Thread regarding Cisco Systems Inc. layoffs

What the hell is a "People Deal"?

Really....what is HR Fran's "People Deal"? I've been listening to her and her HR folks talk about this since the beginning and I still really don't understand what this new HR paradigm shift got us.

Before we had the soul-crushing stack-raking. It s---ed and everyone hated it but at least you knew what the rules of the game were. Then that tiered system went away and with great fanfare was replaced with this "People Deal".

At it's base, the People Deal seemed to do nothing besides pull away all Manager > Employee structure and in it's place left a nebulous quarterly 'fire-side' chat you had with your Manager. The end-product included no performance grade and no understanding of where ya where or what was expected besides this squishy 'water cooler conversation'.

Seems like what the People Deal REALLY was was just a quick way to escape the dreaded stack-ranking that Microsoft, Yahoo and others have been ridiculed (and sued) for. In it's place a free-form, 'chat' that allows the company to pull you out back and sink a bullet in your skull at will and without cause.

I really wanted to like Fran and this People Deal but since it's inception and right up to today, I realize it is a poorly planned, horribly executed pipe-dream, masked behind a a thinly veiled Silicon Valley'ish marketing tag-line.

How does this woman still have a job? Seriously? What am I missing?

by The Bobs
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Post ID: @OP+IZ64IjL
Comment! It's anonymous!

10 replies (most recent on top)

People Deal is to eliminate expensive workers, holding each department responsible for their own P&L. Reallocating resource without an Employee visible ranking system to avoid sue like MSFT/Yahoo. Cisco has gone down hill over last 4 years. I saw so many smart senior people left due to politics and not based on their ability to deliver. I am lucky to get axe this round. I cannot see more HR BS on IPTV anymore and all ELT/SLT have this big smile on their face on TV.

by Anonymous
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Post ID: @1sxx+IZ64IjL

but if you look at the slide closely, his end point doesn't actually surpass his original start point

Even HR was reluctantly to lie that much.

by Anonymous
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Post ID: @1uls+IZ64IjL

The People Deal....did anyone notice the poster child they used in the ppt presentation - "Adam" - never actually got above the original satisfaction threshold from when he first joins the company? Fran keeps showing the same presentation where Adam is excited to join, blah blah blah, and some things happen to him negative and positive that impact his overall satisfaction with the company over time, but at the end of the presentation, everyone is expected to have goose bumps or something when Adam is on the upward trend (queue the music)....but if you look at the slide closely, his end point doesn't actually surpass his original start point on the horizontal satisfaction scale....Nice job HR.

by Anonymous
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Post ID: @1hyl+IZ64IjL

What kills me is that the ELT and SLTs act like the rest of us are too stupid to understand that these policies are designed to protect Cisco's interests and bottom line, and that the stated employee benefits are pure propaganda. Insult to injury.

by Anonymous
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Post ID: @zxo+IZ64IjL

The stack ranking still exists and is alive and well. Now it happens on spreadsheets and is discussed behind closed doors with your Directors and VPs. More proof the People Deal is a joke.

I've been apart of these discussions. It is emotionless and surgical. Horse trading at it's essence:

  • You stay on the farm

  • You go to this other farm

  • You go to the glue factory

by Anonymous
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Post ID: @erq+IZ64IjL

Amazon paying upto 170k joining bonus to new hires. Know a friend joining as technical project manager there. Growing companies are hiring. Shrinking/sinking companies are cutting.

by Anonymous
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Post ID: @bvc+IZ64IjL

it is ridiculous, that it has come to this level. It is really sad.

There is hope. Companies outside cisco are better and dont abuse you to this extent.

by Anonymous
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Post ID: @lcm+IZ64IjL

Curious. Did they really do away with stacked ranking, or just tell you they did? I wonder what the criteria is used to reduce headcount.

by Anonymous
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Post ID: @pvy+IZ64IjL

diversity garbage. real coders cost money so most companies hire mediocre minority and female coders at lo2 wages and proclaim victory because they're socialized.

oh well.

by Anonymous
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Post ID: @llw+IZ64IjL

The People Deal did exactly what it was supposed to do. Take away rankings so you can be laid off without any reason or recourse. And yes made even less work for the management, never hurts. Wasn't even thinly veiled at the on-start what it was ultimately intended for. Lawyers teaching the HR girls a thing or two.

by Anonymous
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Post ID: @zxz+IZ64IjL

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