Cisco

Once you understand that Cisco has a multitude of drastically different groups, then you can understand that all the reviews (positive and negative) are not contradictory.

This is a pro in that you can find practically any work environment you would like:

• Modern, agile environments
• Chaotic start-up like
• Stable, legacy ones

Unfortunately, the great ones are a bit hard to find among the mediocre.

Decent work-life balance, with some telecommuting the norm.

Morale has taken a beating with 4 years of consecutive layoffs.

Management is over-bloated, despite attempts to trim down. Upward progression and salary raises are difficult with the stack rank approach. Eventually, compensation lags behind industry norms, forcing good people to look elsewhere.

It's a difficult environment to innovate. Tools and software practices lag behind industry standard by years. There's too much attachment to legacy. Too much re-invention of the wheel.

The culture of frugality is a bit extreme. The quarter-to-quarter chasing of shareholder expectations creates a poor environment for long-term strategy. There's too much chasing/trailing the competition.

We need a coherent software strategy that isn't based on chasing the latest Senior VP's need for a legacy.

There's too much middle management politics, favoritism, and cronyism. There's lots of talk about risk-taking and innovation, but little to show for it in reality due to an unwillingness to be held accountable.