 years back, semi-annual "under the radar to not hit the media" layoffs were a dream! A dream, I say!
Not only that, the level of buddy promotions of total incompetents, WTF hirings, really anemic bonuses/stock/total comp and then the connnnstant layoff threat have led to a level of toxicity unbeknownst to man or CSCO employee. Every box you check, it's 10 tiers worse!
So if you think there's a "special" layer of hell worse......then you know where it is!
I'm at neither company now, and can tell you there's companies out there that'll make you kiss the floor in gratitude the LEVEL of DAY/NIGHT change! You'll wonder why the hell you didn't put SERIOUS EFFORT in leaving sooner. The STRESS of not having constant layoffs dangling over your head is psychologically incomprehensible until you experience the difference!
I say to you it WILL take work! Leetcode prep for 6 months (if you don't know Leetcode by name then you've been living under a rock). THEN interview at a FANG/similar ilk. DON'T interview until you are "boss level" b/c they will penalize you 1 year from being able to interview with them again. But don't fear the process. You guys are ballers. It's just that you have to regain your championship form before stepping into the interview ring. These interviews are HARD. DON'T wing it! Over 50-70%+ on on-sites at FANGS fail. Forget weekends. Forget nights off after work with the family. Leetcode will take up every single day as if you're doing a part-time degree. But once you work your way out of purgatory, you will SIGH in a way you haven't sighed since getting into a good school, etc.
I can easily name 30 companies off the top of my head that'll be a revelation of "betterness"!
As a second FYI, Amazon is hiring by the truckload!! Whatever negative you've heard about them, they'll still trounce your existing comp and look way better on your resume (plus the work will be way more interesting). Then you can if you want, use them as a 1-2 yr. stepping stone to a better FANG, if needed (i.e. you may get into a better FANG/etc from the outset though after Cisco, but at least you know Amazon is a GOOD & VERY AVAILABLE(!!) stepping stone up...but then again, maybe you stay at Amazon, as many do.) You may need to move to Seattle though. So keep your mind open. Later on you can move back to the Bay Area with your next employer/promotion. I know many people who ping pong back & forth between the two cities up the career path.
So be open minded to change. Pray. Prep hard (this is on YOU--it won't fall into your lap)! Get that better job and your work life/stress will change in a way that'll bring tears to your eyes! Good luck!
Good people there,but management apsolutely stinks.You shouldn’t be under stress at all times,and you are because of the buffoons at the top who don’t know what the hell there doing.Anyone with a brain,unless you love stress and disfunction,stay away from this toxic environment.
OP is correct. I left by choice a couple of years ago, and every industry contact I have now considers Cisco an employer of last resort.
The company looks like it can't get its sh-- together.
I was under a 3 level stack of non coding managers and a very cunning director who got himself promoted for messing up ( because the vp likes him!) . Now another director has come - not met the engineers at all or even sent a mail. Has lunch only with directors and PE cronies
Needless to say morale is rock bottom and everyone is on pto/sick leave/wfh preparing for exit plan
Better work with mentally stable people. Cisco is full of r----ded managers
it's always been a yearly distraction when I was there. My whole team basically pauses for a month every year during the hunger games month.
I have worked for Cisco for 5 years and lived a life of constant uncertainty throughout my tenure at Cisco. Within first 6 months of joining Cisco, I have seen major layoffs across multiple orgs. I then realized what I have stepped into. But managed to keep my morale up and stayed focused on what I wanted to get out of Cisco. I now work for one of the top FAANGM companies.
A colleague manager in Mexico just got impacted.
when I started my new job outside csco, they left me in a small room to fill up some forms. I looked up and saw a csco IP phone. for a moment i shuddered, i felt like it would ring right there and some punk manager call me into war room or the next triage caused by his careless minions and lack of process.
took me weeks to detox and stop getting anxious on seeing the cisco logo anywhere :)
Is this true Cisco is planning to layoff employees?