Thread regarding Cisco Systems Inc. layoffs

This kind of sums it up:

---- The attitude that people are expendable, widgets, resources to be used and tossed aside, costs to be measured and cut, has reached epidemic proportions in corporations

FULL DISCLAIMER - This is an altered post, therefore it's fully FICTIONAL.

I've replaced all instances of IBM (found in the Original article) and replaced them with Cisco. I've removed all instances of "Resource Action" and replaced it with LR.

I've removed references to IBM's CEO name and reference to IBM's instant messaging platform.

Here is the altered text:

A few months ago, I shared on social media that I planned to write a blog post on the one-year anniversary of my (voluntary) retirement from Cisco, at the end of 2014. I received more replies than I expected. There was lots of encouragement and support. I received many private messages asking me to cover this point or that. Several people asked me to be balanced – what did I miss about Cisco, and not so much. That's what I decided to do.

It’s taken me a bit longer than I had hoped to write this post. I’ve had a lot going on, almost all good stuff. The conclusion? For me, #LifeAfterCisco has been joyful. I have never been happier, healthier, or more fulfilled. Those who know me well are aware that my nature is to be passionate, fast moving, hard working and optimistic. I haven’t changed, but now I have a deeper, more meaningful connection to my work and life than ever before. I love what I do. I wake up every day energized, ready to get at it. There is no regret, no dread, no heartburn. All is well.

What do I miss about Cisco?

• I miss my Cisco friends. Many of us are still connected on social networks, but it’s not quite the same as seeing them and working together on shared projects and common experience.

• I miss some great Cisco bosses I had, who counseled, supported, guided and helped me to succeed. I won’t list names, but you know who you are.

• #SocialHRSuccess won a big global HR award in early 2016 (from HR.com “Best Use of Social Collaboration and Knowledge Sharing”). While I am delighted about this, I am very disappointed that this important work has stopped, and that the volunteer team who did the work was never recognized by the senior HR leader, a VP on the HR global leadership team, who accepted the award. I spoke directly to that person asking him to give credit to the team, he said he would, but has not done so. #LeadershipFail

• I miss working on fun, challenging, breakthrough global projects like acquisitions, divestitures and #SocialHRSuccess, which had such a positive impact on collaboration in Cisco HR, helped to improve HR performance, develop people, and created a global sense of community, teamwork and friendship across borders, country, organization and job role.

• I miss the global nature of the work I did at Cisco, which always so deeply engaged and stretched me and helped me to learn more about people, cultures and ways of thinking, working and living.

• I miss working on LGBT Leadership Development for the top global LGBT talent in Cisco, Out and Equal conferences, and the esprit de corps of Cisco Out Executives, of which I was proud to be a member.

• Same with HR interns and the HR Leadership Development Program. I miss their energy, creativity, intelligence, capacity, spirit and joy.

• I miss Cisco Connections and having a powerful global platform to listen, learn, share and collaborate with talented, diverse, interesting people. However, I love the Google email and collaboration platform I use now.

• I miss spending time with my Cisco mentees, all 15 of them.

What don’t I miss about Cisco?

• I don’t miss quarterly revenue and profitability reports, being driven maniacally to meet analyst and shareholder expectations, chronic cost control, benefit cuts (e.g., US 401(k) contribution timing), Resource Actions (RA) (that means firing people in big groups), and the fear of never knowing when you might get tapped on the shoulder or have to tap someone else.

• It’s Q1, so it’s LR time (although now LRs happen every quarter, and severance payments have been slashed). Can anyone explain the logic of how cutting “worker bees” (primarily in high wage countries) is the chosen tactic when the company’s lack of top line growth is due to the actions or inaction of senior leaders on strategy, and their high cost? Can anyone explain how you grow revenue with unrelenting LRs that damage trust and instill fear?

• Engaged, committed employees are essential to any company’s success. Cisco talks the talk, using the word essential to describe employees, but their behavior communicates clearly that they don’t believe it. Why would employees be loyal and engaged when Cisco leadership is clearly and demonstrably not loyal to them?

• I’m not saying Cisco or any other company should take “workforce rebalancing” off the list. However, when it is an ongoing, primary source of cost savings (labor arbitrage) and profit padding, year after year, quarter after quarter, it is unconsciously debilitating, depressing and hurts business results. Has it worked to grow the top line (Cisco has had 16 consecutive quarters of declining revenue)? No. Is it improving employee productivity, teamwork and engagement? From what I have seen, no. Maybe try something else?

• The Glassdoor ratings for Cisco are telling, and not good news. With five as a top score, Cisco has a 3.3 overall rating, 2.7 rating for senior management, 2.9 rating for compensation in many cases, it means less, and it also drives down creativity. "Fresh eyes" are important, and so is being well rested, healthy and a whole human being. This Harvard Business Review article makes the point very well.

• I don’t miss the dread of spending several hours working every single Sunday afternoon or evening, and often Saturdays too, to "get ready" for the new week, having to check email to see what came in while I was enjoying my personal time. You Ciscoers are nodding your head right now; you know of which I speak. It's not normal. It should be challenged and changed.

• I still work long days, weekends and holidays, probably 50 or 60 hours a week (okay, maybe more), I still take my computer and smartphone with me everywhere, but there is no obligation or expectation to do so. I do it because I love what I do, there is a deeper purpose to my work, what I do is meaningful and helps people.

