Pros
Most managers, and the company as a whole, are great about employees needing time off, from vacation to doctor's appointments. They encourage giving back to the community and therefore allow paid volunteer hours & will often donate cash to the place you volunteer at ($10/hr worked). Among the Individual Contributors, there is a good level of collaboration & open communication on product teams. Very helpful since it's often difficult to locate who the "right" person is to go to for any specific information. There is more fairness & respect at this level than there is coming from the upper management. Benefits are very good and work/life balance is encouraged. Telecommuting is great when you have a manager who supports it & trusts you to do your job away from the office. However, for as much as the company as a whole "talks" about its flexibility in this area, if your manager is in San Jose, you may find yourself facing a very ugly commute far too frequently! While you're expected to work until the job is done (27/7 availability) the flexibility to create your own hours is great.
Cons
The communication surrounding "Organizational Changes" is often horribly done, particularly when folks are "asked" to look for other "job opportunities" or take a package. If you can't deal with change, Cisco is not the place for you! It seems as if Individual Contributors often get shafted when it comes to recognition, bonuses and promotions. It's not uncommon to go w/out a raise or promotion for years on end (not even a cost of living adjustment) if there are a lot of folks in your organization. The Good Ol' Boys Network lives on in upper management. While the company stresses "Diversity" and says it does not tolerate harassment based upon that diversity, HR is there to protect the company, not the employee. (To be fair, there has been a higher emphasis in the last year on Employee Resource Groups, so this tide may be turning.) We always have time to "do it over" rather than "do it right," regardless of whether or not its a new product release, or a product change. Target dates weigh more than quality. The customer is only right on changes if they challenge the company and loose...