"If I experience any impact, I plan to file a discrimination case against my manager. Has anyone else tried this, and could you please share details on how the process works?"
12 replies (most recent on top)
Simple answer. HR and legal protect Cisco. Do you have proof? Recorded Webex? Emails? Voicemails ?
If yes, then your manager will be forced to resign with a package then
You will be forced to resign with a package.
The only difference is did your manager leave too
you can try raising a case against your manager. just don't hope of winning it. there's no point in hiring a lawyer unless it is a s-xual harassment case.
The second session with your discrimination lawyer, she will ask for a cheque for $100,000 to get started on the case. Be ready to write it, or you’re wasting your time.
I'd like to have my foot experience impact with your rear end.
Most of the people posting on here... really have no clue do they?
Maybe part of the Cisco onboarding experience should include self awareness and understanding the realities of the world.
OP, re-read your employment information. Then, do a search for any other potential company you want to work for and see what their employment is like.
This has strong teenager working at mcdonalds shouting at his manager "You can't fire me because I come in late every day! I quit and I'm going to tell corporate you're a bad manager!!!" vibes.
Instead of living in fear, do something more positive.
I will tell you this. You have to PROVE discrimination based on race, s-x, age, or some other legally protected status. Proving that is hard unless you have documentation. Cisco has entire teams of lawyers reviewing these lists to ensure that they can defend against the usual claims of age, race, or s-x. They'll sacrifice just enough young people to offset the old people, and they'll claim the reduction was due to "costs" instead of age, but high employee cost IS a side-effect of age because you have to pay based on experience and a person in their 50's probably has 15, if not 20, years of experience in their role unless they've had a major career change.
You also have to weigh the risks vs. rewards. One, in the US, you signed an agreement agreeing to arbitration instead of suing, so you first have to fight that. Second, you forfeit 2/3rds of the total separation package when you refuse to sign the agreement to sue so you're losing out on a lot of money with the risk you'll lose any suit you bring against Cisco. Third, Cisco is an "at will" employer, which again, you acknowledged when you signed your new-hire paperwork so they don't have to have a reason to fire you, but you DO have to be able to prove that they discriminated against you to protect you from the termination.
Ask yourself what are they discriminating against you for? Is it one of the legally protected categories? Do you have proof? And if you have good answers to all of that, why are you waiting to be impacted before taking action?
I've read here, that if you try to sue a company for discrimination, it's a matter of public record, and future employers will not want to hire you whether or not you win, so now you're tainted goods. Again, how much can you win in court to replace the lost wages due to no one being willing to hire you in the future and is it worth it?
Unless there's some really obvious and provable discrimination, just wait to be impacted and sign the agreement and run w/ the money. That's why Cisco pays us off so well, to make it not worth trying to sue. Or simply look for a job and tell your manager that you quit when you find it and let Cisco be the one who has to scramble to find someone to do your work instead of you having to scramble to find a new job.
As far as how the process works, look at the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission government website and/or talk w/ an employment attorney.
"Any impact?" What's that supposed to mean, in what context, and how would that show illegal discrimination?
If it's layoffs it's not just your manager but layers of management above them, HR and Legal along with a paper trail of which you are likely unaware that you'll have to confront, and Cisco often tosses whole groups including top performers in which case by definition you'd be treated exactly like every other member of your group which is the opposite of discrimination.
This isn't to dismiss real discrimination which very much does exist, but the way this is presented here screams it's nothing more than an attempt to avoid being laid off.
Only discrimination I see at Cisco is the ubiquitous H1-b gate keeping for their own caste.
“If you don't "experience any impact" will you file a discrimination case?”
Yes, because if you’re being discriminated against now, it’s not going to stop if you’re not affected.
Trust me, I would not bother. I have been there, done it, got the t shirt. HR / ER are there to protect Cisco and NOT you the employee. Speaking from experience, I raised a case with HR / ER and got nowhere and guess what I was LR'd a year later. Looking back, it was a blessing in disguise as I had 20+ years unblemished service and was a high performer resulting in a good severance package. So, depending on your tenure with Cisco, it may or may not a clever idea, or it could turn out to be the best decision that you ever make, especially if you can get another position with another company as I did. Thankyou Cisco. Life is sweet.
This screams "I should have been fired years ago and have dei protecting me".
If you don't "experience any impact" will you file a discrimination case?