Thread regarding Cisco Systems Inc. layoffs

Layoffs come down from on high as "lose $[x]00k from payroll" with only some consideration on what it means. As a result you get managers backed into a weird corner where laying off a single expensive employee will do more to meet that requirement than tossing 2-3 cheaper employees. In theory 2-3 people is a more productive work force to be left with, so you lop off the most expensive, and theoretically longest-employed and most skilled workers, while the newer, cheaper workers remain.
In small numbers it works okay. When you do it to ALL of the most skilled workers you end up with a brain drain and all the newer workers now realize their loyalty is meaningless.
I'll let you all draw your own conclusions on how that's working out.

its 1000% related to if you can keep your head down ,dont disrupt or try to change anything, agree with your leader even though they have no clue but if you try to question or have a discussion around their guidance you are seen as a troublemaker. Poor leadership wants you to be be in awe of their stupidity and fantastic ideas , not give them any feedback or suggestions. Keep to yourself, go on video, smile like an id--t, then you can do whatever you want the rest of the time cause no one has a clue what you really do or produce. Feel sorry for all that tried to do their job well, no good deed goes unpunished

I was a top performer in my team - I had a 1.7 IPF for my bonus and received more RSU's than anyone on the team the year before I was LR'd (3 years ago). For me it came down to a new VP that came in and made choices based more on personalities than performance.

Like others have said, it really is a gut punch to get that notice and I feel bad for those who are caught off guard by it. But - the silver lining is that it forces you to do something that you've probably been meaning to do but haven't gotten around to, which is update your resume, take stock of what your market value is, and start interviewing. There are a lot of good jobs out there, especially if you look at small to mid-size companies. I landed at a mid-size SaaS company and have loved it!

I am a top performer.
I was not laid off yesterday, but it could still happen (I’m in Europe).
I have truly unique skills and they cannot readily replace me. But I’m old, and expensive.
100% they would lay me off in a heartbeat if they could figure out how to do it without causing themselves pain.
I know that, and so should you.

When I was laid off a year ago, I was told I was a top performer by leadership, received extra RSUs and still am friends with the VP of my former department. I was a top performer at other companies and am one at my company now. Yes, you can be a top performer and still get laid off. Happens all the time. Those saying otherwise are the ones in denial. You want to think you control your destiny. The only thing you control is your marketability. Layoffs can happen to anyone.

Low performers stay- it’s mind boggling. My former team has a whole lot of peeps watching tv all day with no work.

Got notice this morning or 1-1 this morning while busy working on tasks assigned. Take a long long walk under the nice bright Sun in afternoon. My review being good for the past few years. Get nice RSU every year still being hit.
Can not blame Cisco. But we need build our skill on interview not skill for your BU. I learn a lesson now.

"Truth to be told. A victim of a layoff will almost always claim they're top performers. Just part of the denial phase."

At sensitive times like this, please be more sensitive. Who cares about your truth? People who have gone through this kind of things, knowing well they did the best for their employers, don't deserve such lectures.

Same cr@p happened to me recently.
They don't want people are smarter or a threat to them. It is even better they hire people can't speak properly.

Got multiple offers all much better than Crisco.

I always consider working for myself not for any company.

It's always life outside of Crisco.

Take the package and go somewhere else where your worth is appreciated, such as a competitor, and rub it in their face!

You "top performers"...SMH. In denial. You will come to your senses in six months.

Being a top performer (okaaaay Steve Jobs): what does it even mean? Are you saying your invaluable contribution has saved or even improved the company? You have worked in a corporate environment where the most important thing is the stock value, especially during a verge of a global recession. Plus Cisco seems another lazy dinosaur (please see also IBM and many others out there)

Managers reading a script: of course they are (performing monkeys). Would you trust line managers as a business and potentially facing a legal dispute and ending up in court? I wouldn't

Why have you worked overnight for no money? LOL

The only way is being overemployed, fully remote and enjoy life!