• I am not advocating for a stress-free work life. Enabling employees to live whole, well-rounded lives is a good thing for employer and employee. It means you're healthier, happier, more productive, and better able to think creatively and contribute more when you are at work. Not enough managers in Cisco serve their employees, and the company, by telling them to go home, put away the computer, be with their families and leave work at home when they are on holiday. Work hard. Play hard. Live your life.

• I don’t miss feeling obligated or expected to work every single weekend and holiday, and 70 or 80 or more (sometimes much more) hours a week (not bragging or whining, just stating facts).

• I don’t miss bureaucracy, iron grip control by Finance, woefully inadequate reward for good and great performance, political infighting, slow and laborious decision-making, too many layers, and all too frequent sycophantic, brown nosing, managing up behavior. Particularly among executives and senior leaders, there's not enough humility (and way too much arrogance), vulnerability (show emotion, admit when you're wrong) or servant leadership (instead of self-serving behavior).

(CONTINUING FROM ABOVE - see the disclaimer in the post above - this is a fictional post)

What do I love about my Encore career?

• I believe deeply in the mission of my alma mater and now employer, Transylvania University, to educate students in the liberal arts, to help them find their purpose, explore the world and become thinking, acting, contributing members of society.

• While we have revenue and expense, and want more of one than the other, this is not our sole focus. Education and changing the world one student at a time is. It’s meaningful and inspiring.

• I find great reward in the mental stimulation my work and the mission of the college. I have deep, philosophical conversations with the President of the University and my colleagues. It’s more conceptual, more “big picture,” aspirational, visionary, and I love everything about it.

• In my off hours (since I’m not always working or exhausted like I used to be), I have time to volunteer, and it has been enriching for me to reconnect with my desire to be of service to others. I am an active member of St. Bartholomew’s Episcopal in NYC (51st and Park Avenue, come see us!). I am co-chair of the Stewardship Committee (more fundraising). And the biggest and most important volunteer task I have taken on – with joy – is to co-chair the Rector Search Committee.

• With time and mental space freed up, I have deepened my faith, my knowledge of the Episcopal Church, I pray often, go to church more frequently, and have become more spiritual. Every one of these is important, meaningful, and affirming.

• I have rekindled my love of lifelong learning. My new job is fundraising, something I have done as a hobby in the past, but never as a professional. I read a lot about higher education, fundraising, LGBT equality, and many other topics. I remain interested in HR topics, but many other new subjects are front and center.

• I like working from home, and traveling more frequently – to Lexington, and to other locations in the country where there are alumni and friends of the college to meet. I’m reconnecting with long-time friends, and making new ones.

• I have three student mentees, part of Transy’s #100DoorstoSuccess mentoring program, and am loving getting to know, working with, learning from them.

• I don’t miss the commute to Armonk, the games played there, or the expense and hassle of having a car in NYC.

• I enjoyed creating new initiatives and challenging the status quo at P 2) advance Transylvania’s position as a leader in the liberal arts; 3) share the talent Transylvania students have with more people; 4) help Transy alumni see that we’re on the right path and they can be justifiably proud of our heritage and our future; and 5) success in fundraising.

A few final thoughts

I wish Cisco and my colleagues still there only success. Full stop.

I think the business strategy articulated by CEO is well-chosen, although it is probably too late. The strategy to splice (acquisitions) and prune (divestitures) is smart, appropriate and executed start to finish better than just about anywhere else.

My disappointment is the lack of genuine care for and respect of the value of Cisco employees, and the consequences that flow from those decisions. Engagement matters, and while it has many elements, in the end it’s simple. Just care. Say it, then show it. In everything you do. Every day. Make people nod their heads enthusiastically when you say “employees are our most important asset” or "employees are essential to our success." I'm not a betting man, but I bet you they wouldn't do that today at Cisco.

This is not just an Cisco problem. The attitude that people are expendable, widgets, resources to be used and tossed aside, costs to be measured and cut, has reached epidemic proportions in corporations. It destroys trust. It's sad, maddening. It's a waste of human potential. It's bad for society, our world, and for the corporations that want to grow revenue and profit and be good citizens.

What can do you? Speak up! What example are you setting for your team? Colleagues? Do you care? Do you show it every day? What actions can you take to share the truth. Sadly, there is a lack of trust inside Cisco, a fear to speak honestly and openly inside the enterprise. Dozens of Ciscoers, including many senior executives, have contacted me since this blog first came out sharing their angst, sadness and fear, and thanking me for representing them.

My #EncoreCareer, my second act for the greater good has been a runaway success. Working a combined 31 years at Procter & Gamble (20 years) and Cisco (11 years), and the compensation and benefits they offered, has given me the freedom to have a second career. I am grateful for the compensation offered in return for my hard work and results. I had some great jobs in P&G and Cisco, worked with people who cared for and about me, held positions that challenged and helped me to stretch and grow, learned plenty, worked with some spectacularly talented and committed people, and had fun.

I don’t need to work, but I want to, and I couldn’t be happier. #LifeAfterCisco -- One Year Later is really good. No, for me, it’s the best thing ever.

Good one, the author has covered most of the insights and Our ELT needs this basic enlightenment instead of 'word of the year' or similar fancy buzz words..

So true!!! he nailed it...

"I’m not saying IBM or any other company should take “workforce rebalancing” off the list. However, when it is an ongoing, primary source of cost savings (labor arbitrage) and profit padding, year after year, quarter after quarter, it is unconsciously debilitating, depressing and hurts business results. Has it worked to grow the top line (IBM has had 16 consecutive quarters of declining revenue)? No. Is it improving employee productivity, teamwork and engagement? From what I have seen, no. Maybe try something else?"