Cisco Systems Reviews in Raleigh-Durham, NC Area

Pros

Big company. Lots of ability to move around. Cisco itself really does work to take care of it's employees. That said, are there bad managers? Absolutely. I didn't have one, but I saw some.

Cons

There is some politics of course. If you want to succeed in a big company, you have to accept that. Just be civil and reasonably personable and you'll do fine.

Advice to Senior Management

Keep up the good work. Just make decisions that are financially conservative so you won't go bankrupt and put us all out of work.

Pros

The breadth and depth of the business allows for near endless opportunity for the identification of improvement. An operations manager or analyst can uncover potential efficiency gains under every rock.

Cons

The breadth and depth of the business has evolved quicker than the capacity to create efficient processes and policies that can be globally adopted. This allows for near endless and hidden opportunity for improvement. An operations manager or analyst can get lost in the red tape without clear focus on specific targets and a roadmap of how to navigate the political landscape.

Advice to Senior Management

Re-stoke the thrill of working for your company through recruiting focus. Then creatively evolve the way that you harness and utilize the massive brainpower possessed by your employees. Innovate don't incubate.

Pros

The compensation is above par
In general you work with bright and motivated people
The flexibility you have (ability to work from home)

Cons

Promotions to executive level seem to be few and far between
People development is lacking (you're on your own for the most part)

Pros

Work from home options are prevalent in many teams, and are a great benefit. There is a culture of "work-life" balance, and most (but not all) managers recognize that. It's a fast-paced and sometimes fun place to work, again, in the right team and under the right manager.

Cons

Is hard to know "how" to get to the next level for promotion or pay raise. The goal you are given is to "perform at the next level so that you can be promoted there", but then, there is no definition of what that next level is.

Advice to Senior Management

Define job responsibilities and give a clear path for advancement to employees.

Pros

Market leader always pursuing innovation
Smart people
Opportunity to grow and experience many facets of the organization....no pigeon holing
Flexibility in work arrangements... Telecommuting
Cutting edge productivity tools and technology made available to all employees
Fast paced and broad scope of responsibilities

Cons

Average to lower comp than peer companies
Very large organization....pockets of deep bureaucracy
Takes time to establish connections to navigate politics

Pros

Pay and benefits. Flexible work options. Most of the folk want to have a team environment, but the polarization of management and a select few seem to limit a climb in moral.

Cons

Disconnect between management and non management employments. The politics in the company is disturbing and fosters a feeling of being treated beneath others.

Advice to Senior Management

Maybe you're going about this all wrong in terms of how you build your management staff. If you allow managers to only surround themselves with people who think just like they do, indirectly the company is stunted exponentially, because you're breeding segregation, and killing moral. John, Please please change this.

Pros

It used to be a good place to work. Experience looks good on a resume. ESSP was a great deal.
Severance is good, when they offshore you.

Cons

In Cali, India or China it is probably an ok job. In RTP, you can be in sales or support and possibly have a future. If you are a Sr. developer in RTP, your future is limited. When you start teaching offshore replacements, be worried. Don't be surprised if you work night and weekends, have great performance reviews, and then are thrown out like old socks.

Advice to Senior Management

If your goal is to get rid of your best, brightest, hardest working staff, and breaking up teams that work great together, then you are going an A+ job.

Pros

I have been contracting with Cisco (under 3 different bosses) for over one year. They never want to pay overtime. Pros: There is a lot of work.

Cons

There is too much work --- on average 10- 12 hours per day w/o OT.

Advice to Senior Management

Pay Cisco contractors without any hassle.

Pros

good work life balance, independence

Cons

less competitive salary, bureaucracy, new management does not know cisco culture

Advice to Senior Management

would prefer to look at what the compeitions is paying and provide a raise

Pros

Very competent workforce. Benefits are ok, salaries are low, but when bonus is added, then it is
close to the industry average.
Work life balances is preached about, but seldom practised. But depends on the BU/team you are
a part of.
You can anonymously interview with other teams when you are ready to move. But never trust any
of the internal career websites, since clicking buttons can rock the boat by a tip off to the present
reporting chain.
There is $30 billion cash, but they cut employee amneties like free soda etc.
Good employees are continuing to leave.

Cons

Benefits are ok, salaries are low, but when bonus is added, then it is
close to industry average. Absolutely ZERO career progression opportunity if you are located outside of San Jose. Cisco does a good job of lipservice about promoting other sites, but the executives are total snobs. They want all their reports to be local in SJ, regardless of costs and attrition rates. Poor performing execs get promoted and moved up. When your run rate is over $1B, why rock the boat with new R&D and increasing your bottom line? Status quo is great. Brown nosing works well. Many a managers and Directors are jerks and should not have been put in leadership roles to begin with. Now the senior execs are flattening the organization, meaning absolutely no career path if one plans to move from say engineering to management.

Advice to Senior Management

Take risks.
Don't bring consulting firms when you have managers hired for the same jobs. Why are they
all here.?
Offer employees a career path. The performance reviews are a sham.
Internal movement should be made relatively easy, but the job descriptions are
 so tight that not even internal candidates will qualify. May be these are "green card" job postings.