I swear, I'm the newest member on my team and I seem to be the only one who's not scared 24/7 about losing my job. All my older coworkers are constantly stressing over it as if that'll do them any good. There are plenty of available jobs! If you're laid off, you'll find something new. I got this job in the middle of a pandemic. That should tell you something. Just live your lives, people. Life's too short to waste it worrying over things you can't change.
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maybe these "older" employees have dependents and mortgages? Not sure what your situation is- possibly the same but it is a reality. I like your positive attitude though.
Most of Cisco is deadwood. We don't create anything internally. Most work focuses on renegotiating existing router/switch contracts, and promoting the company as a forward thinking innovative technology company.
Deadwood does not do well in the real world.
Sadly you don’t understand that companies do in fact track whether you Are early, mid, or late in career. Even Assuming you have great skills and the expected growing experience in each stage you are still a target and are less attractive in the tech job market in late-mid or late career. So yes your older colleagues will be more nervous. The only way to avoid those is to either be really senior management or own your own company in some way.
Hope you think the same when your manager and coworker stab you in the back and lay you off. Big company like Cisco, IBM working culture kind like King of Thrones. Always protect yourself bro
@1whz+1aFagEXw absolutely and totally nailed how Cisco works. I was also one of those folks "in the good clique" originally, but due to reorgs I ended up in another organization with a large, established "clique", which I was not part of. I was a senior level contributor with way more experience than others in my job, but was blocked out of promotions due to the existing "clique" taking care of each other. It was extremely frustrating, and with hindsight...I should have bailed way before I did. I eventually moved to another group that a former boss built...and once again I was part of the "clique". But then layoffs, reorgs struck again, and I was back in the outsiders group. That was when I was cut (but mostly due to age). Cisco was fun in the early part of my time there, but totally sucked at the end.
OP has a good attitude AND most of the comments here are on point.
Be a part of Cisco can be really great financially and give you a lot of awesome work experience. Enjoy it while you have it, make the most of it, and appreciate the opportunity. The money you can save and invest will benefit you long after you leave Cisco.
Keep your eyes open and move between teams if you need to for safety and work satisfaction, but also understand that "the day shall come" and save your pennies so you can leave with a smile.
If Cisco and its layoff culture is making you miserable, it's time to find a new job and not wait around.
The woke position is to distract from our managed decline. Do you honestly think anyone on the ELT cares about diversity? Woke companies don't outsource jobs to India... where caste systems and slavery are still tolerated
I can honestly say each day I gave all I had to Cisco. The environment and culture that spooled up post John Chambers where there is complete lack of accountability and entitlement is what ultimately drove me to pursue other options. I refuse to work alongside someone (or a team) with zero work ethic. The woke position of the leaders of this company have totally created this. It is unfortunate as I loved working at Cisco 5-6 years ago.
and you quickly learn that Cisco sells legacy hardware boxes, and conducts quarterly stealth layoffs to outsource jobs from San Jose/RTP to countries without labor laws
Like Cisco's products, Fran and the HR team do a wonderful job of putting lipstick on the pig. The entire company is run on the illusion that Cisco delivers innovative products and services and that Cisco cares about its employees.
... Long ago I saw how things operated at Cisco so I treated the place like my own personal ATM. I barely did any work, kept my head low, and never rocked the boat. The way I view it is that every penny Cisco contributed towards my various accounts is a penny that I stole. ...
One of the things wrong with Cisco are people like you. There's a lot wrong, but this is my pet peeve. The fact that you blatantly admit to slacking off and considered your wages as stealing from the company.
I, at least, have the integrity to do an hour's work for an hour's wages. I have no illusions that Cisco won't stab me in the back. I'm not going to work unpaid overtime, but I don't freeload either. Granted I don't "do" 40 hours of work each week because 50% of my time is wasted in meetings, but Cisco runs on meetings, so I'm "doing my job" when I attend them even if I'm bored out of my mind because I may have less than 5 min of interaction in that meeting and need to listen to maybe another 10-15 min and sleep through the rest.
But in my job role, I keep bumping into the same people that I've worked with at other companies. Slackers get a reputation and, for me, do not get favorable consideration from me or others who feel like me when the slackers try to interview with the company we're currently at. I want to work on a team where everyone does their fair share and carries their own load. I'm not paid enough to do your job and mine too.
You haven’t been there long enough to know why. Let me tell you how Cisco works.
Look at your team. You probably will recognize a core group of people close to your supervisor, and 1-4 ppl who aren’t.
That core group may or may not all speak the same language as your manager. They go to lunch together. The 1-4 ppl other ppl probably don’t. They are the fringe players. They probably joined your team through re-orgs. Or maybe joined your team after being on the verge of getting laid off and got referred to your manager through their original manager.
It doesn’t matter who effective those other 1-4 are at their job. They are the low hanging fruit come layoff time.
Now you are new, you’ve only met them through Webex meetings, and likely don’t really know who is who. The fewer low hanging fruit ppl in your department they more like you got hired as a crash dummy to let go in order to keep core group members in case your manager is forced to cut the headcount.
I used to be part of a clique in Cisco. My manager used to flat out tell me that “you might have heard rumors layoffs are coming, layoffs are coming but don’t worry about it you’re safe”. And I was safe until my manager’s manager left, then my manager left, then a reorg happened and I ended up with another team. Basically an outsider. I saw the writing on the wall and left.
When you’re safe, you do things like move to a better apartment or buy a house, maybe buy a car, live life, and save some money. Once a re-org occurs you’re not safe anymore. Cisco has lots a reorgs. You may need to uproot the life you made and that threat is in play every quarter.
It all depends on your mindset and what you value. Long ago I saw how things operated at Cisco so I treated the place like my own personal ATM. I barely did any work, kept my head low, and never rocked the boat. The way I view it is that every penny Cisco contributed towards my various accounts is a penny that I stole. I outconned the con artists. Consequently I was never stressed out and when Cisco gave me a bunch of money to leave I simply smiled and said sayonara (alliteration!).
My colleagues were exactly as how you described. I suspect it is due to one of the following reasons (likely a combo of all four):
- They were terrible with their finances and were stuck at Cisco (this is called golden handcuffs)
- They had no life or identity outside of work
- They were stupid enough to value a company that did not value them
- They were constantly puckering up to their superiors who not only hated them but OPENLY hated them and yet they took the abuse because they were desperate to get a seat at the cool kids' table
My advice to the OP is to tune out and keep collectin' them dolla dolla billz y'all!
I was exactly like you when I started, and still even a couple of years after... the reason? I was young. I thought it was just some paranoia, I was new in the company, not much experience and I thought something good would have happened soon, if not, then I could always leave.
But no, the thing of this company can be resumed as a “stagnating situation highly affected by some brain washing”
They are not stressed. They are excited because Cisco gives them a 6 month package.
With health some kinda rmap program for medical benefits.
OP Obviously under 40yo.
Soon to be a victim of the so called best company to work for..... cut ur losses and plant ur seeds elsewhere...
Obviously you've never been impacted by a Cisco layoff. There's rampant discrimination in the hiring process... age discrimination and discrimination against applicants unemployed
- recruiters low ball you after a Cisco layoff
- it's difficult to obtain interviews after a Cisco layoff