Thread regarding Cisco Systems Inc. layoffs

Honestly I’d be less mad if the ELT was just honest for a change.

When Cisco's previous CEO John Chambers told the same lies with a soft accent and a big smile people were outright happy. He set the bar of continuous acquisitions, quarterly layoffs and mandatory "PTO" where developers with no on call roles were expected to respond to any call from management within 15 minutes during that "PTO" while burning more PTO hours working until the problem was solved. We were to be happy that our charity would help a billionaire pay for his bonus even when he missed his own targets because "we believe in accountability!"

Go back to earlier this year on this board and you'll find the Cult of Chambers is still quite active. If Chuck had real charisma I have no doubt he'd have his own cult.

This whole mandatory PTO thing is even more frustrating now that Cisco is still doing m&a w/ Isovalent etc. I know it’s how old dinosaur tech companies operate, but as an employee it’s a garbage experience. Honestly I’d be less mad if the ELT was just honest for a change.

It's a "holiday shutdown" when the company pays for it. It's a mandatory furlough when you are forced to pay for it with your PTO.

I never minded the holiday "shutdown". I even worked it one year (had an exemption due to key customer support), and it was wonderful. Since most of the company was on holiday, my email inbox dropped to 3-4 emails a day (versus the normal 30-40). It's nice when almost everyone is on break.....business/work goes way down.

@6dpd+1pWvqUWh, can you even file for unemployment? They're still employed. They haven't been terminated.

In NC, you have to be unemployed for 2 weeks before you can file for unemployment. And by the time you get it approved and get paid, you're already back at work.

Cisco is really screwing over the red badges. I wonder how many will stick around until the July 4th furlough or will just spend the next 6-mo looking for a new job and just quit. I know I would. The only way I'd stay is if my vendor increased my pay by the additional 5 days I lose spread out across 2080 working hours. If they don't want to try to make Cisco eat that increase, then they can take it out of their profits as the consulting agency. When I was a contractor, I took the contract based on the total # of hours to be worked per year times $X/hour for a grand total of $Y/per year. Suddenly cutting my hours by an additional 2 weeks in Dec & a week in July is a 6% decrease in pay. And suddenly adding an additional 2 week furlough in Dec when you've planned all year for a 1 week furlough instead of 3, will make it super hard for those that live payday-to-payday.

@1ykl+1pWvqUWh,

Shutdown mandatory PTO has always been there.

For those of us who've been here even longer, it's not always been there. When it ws first rolled out, it was announced in Q3 that we'd have to take a full week in Q4 and many people were upset because they already had vacation plans made that were not easily changed.

Then the ELT said it was so well loved and worked out so great that they were going to move it to the "year end" and make it permanent. Although the last couple of years they've added a few additional days at the last minute and only gave us < 30 days notice of the additional required time off.

If they didn't spell out the mandatory time off at year-end, then their PTO benefit would not look competitive to other companies. It is very deceptive.

I had not heard that the Cisco "Days for Me" were no longer "paid" for contractors as we don't have any on our team any longer. Between the 5+ Days for Me, the year-end shutdown, and now the potential for an Independence Day week shutdown, that's a lot of unpaid days for contractors. They're either going to have to negotiate a much higher bill rate to allow for an average of 2080 billable hours in a year or take jobs at other companies that pay 2080 billable hours per year. And every contractor who's already here is getting screwed because they're effectively losing 1-2 weeks of income that wasn't part of their original contract and Cisco never renegotiates billing rates. They have to leave and then come back, and face it, who would want to?

"Contingent" employees are getting crushed December/January by this furlough.

Lots of them don't have PTO built up or the PTO plan at their vendor is stingy at best. So, right at the end of the year when they need it the most, they're going to go 3 weeks with -severely impacted pay.

The red badge "contingent" folks are planning to file unemployment en-masse for that time period. They don't have a choice.

Lots of folks depend on Cisco for their livelihood and as other people have pointed out, the ship is taking on water fast.

Holiday shutdown started during financial meltdown - prior to that there was no forced PTO. Because PTO is a pending expense it was a way to reduce expenses necessary at the time. Marketing spin that “we’re promoting time with family” began then. “Unlimited PTO” simply eliminates any pending expense which is why so many companies have moved to this model. It’s all spin…

I love Cisco so much I work every day of the year. I’d do it for free. I have picture of CR and ELT on my bedside table.

Don't know if I'm comin' up or down
Am I happy or in misery?

Some of these comments are missing the fact that Vendors and Contractors aren't paid for the shutdown or "days for me"(anymore). That's money Cisco saves, so telling your support folks to eat almost 3 weeks of time(at Christmas) with no pay, explains the lackluster support you get. Now a new week of no pay? Once the economy improves, expect to lose a lot of red badge support.

You are getting paid to do a job - remember that. PTO is not required in the US, so you could have zero days off. Soft.

Fear not !

The People Deal will save us ALL !!!

Yes other silicon valley companies do a 'holiday shutdown'. What they don't do is charge the employees for it.

@woa+1pWvqUWh no need to use intuition, they already announced the shutdown around July 4th.

Ive been at Cisco for ~10 years. Shutdown mandatory PTO has always been there. What has always been interesting to me coming from a startup background is. Why even put them in your offer letter as counted PTO days if you are going to mandate the employee take them every year? I found that quite deceptive. (and not an insignificant number of days). If you buy in to the notion of equal work/life balance Cisco PTO is not that competitive given the forced nature of the shutdown. (even before this year).

the "day for me" holidays I think are nice and the time off for community work is great as well. However, if you have any medical or latter child (teens/family) to care for these PTO balances get consumed fast.

Absolutely right, and guess what...there is nothing you can do about it keyboard warrior!

Like many have said, year-end Shutdown is Silicon valley was a common thing for many years. Started with hardware factories (when we still have some) to tune/maintain equipments, now is pretty much a tool to force reduction of PTO balance. I do not know how long but I can foresee the accrue PTO will slowly vanish. Some companies already started that. The group (not individual) productivity has been much less in general for holiday period in North American anyway. I also see some signs that there could a mid-year shutdown (less period) around 4th of July coming. So, Like it or not - Shutdown will be part of majority of public trading company with significant headcounts (and PTO balances).

It's a "holiday shutdown" when the company pays for it. It's a mandatory furlough when you are forced to pay for it with your PTO.

Holiday shutdowns are common in Silicon Valley and have been for many years. Adobe shuts down every year end and the week of July 4. Most people welcome the time off from the daily grind.

Forced holidays = deck chairs on Titanic.

Cisco Shutdown translates to paycut, not excatly a shutdown. it is a "FORCED" shutdown to save up $$$ for Cisco buying splunk.

I agree, I think at least another 10% LR coming down stream in January. Maybe even bigger. There is a problem with the numbers and that problem will get worse.

ELT will announce the LR 3rd week of Jan. They "really care" about us. They don't want to "spoil" our holiday season. Thank you ELT. NOT. Fcuk you ELT.

Unfortunately this isn’t enough to prevent the LR that is brewing up. Everyone can feel it coming.