Thread regarding Cisco Systems Inc. layoffs

The teamspace checkin sharepoint lists loud and proud that "managers won't know if you select yes or no" so you can be honest in your selection.

You are lying. You are totally wrong. I have details of "Data in Teamspace." It clearly says, "Your static leader will be able to see ALL information you submit within your check-in."

ALL you answered in each weekly check-in can be seen your manager. Otherwise, weekly check-in doesn't make sense, does it?

• Last week I had a chance to use my strengths everyday
• Last week I added outstanding value
• Last week did your team leader(s) connect with you about your work priorities? (e.g. in person, in Team Space, via text, via email, etc.)
• What activities did you love last week?
• What activities did you loathe last week?
• What are your priorities this week?
• What help do you need from [TL Name] thisweek?

All of what you answered to the questions above can be seen by your manager.

Actually, Cisco Collaboration will have a big layoff. Notifications on November 17th, with exits by January 10th. Amazing that the only people not losing jobs are the leaders that led to market share fall in the last 5 plus years.

The teamspace checkin sharepoint lists loud and proud that "managers won't know if you select yes or no" so you can be honest in your selection.

There are lots of surveys that are like that too.

But Cisco adds an employee specific id to most of their surveys (even if they say they are anonymous). If you put in a survey that has anything included that Cisco doesn't like, they won't hesitate to put you on the short list for the next LR or just fire you depending on how egregious they consider your "anonymous" survey response.

A good rule of thumb is to take whatever the ELT/Leadership say they are doing and assume they are doing the opposite.

It's called a red herring. The ELT and Leadership at Cisco use them constantly. You tell people the absolute opposite of what is going on to confuse them. Politicians, corporate media (Fox, CNN, Times, etc : all are corporate and gov propaganda groups), corporations, anyone that wants power typically use them. It's disgusting.

They will tell you in meetings that your manager won't know whether you select the "Yes" checkmark (that your manager connected with you on work priorities) or not, but it's lies.

Not sure what you're talking about. Of course, managers can see which of their subordinates answered to each question. Of course, they can see whether he/she answered Yes or No to that question.

I guess you're not a Cisco employee. Or you're just not familiar with weekly teamspace check-in.

They will tell you in meetings that your manager won't know whether you select the "Yes" checkmark (that your manager connected with you on work priorities) or not, but it's lies.

They can have a report pulled up that tells them what every single employee has clicked through on that teamspace check-in.

Be careful. Most of the "anonymous" surveys (aren't). Most of things where they say "no one will know what you selected", managers do. And really - most of what Cisco leadership says are lies.

Yep! Teamspace is still around, cultlike and in force. Total waste of time on Friday mornings. My last couple of managers never made a single comment - likely never read them. But if you'd be late in submitting, then they will slap your wrist for being naughty.

I know! Stupid meaningless teamspace check-in on Fridays just to satisfy our managers.
What is worse, my manager forced me to select "Yes" every week to the question of "your manager talked to you about task priorities" even though he didn't. It's almost harassment!

Teamspace should be abolished soon. Also stupid connected recognition should also be abolished.

Majority of Cisco employees are a bunch of part-timers and/or hold two jobs
These employees will never resign, so Cisco execs need to do their job and fire these people for stealing from the company and it's stockholders

Yep! Teamspace is still around, cultlike and in force. Total waste of time on Friday mornings. My last couple of managers never made a single comment - likely never read them. But if you'd be late in submitting, then they will slap your wrist for being naughty.

Been out for awhile, but just wondering if Cisco is still pushing Teamspace?? It was insane to see how much Teamspace was prioritized over real technical work at the time I was there. My manager was obsessed with it ie. cultlike...

Chambers built the company you see today based on what his idol Neutron Jack was doing 40 years ago. The fact that this whole website exists is because bad management and layoffs have been the norm at many places for decades. Ironically the ideal worker unit for places like this are ones who can’t grasp the incredibly obvious.

See y’all at next week’s “oh my God, Cisco is going to have layoffs at some random point in the future, how could this possibly happen?” post.

I've only seen one person PIPd at Cisco. It's mostly publicly announced or stealth layoffs of people without strategic relationships.

If you end up in a situation where you are being managed out - there are some things you can do on your side to manage the situation.

1. Start looking for another job ASAP - do you really want to be somewhere they don't want you?

2. Start a backlog list - and do the top X number of highest priority tasks based on your co-worker's number of tasks completed each day. Religiously document and showcase everything you do in Webex rooms and emails. Make it hard to fire you and make them PIP you (still comes with a small severance).

3. When you do eventually get PIP'ed (which takes a few months), leave with your new job in hand and a tiny severance to boot.