Thread regarding Cisco Systems Inc. layoffs

Cisco is a business and not an NGO. The revenue in the last few quarters dipped relative to the same quarter the previous year, and when the top line is hit, any business would require to prune their bottom line. Reorganization was imminent.

This time, Cisco informed its employees well in advance ( approx around 7th Aug ). The CEO conducts regular checkins and that’s when this was revealed.

Multiple options were laid out.

Option 1 - Early retirement with a promising severance package , if eligible

Option 2 - 4 day work week - 20% pay cut - voluntary in nature

Option 3a - When intimated about layoffs on Oct 7th, the impacted employee can accept the gracious severance and part ways

3b - continue to stay on at Cisco and look
For opportunities - a recruiter would be assigned and you are out by mid Jan if you have not landed a job by a specific timeline

3c - leave of absence with the caveat that you won’t have your job while you return.

I believe, in light of the revenue impacts due to the pandemic, the company has done the best they can and have been extremely open in responding to queries posed by employees all the way from early Aug until now.
There are a hand full of companies that would go to these lengths to think of employee wellness and aspects such as these are considered by ‘great places to work’, one among many institutions that recognizes great places to work.

As far as compensation goes, the package is competitive for senior grades ( 10 & above ) but I wouldn’t say the same for junior job grades ( the organization has work to do there ).

Quality of work depends on what team you are in. Optics become important in many large organizations - not just Cisco alone, in all fairness ( unless the large organizations is divided into multiple smaller biz units that run like independent startups ).

This is the time for us to show solidarity towards those impacted and open up our professional networks and help with referrals, information, introductions etc.

Is there a single customer (outside Cisco) that actually uses Teams? Terrible name, as Teams totally means Microsoft in the marketplace.

imagine passing up a job as an engineer at zoom to stay with cisco/webex. that opportunity cost wasted would haunt my dreams

Good. Webex has basically sat idle for ten years. The entire engineering org at this point consists of people from "The Big List of People Who Couldn't Go to Zoom Like Their Co-workers Because They S—ed Too Much." They need to cut like crazy, on-shore the team ("we are more secure than Zoom only we are also almost entirely PRC staffed") and basically revamp everything.

Also, Teams s—s, it's the most generic iteration of a cloned UI imaginable.

SEs got hit hard as well. My team thank god had several take the ERP. However that did not stop them from whacking my manager and others above. We were told if others had not left they would have had to choose 3 to let go along with themselves. Another SE team I know of lost 4 one of whom I knew. SJ TAC / CX is mostly gone. Those left had better plan a exit strategy as they wont be there much no longer. Sydney TAC also got the axe. Anyone can answer a phone basically for support is the mentality. Sad Mexico TAC has only a few good CSEs the rest are lazy and worthless. So SLED got hit as well. 2 managers first took the ERP which made many on that team wonder WTF ? Well, they found out and got the axe. Not sure if those two groups made up all of SLED but I know for sure those to teams are gone. Cisco does not have to report this yet if anyone is wondering. Why ? Because those impacted are not technically let go. I tend to wonder if you accept the package if its voluntary you left and dont qualify for unemployment. You might only get unemployment if you wait to get the axe and then get unemployment which honestly would not be worth it.

This is fake bs

Yeah, what team/group are you referring to... share the info for awareness and relevance.

I think I was on that call, where an entire segment in CSC got whacked; TR announced DLL would be expanding their role. That meeting was crazy and I agree, this place is whack!

COVID! File a class action!

Yes, can you tell us which sales team? Where? What products?

Everyone knows that Cisco is on a downward spiral, it is not even news anymore. I still do not understand why they have sales reps when the channel does all the work.

Which sales team?