Cisco
San Jose, CA · founded 1984
Cisco is the incumbent giant of enterprise networking, and working there feels like it: stable, process-heavy, well-resourced and increasingly focused on software, security and AI after the $28B Splunk acquisition. It is not known for speed, and periodic layoffs and reorgs are part of the modern reality, but the benefits and community programs are genuinely strong. The 401(k) match is 100% of the first 4.5% and vests immediately, there is an ESPP at up to a 15% discount with a two-year look-back, and the Time2Give program gives ten paid days a year to volunteer. Cisco also invests visibly in inclusion and neurodiversity support. It rewards people who value stability, deep enterprise problems and predictable benefits over startup pace, and remains a comfortable long-tenure home for many networking and security engineers.
see the full file on Ciscodocumented benefits (16)
| Retirement match | 100% of the first 4.5% of eligible pay, vested immediately |
|---|---|
| Retirement match ceiling | 4.5% |
| Equity | RSU |
| Stock purchase plan | yes |
| ESPP discount | 15% |
| Volunteer days | 10 days |
| Charitable donation match | yes |
| Median filed wage | $154,000 |
| Gender pay gap, median | 15.1% |
| Gender pay gap, mean | 12.7% |
| Bonus gap, median | 55.2% |
| Women in the top pay quartile | 22% |
| Women in the workforce | 28.5% |
| Publicly traded | yes |
| Funding stage | Public |
| Vesting period | 3 years |
what Cisco pays
Median of 196 certified wages filed with the US Department of Labor: $154,000.
Half of Cisco's certified filings fall between $135,400 and $179,933.
| role | median | filings | range |
|---|---|---|---|
| software engineer | $146,700 | 19 filings | $109,845 to $187,574 |
| software engineering technical leader | $180,710 | 16 filings | $140,400 to $226,138 |
| software qa engineer | $152,500 | 8 filings | $109,900 to $165,422 |
| engineering product manager | $165,700 | 7 filings | $122,000 to $181,293 |
| technical consulting engineer | $94,200 | 5 filings | $85,800 to $114,100 |
Source: US Department of Labor, FY2025 Q4. Read 2026-07-27.
notable perks
- A quarterly paid day off to step away and enjoy life's meaningful moments (four extra paid days a year)
- Telemedicine access to medical experts around the world for insights and second opinions
- Time2Give: 10 paid days a year to volunteer in your community
- Connected Recognition peer-to-peer program that lets colleagues award each other gift cards and rewards
- Neurodiversity coaching and support to help employees leverage their unique strengths
the legal floor where they are
Set by law, not by Cisco. It applies to every employer in CA.
| IVF cycles the state covers | California requires IVF from 1 January 2026, and only from large employers. SB 729 (2024) rewrote Health and Safety Code § 1374.55 so that a large group health care service plan contract 'issued, amended, or renewed on or after January 1, 2026, shall provide coverage for the diagnosis and treatment of infertility and fertility services, including a maximum of three completed oocyte retrievals with unlimited embryo transfers', following ASRM guidelines and using single embryo transfer where medically appropriate. Large group means 100 or more employees. Small group plans need only be OFFERED the coverage rather than provide it, religious employers are excluded, Medi-Cal managed care is exempt, and CalPERS plans are delayed to 1 July 2027. The original 1 July 2025 date was pushed back a budget trailer bill, AB 116 (2025). THE LIMIT THAT DECIDES WHETHER THIS REACHES YOU: a state insurance mandate binds only fully insured plans. A self-funded employer plan is governed federally under ERISA and is preempted, and KFF's 2025 employer survey puts 67% of covered workers — 80% at firms of 200 or more — in a self-funded plan. At most large California employers this law therefore does not apply, and the fertility benefit on the page is the company's own choice. (Senate Bill 729 (2024), which repealed and added Section 1374.55 of the Health and Safety Code and amended Section 10119.6 of the Insurance Code; the operative date was moved from 1 July 2025 to 1 January 2026 by Assembly Bill 116 (2025).) |
|---|---|
| Adoption leave the law gives | 12 workweeks of UNPAID job-protected leave in any 12-month period on the placement of a child for adoption or foster care, and only for employees who meet the FMLA eligibility test. There is no federal paid adoption leave. (Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993, 29 U.S.C. 2612(a)(1)(B) and 2612(c); eligibility at 29 U.S.C. 2611(2) and (4). Quoted from the 2023 edition of the US Code.) |
| Pay when you are ill | No federal law requires any paid sick leave. The FLSA does not require payment for time not worked, and the FMLA gives 12 workweeks of UNPAID job-protected leave in any 12-month period for a serious health condition, and only for employees who meet the FMLA eligibility test. Any paid sick time comes from a state or city law, or from the employer's own choice. (Fair Labor Standards Act, per the Department of Labor's statement on payment for time not worked; Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993, 29 U.S.C. 2612(a)(1)(D) and 2612(c). Quoted from the 2023 edition of the US Code on govinfo.gov.) |
Every claim above is sourced and dated. See sources on the full page.
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