Working with cisco all these years amidst the fear and stress of constant layoffs makes me think how much we missed out on life events, August layoffs coinciding with my kids new school year not able to enjoy that as fear of layoffs looming , rumor of a layoff during a family members bday not enjoying that moment either, fear of layoff during the holiday season and so much more. Someone has a family member going through a life threatening illness, someone has a kid with special needs so the constant fear of layoffs adding to more stress .For me every month the thought of layoffs , kids college and mortgage payment makes me go into full mode panic.The management does not care a bit what the employees along with the whole families are going through .Don't the employees deserve a bit more empathy during these trying times.
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always another gig. guess would be nice to stay in one spot for years. seems the norm to start a new job every year or two. tough part is interviewing. kind of like blind date. ha. you can usually tell quickly if its a fit.
Agree they just layoff full time employees here
outsource jobs to India to hire cheap eng there they are ready to work on less salary because they are new.
- Cisco keeps on buying companies and will take over and LR the core people and then higher management don't know how to deal and make sales for the product.
- Cisco is no longer bellwether and always on LR train.Its name has become bad.
there is job insecurity everywhere its not just Cisco thats the way it is in today's market keep yourself relevant and enthusiastic and hope for the best. Keep expenses low have enough savings to tide over any eventualities .Once we accept that this is the way its gonna be it will be less stressful
Everyone that leaves Cisco through their quarterly culling of the herd say it's better once you are gone. I agree with the mental stress of it all. I actually had a manager tell me if you want a promo you have to make sure at least 2 directors above me know your name and what you are doing? Really?
The question I (and some of my peers) is how long did it take you to find a job outside of Cisco after you were cut? I know delivery managers who took 6 months to a year to find something else.
Is there really not age discrimination to the over 50 crowd? I mean yes we have the experience a 30-40 year won't have... but we also have a much larger salary we bring along with us. Are you saying other companies are ok with that baggage?
What about other statements that say ex Cisco employees are horrible and they would never hire them bc Cisco is so jacked up? Has that mindset changed?
Do
I left Cisco 2 years ago on my own, I was over 50 and felt the age discrimination was starting. I work for a competitor now, and running into a lot of former Cisco people. There is life after Cisco, and age isn't a factor. I asked my present employee during the recruitment process, I only plan to work 5-10 years. There response was, 'lets make it the best 5 - 10 years of your career'. Good luck to everyone, it's scary to start a new career in your fifties, but also exciting.
yep I only left due to constant fear of LR once you obtain a decent grade, with MMR means no raises and act of congress to get promo (unless you are directors favorite), love the money and ability to work till I retire, but I miss the people of Cisco. Not fun working with low intelligence people who dont care about the customer or each other, Cisco systems was great, Cisco is a foam party that Chuck is shutting down.
To All:
Take the package, get another job..... I did it and I’m loving it (at 48). No regrets. The future is in the cloud and software. Why sit at a company that can’t figure out how to do either one? Especially when that company does not value your work. MANY other companies pay better. MANY other companies are more stable. MOST other companies are on a growth trajectory coming out of this pandemic. While other companies are seeing growth, Cisco is declining - and that’s a major red flag. A company whose entire business is based on connectivity, security, and collaboration, can’t figure out how to capitalize on securely connecting people to enable them collaborate.
Do it! You will not be sorry!
Have been through LR and resulting family changes afterwards.
It is not wrong to feel bad. You cannot control it.
One of the toughest things I went through.
Don't be afraid to talk to someone professionally.
Getting let go, and letting go of all the baggage that I aquired financially and emotionally was the best outcome of the LR lifecycle.
Getting let go represented the big things I was truly fearful of in life: lack of acceptance and not being able to be a provider.
It will be ok. Take care of figuring out your fear first. You have earned it.
Sadly Cisco is almost turning into a cult. I am a different person completely now a few years back. I wasted so much time trying to be part of something now cultlike that is not the wonderful workplace of the late 90s/2000s. Move on.
This is NOT normal in good companies. Go look at cloud-based IT companies to see how they're doing. Cisco has an abusive relationship with its staff. Move on and don't look back. You'll be happier.
Is this the reality in other companies too? I'm very early in my career and already getting fed up of the fear of layoffs.
I could have written the original post too...
Tough reality:
Don't buy a bunch of crud (house, cars, vacations, expensive phones), to pursue whatever the illusion of hapiness and "success" is supposed to be.
Lower your expectations and stop pursuing money. You will be more "happy". Cisco is not the problem. Life is. Yet life is not a problem. Give up pursuing money and stuff and accept it all is a struggle. You will find you will stop struggling once you realize how little you truly need to live.
GTFO with your "enjoy your 50s" comments. From the post the guy looks to be forty-something. Also many young folks seem to think that after they "grew up" to be adults then it's the end of time and they will stay forever like this. Also they consider those over 40 to be some sort of "alien species" and they are in for a surprise that they themselves will become 40 and 50 in due time as well.
Maybe Gen-X and younger folks are used to the hunger games culture and consider that normal. At the same time they probably want anyone over 50 to just die and move away from their path. They will be surprised to find themselves in the same situation in due time...
@wny+16wCz2g4 Take the ER.
I agree with the earlier post just take the money and move on with your life and enjoy your 50s.
@wtq+16wCz2g4 makes you think I received the email? just sharing my feelings hoping it resonates with someone else too.Was not expecting such negativity for sharing my feelings.Anyways peace
OP you sound like you received the email and you are using other people’s situations to talk yourself out of it. Be honest with yourself and do what YOU need to do and don’t use other’s situations as a shield for yourself. Blessings.
lol+16wCz2g4 you forgot the most important part - not giving a flying F about doing the other two bullets
The facade of empathy is the only thing that matters at Cisco. Our new business strategy is...
- quietly laying off full-time employees, and replacing them with temp workers
- outsourcing jobs to India and Mexico
Anything to help the CEO make an extra $50 million