Speaking for a subculture.
You know which culture loves to own a gas station or dollar tree stores

dont lie about the pain! you will feel it once all your coworkers know you are gone. people will stop emailing you, dont want to be associated with you. your so called friends gradually disappear altogether. and then constant verification why it is me? always blame yourself is the consistent motion. not possible to get out of it.. in reality, outside it is tough now for Cisco people. you will feel downgraded a while.. it is hard to get out of it.. until you have a new job, even getting familiar with the new place will be tough. .people are always judging why you are the one being laid off.. even people interviewing you will ask that question. the only thing good is that you got to own a gas station or a dollar tree as side gig, then you are relieved. not average Joe though

Welcome to the 2024 club of Tech layoffs. Anyone over 50+ making a good enough salary will be affected. Most tech companies now want to hire young folks and h1b's with PhD. This way they still get the best and the brightest while keeping cost down. You can't blame the young folks or the h1b's, it's just the way thing are these days. It's all about greed, power, revenue growth, operating margins, share price, and shareholders. The market is crazy with 20%+, 30%+, %+ increase in share price overnight if the company does better then the estimates. Therefore, CEOs, CFOs, COOs, etc have to perform, else it could be -30%+ in share price with bad earnings report. And guess what, we are the ones who pay for it with job cuts.

Let this be a lesson for everyone getting laid off. If you weren’t notified, your life would have gone on and you wouldn’t have thought twice about those that were in fact laid off and their families. You would have said “Oh well, those slackers should have worked harder”.

I don’t want to kick a man while he’s down but I hope people 1) Learn that no one is safe and 2) Have compassion and don’t turn your back on those who are affected. Ultimately everyone is on a timer at Cisco. You’re no better than anyone else just because you happen to survive this round.

OP, you will be much better off

• This moment of short pain is only the beginning of long term gain.

The toxic from this place 🤬 is unbearable.

To the OP that posted the comment about the impacted person being in denial. What a rotten thing for you to say. There were a lot of good folks and high performers impacted today. You don’t know the circumstances or the full intent as to why someone was impacted. To everyone that has been impacted, it will be tough, but you will be okay and you will be better off. Good luck to all and most of all ignore the a—h——s on this site and those you find don’t have the courage to wish you the best.

Some projects are getting cancelled and unfortunately those had some good engineers so their role is gone. They have to try to get on another team.

sorry to hear OP. I know as a former manager and LR'd myself in Dec '23 how it feels. Having been on both sides I know it is stressed to managers to read only from the script and nothing else, strictly from the script and don't answer any questions. I always felt bad delivering it to members of my teams and obviously felt bad being on the receiving end too. I knew exactly what to expect when I got the 1:1 and didn't even let my arrogant manager/director finish the script and I just hung upon him. I knew there was nothing he could do.
Good Luck, you may not think so right now but you'll eventually be much better off

@lzp, agree with you, that's how they like it, control fre@ks, basically what they're saying is your ideas and good deeds making these people look bad so they have to let you go

that's why the ship is sinking fast, this is behavior of a company at the end of their lifecycle

Truth to be told. A victim of a layoff will almost always claim they're top performers. Just part of the denial phase.

I don't think a top performer can get laid off before low performers or new hires are impacted... how is that possible?

Is this only happening in the US office?

Haven't heard anything here in Australia. Fingers crossed

Keep you chin up OP. It's just a numbers game. Find another job and increase your side hustle attitude.

the reason for being fired = top performer.. remember the old saying, stay low, stay longer.. dont have ideas and take no position at debates, pretend to be deaf/blind, got to live like North Korean people.

Best of luck OP. Don’t take it personally, sometimes it’s just a numbers game. Twice experienced myself.

Which BU?
Did anyone in CX or PX cloud got notified?

Yeah myself and few people on my team that have been top performers and recognised weekly for our work all got the meeting invites today for the dreaded 1:1. It was a good run.

That really su-ks. I empathize with your thoughts. Seems they don’t necessarily go off of performance and it’s not fair. Best of luck to you and