Cisco

Challenging environment, interesting challenges and opportunity to learn, if you're not overwhelmed within your sphere of responsibilities. Benefits are good.

Brutal performance practices. Every quarter, you are evaluated, and based on the manager, the people in his/her group are categorized by performance: top, core, bottom. If you get bottom 10 percent, you're out.

This evaluation is four times per year, every year.

Middle managers need to be pruned, improve the way performance reviews are handled, and allow for 360s. Also, offer past employees with good personnel records the chance to be rehired.