The yearly mass culling is about to begin, It is that time of the year to reward mediocrity and demotivate good performers before getting rid of them.
Any tips in dealing below scenarios is much appreciated:
When the employee is notified by the manager or HR about his/her lay off ?
How to quickly recover from the LR trauma and get going ?
What if you were not LR'd..?? https://www-forbes-com.cdn.ampproject.org/c/s/www.forbes.com/sites/lizryan/2017/05/16/ten-good-reasons-to-quit-your-job-without-having-another-one/amp/
This long #Cisco thread with #layoffadvice is #GOLD
What if you are the chosen one : https://www-forbes-com.cdn.ampproject.org/c/s/www.forbes.com/sites/lizryan/2017/05/08/ten-signs-theyre-looking-for-a-reason-to-fire-you/amp/
Embrace your anger. It will fade, but never go away.....that's what happens when you are a great performer but get cast aside due to age.
One saving grace of the Cisco LR culture is that we know that they are not laying off the bottom 5% anymore...
Anymore? Cisco has been disposing of collectives from teams to sites for a decade. The real problem has been promoting the bottom 5% into the leadership ranks insuring you'll be acquisition dependent forever.
One saving grace of the Cisco LR culture is that we know that they are not laying off the bottom 5% anymore - they are shedding people based solely on costs and the ever-changing quest for high-margin product. So you don't have to feel like you were a failure. You were just unlucky or bad at kissing up.
Personally, I was too nervous about getting another job at reasonable pay, so I dove into the job hunt right away, but for those with solid in-demand skills and/or low enough salary expectations, take the severance period as vacation
Great thread and some good advice except for the pub part - this will just drag you down.
The general advice is not what you do only after you get LR'd but what you should also have done before you get LR'd.
Financial planning is probably the MOST IMPORTANT aspect of this because if you have played the right "financial cards" you can come out of an LR positively. This is hard to achieve because so many people get "attached" to the income but if invested / spent wisely one can come out of an LR with a feeling of liberty and freedom to try new opportunities. This aspect also helps to quickly recover from the emotional toll from a LR.
The second aspect is the emotional piece. The important thing to realize here is to recognize and avoid ending up in a downward circle, like going to the pub to let out your problems. You need to stay positive. You need to believe you can be better off doing something else. You may or may not earn as much but you CAN be doing something that is more satisfying - things you've wanted to do but did not get a chance to do while you were working. Stay positive and strive for the next opportunity - the world has an incredible amount of opportunities and you just have to find it.
Thirdly, always plan for 2 or multiple careers. If one stops - you start the other one. You can not put all your eggs into Cisco. WORK outside of work to further your interests and skills in other careers or opportunities that one day you see yourself working on full-time. In other words picture yourself on what you will be working on if you get LR'd.
Finally the sooner you can recover the better. Although it can be hard, I recommend accepting the LR head on and start applying for new opportunities or begin working on your personal ventures asap. This is easier if you completed steps 1-3.
This is a fantastic thread. So much great advice and wisdom. This should be a permanent thread.
In terms of my contribution, it would be this. Do what you need to get the pain out. Being stoic is the worst thing. Find people to share your grief with and be open during the good and the bad days. I would also suggest that the folks you share with not be the ones you talk about your next job with. Better to have those conversations clean. I have talked to many folks and the ones who get it out seem to be the fastest to recover. The layoff should not and does not define you. If it does, you let them win. Love to all and this thread is super uplifting.
Recently LR'd and just adding to the thread here. Once one gets over the initial shock, reality will set in and life goes on. Expect enthusiastic days, and days of emotional woe. Believe in yourself and don't wallow in pity, it's not personal, it's just the law of averages and you drew the loosing poker hand this time.
If you are in the midst of a good few years of Cisco, I second the ideas of either paying off or having a good few years of mortgage payments set aside. You will be glad you did once the bell tolls for thee. Also agree on the 401k maxout and spending ongoing on what you need at the moment. The RSUs and bonus are nice for the Lexus/BMW upgrade purchase, but buy what you need and nest egg the rest.
