Anyone else stuck in this weird limbo of dreading layoffs but low-key hoping for the severance package? Part of me fears the instability, but another part sees it as my ticket out of this sinking ship. The fact that we're even debating whether unemployment would be an upgrade says everything about how toxic this place has become.
10 replies (most recent on top)
Make sure you have 6-12 months in an emergency/layoff fund. Keep riding that dinosaur until it bucks you off.
I'm with you on this ... I want to go - but there is fear: where, what, isn't that going to be the same? Or worse?
The other part me me wants to stay because:
- I still love working at the company
- Most employees and co-workers are really amazing and talented people (except engineering)
- My boss is a really nice person
Meanwhile I'm still waiting for severance package, or not... but I'm doing my job right.
Every 6 months. Been worried about it, no matter how busy I have been no or how great my performance metrics is. At least I cashed out hundreds of dollars in recent connected recognition dollars. When I look at who has been laid off in my group over the last year not a single one is under age 45 though. And these are folks who stayed more than current with new tech, AI and all the offered trainings. All comes down to your compensation and squeezing anyone left to take on the extra work.
I just quit today! Never felt better
Not govt role; just a much smaller company. I just think it'll be relatively a lot more stable.
I'm considering leaving for a more stable position
such as?
Federal govt was full of folks who fled tech for "stability", they got DOGEd
State and local govts will be next, they overhired too and have no choice but to DOGE even if they won't touch the acronym itself
Always thought I'd ride it out until the inevitable layoff; but with a recession looming, I'm considering leaving for a more stable position (at least for the next 3-5 years) even if it means taking a pay cut.
The fact that we're even debating whether unemployment would be an upgrade says everything about how toxic this place has become.
"Has become?" In the great recession of 2008 people were leaving Cisco for a 40% pay cut just to get out if they couldn't get a package. It was a bad place to work for many years before that.
In good times when you have a decent chance of getting a job quickly a package is a bonus. In the worst of times I've seen people run out of package with another year without a job to go, and by that point the job they did get wasn't a good one. Unfortunately now is neither good nor bad but absolute chaos. I sympathize with you, but short of having an offer from a company that is positioned to weather the chaos I don't see any obvious "the reward is greater than the risk" options.
try to move to some mental space that lets you cope and take this position out as far as possible
so much anecdotal info out there now about the brutal hiring market...and a lot of the commentary is from people with good resumes and tier-one companies...if these folks can't find work, a Cisco resume will fare even worse
we have gone past peak tech hiring and are now in the next phase where companies are optimizing for headcount and cost
https://fred.stlouisfed.org/series/IHLIDXUSTPSOFTDEVE
this graph tells me a lot of folks looking for tech work will simply never find it, not after a year of interviewing, not after reducing their expectations...they'll just be OUT
even after 250k tech folks being laid off in the last few years, you could argue many tech companies are still overstaffed (Cisco definitely)
this isn't a Cisco thing, I would say this to anyone at any tech company...think twice before engaging this hiring market
Half of employees waiting for a LR package because so many are long service so will get $$$$. To either trigger them to another outside role or to retire.