Thread regarding Cisco Systems Inc. layoffs

Good advice.

Cisco calling staff "family" is good for Cisco, but maybe not so much for staff. Staff (including management & directors) ultimate function is to provide shareholder value.

Cisco like many large companies may wrap it up nice and make it a great place to be but its an investment

+1 on the career advice. I would also add to pay off all of your debts as quickly as possible and learn to live on a budget where you tell your money what to do.

I retired after 40+ years in high tech and the last 20 at Cisco. I was never laid off although I faced many RIFs over 40 years with a number of companies. As a manager, I always told employees to make themselves as marketable as possible both internally and externally. That simple philosophy always worked for me but it wasn't easy. For example, I did 10 years at Digital Equipment Corporation before landing at Cisco. The first 5 years at DEC were great, the last 5 years not so much. I faced layoffs on almost a quarterly basis. Big companies usually have abundant jobs that you can apply for provided you have the right skill sets and the job posting is more than perfunctory.

At Cisco, there was definitely company loyalty. The first 10 years I was there we had profit sharing and a lucrative employee stock/bonus plan that was performance based. You didn't mind putting in extra hours knowing that you would be rewarded with stock options and bonuses. It was the best 10 years of my professional career. That all changed when the laws on stock options were changed and Cisco had its first layoff. Company loyalty went out the window.

The worst thing for a manager is to have to deal with telling someone their job doesn't exist anymore. Lots of sleepless nights knowing what the employees would be going through. It always s---ed having to lay someone off knowing it was even worse for the employee. Sure glad I made it and retired with most of my sanity. Good luck all!

We have already seen the 'Virtual' engineering team replace 1,000s of American workers.

It is interesting that Cisco is hiring thousands of Indian coders to create automation tools that will effectively eliminate their own jobs.

"Here is a shovel, now dig your own grave"

5 - If your job can be done 100% remotely from India, it will be. And it will be done @ 1/3 the total cost it is being done for anywhere else in the 1st and 2nd World. Will the output be crappier? Sure. But nobody really cares. It is a metrics-driven, short- term focus environment and some jackass Director will get a fat bonus because he lowered costs by 35%.

So if you have such a job (low-level code slave, Project Manager, Analyst, etc.), do something else. Your time is limited.

All good. And when The Corp asks for your life (eg miss child's bday party for that Saturday work call), just quit. I think some angst you see here are from those who gave their life away for ... What? Don't fall in that trap because The Corp has a short memory of you astounding sacrifice, but your daughter will remember your missing that party forever.

Great post. Those who aren't Millennials have watched and learned.

Keep your resume and LinkedIn updated. You can post your resume on many sites and set up job alerts which are sent to you at whatever interval you want (send to personal email, not your work one! :) )

The people I know who have done well saw the writing on the wall and start looking months before a layoff every year. So, start looking now to minimize the time between jobs in case you are impacted.

+1 is a like

what's +1

+1

"no more loyalty " - The Millennials are the only group who gets this - they could care less about the employer, they want all and they want it now. They also do not want to be abused. Go home on time, get paid well. They learned this from watching their parents go through things that we are going through right now.

I agree with all your points, but #3 is the best of them all. One really needs to have a 6 month layoff gap factored into any financial plan. It'll happen, it's 2016, there is no more loyalty between the employer and the employee (this goes both ways).

Be smart, negotiate your cut careful, and stay in the marriage until it does not work for either you or your employer.

Simple...

a #GOLD post...

A bit of career advice

Seems like a ton of anxiety and worry over potential job losses. I will give my best advice (whether you work at Cisco or not)

Corporations are not your friend, parent or caregiver. it is a transaction, not a 'relationship'. You provide a service in return for money.

Automation is the new reality. If a robot or code can do your job, you will not have a job. Period. Do things robots can't do (it will become increasingly difficult as robots are getting better at an alarming rate)

Layoffs and periods of under/unemployment must be factored into your financial plans. Don't get into a mortgage and car loans that assume a 30 year stretch of uninterrupted income.

Save money. Don't be a dumb--s. Save. Lots. Of. Money! A six month cushion is a minimum. Eat ramen and drive a 10 year old Subaru. (Note: if you have worked at Cisco for 10+ years and don't have 2 nickels to rub together, you are an idiot.)