Keep your industry skills sharp and read on where the technology is going. Even if you don't live SDN, Saas, and virtualization; if you can get proficient on understanding the concepts and doing basic work like setting up VMWare, etc., on your home machines...you'll remain relevant. Think of it like studying for college; force yourself to study/read/do home lab two or so hours a week.
It's a big world out there and lots of good opportunity out there if you can demonstrate sound knowledge and experience, and can demonstrate how to think through and really solve problems.
If you are in a company like Cisco, make sure your mortgage is paid off before you turn 50, and make sure you have been maxing out your retirement account for at least 10 years (possibly more). If you are laid off near 50 as an engineer, you are never going to work at 6 figures as an engineer. This, I will guarantee. While you have that high income, save, buy a rental or two on the side, max your retirement, and spend conservatively.
If you are in Silicon Valley, forget about buying a house. Unless you have some hefty RSUs that can vest someday, it makes no sense to buy a house in SV.
For the young/mid career folks who are starting out: Know and understand that Cisco is ruthless, and unless you happen to have enormous domain knowledge of some critical software, you are expendable, and Cisco will expense you. Like clockwork, I have seen engineers in their 50s being bid adieu even in profitable BUs. After the shock the first year, I semi-accurately predicted who would be LR'd the next 3 years.
Finding the right company is a lot like finding a right partner. There are some companies where older engineers are respected. If there is still time for you, find a company like that, stick to it and take your chances. If you are at Cisco, make sure you are working on new technologies and have transferable skills. If you are stuck babying older products with horrible code bases, may God help you.
It helps to give up on any ideas of a "career." Those are a relic of your parent's generation. Now we just have jobs. Especially once you've gained some seniority (i.e., are expensive to keep and maintain).
Also, keep in mind that everyone that can get a better job elsewhere has already left. Reach out to those people and don't be afraid to take contract work. It might not seem as stable, but how stable is your present job if you are on this website?
Good luck!
Though I left Cisco voluntarily, one thing I strongly suggest people do now rather than later is assessing your family's financial health. Do you have enough savings to support your household through the aftermath of a layoff without your earnings? How's the debt load? Take a brutally honest look at the family expenditures in terms of wants vs. needs. What expenditures could be reduced or eliminated if you were LR'ed and couldn't find new employment as quickly as you'd like?
Best of luck, everyone.
It takes a while to clear the Cisco fog from your head. Use the time to reflect on what you really enjoy in your work and home life and then find a job that matches those traits. There is plenty of work out there so dont stress. Its a time to choose wisely.
When one door closes, another always opens somewhere.
All the folks i know who have left Cisco in the past 5 years are doing better than they were at Cisco and are healthier and happier.
A few things.
While we all indications are that there will be another LR announced with the earnings, it's likely not the yearly one. That usually comes at the end of the fiscal year.
@vji's advice is relatively good. Just be careful about the pub part. I actually went out of my way to not do that so that I didn't use it as a mechanism to dull the pain and potentially create a dependency cycle. But that's just me.
Whatever you do, don't immediately start looking for a new job, unless you decide to look for something internal. You need time to process. I jumped too soon and ended up turning down a position because I wasn't in the right mental space to accept it.
Spend some time making sure you have your contacts together and someplace other than Cisco outlook. Also make sure you have contact info other than Cisco e-mail for people you want to reach out to in the future. Remember that they could also be affected and you want some way to reach them.
Make sure your Linked in Network is up to date.
Grab all the perks discounts that you can (ok, this one is ethically questionable, but screw it.) I'm still getting the Cisco discount for VZ FIOS, Staples, and my VZ wireless.
Good Luck
Common sense. First few days:
Jog/run/exercise to the point of exhaustion, get a good meal, then go close the pub down with a few good friends. Repeat this first several days. Then spend a few days just thinking quietly. Then go on a decluttering and cleaning spree. Take inventory of your life and get rid of the material things you don't need. Donate your old stuff to goodwill. Get rid up the extra paperwork clutter you don't need. Stay busy. Eat healthy and get in good shape. Be proud of your accomplishments. Write out an ongoing list of the things to accomplish next.