Cisco

Compensation and benefits are excellent.

For instance, the medical and dental package is second to none and much better than most other comparable companies.

There is free soda and water for employees and guests.

The cafeteria food is decent, albeit a bit pricey.

Fewer meetings occur on a daily basis than there were while I worked at "Big Chip Inc".

Cisco reimburses many costs in a more expedited manner than most larger companies, in my opinion.

Folks are intelligent. They even wash their hands when exiting the restroom (believe it or not, many at "Big Chip Inc" didn't. Ew...). The grounds are nice. Well-cut grass, nice benches, the whole nine yards.

Telecommuting is common, which really saves on gas and drive times =).

Many things in the new hire process are unorganized for new employees. I particularly dislike the 2+ week overhead trying to get initial items set up.

Expectations for corporate culture may be put on badges, but I am not feeling the type of camaraderie that I had, nor the new employee immersion expectations that occurred for my last job with "Big Chip Inc". It's starting to feel like more people are there putting in their 9-5 instead of being there because they enjoy their work more. Then again, I am biased and so is my viewpoint of being a Software Engineer.

Please start thinking more like engineers and less like business people.

I feel like too many suits are running the show without considering the possible side effects of poor design decisions or the like.

Also, saving money in one area, although good (cough waterless toilets), can be good for the environment. However, given the fact that we now have a janitorial strike, and also given the fact that money for the toilet installation could be used for helping secure janitors, instead the health conditions of the area are more subpar than they could be. Now the bathrooms smell like rotting sewage from a port-o-potty.

More importantly, please scope out and plan a decent plan a few years in advance and stick to it.

There appears to be too much wishy-washiness, which ultimately results in lost money, time, and sometimes jobs (people who get laid off).