"There should be no Business Group, Technology Group or Business Unit-funded holiday parties." That's the extra bullet through the heart in an email being sent around Cisco. I've screencapped only part of it, because I promised not to provide any pointers to my leaker. Here's the ASCII text version:

CDO-Wide Expense Management Policies 1. Year-End PTO: As announced on CEC, Cisco U.S./Canada offices will shut down from December 29 - January 2 as part of the company’s expense management initiative. · This mandate applies to the vast majority of CDO employees. Management will notify specific CDO teams that have customer-related exceptions during the year-end shutdown period including support for Technical Assistance Center (TAC) and Customer Assurance Program (CAP) teams. · We also strongly encourage all employees to take additional time off from December 22nd through December 24th or by the end of Q2. Taking additional PTO beyond the four mandated days can significantly contribute to your business unit cost savings and provides a well-deserved break for you. 2. Holiday Activities: All CDO teams are encouraged to celebrate the holidays, but try to find creative ways that result in no cost to the company. There should be no Business Group, Technology Group or Business Unit-funded holiday parties. 3. Hiring: A number of new Cisco-wide hiring policies were announced this week. These policies are intended to ensure that movement of talent continues to take place in strategic areas to the company. * On Monday, November 17th all open requisitions were cancelled; CDO requisitions can be reopened with Development Council member approval. [REDACTED NAME OF AN EMPLOYEE HERE] * Replacement or backfill positions will be approved at the discretion of the Development Council Business Group lead based on revised budget affordability. * College recruiting programs in the US, India and China are not subject to the above requirements. They will continue to maintain CDO's strategic relationships with designated universities and to provide access to candidates. 4. Travel: Travel is an area where CDO spends a significant amount each year and where all employees can make a significant impact. You should expect reductions in the following areas based on revised budget affordability: * Support for tradeshows in accordance with revised Marketing requirements * Travel required for participation in standards forums 5. Project-Related Costs: Outside services, equipment expense, capital purchases and prototypes are another large area of expense management focus in CDO. Specific spend allocation on each of these areas will be managed by the Business Group to fit within revised budgets. 6. Training: As a Development Council, we remain committed to the development of our employees, even during challenging economic times. To do so, in adherence with Cisco policy, we are requiring that all training take place locally. We also ask that all CDO-employees look for ways to maximize training budgets in the following ways: * Revisit and reprioritize development plans with your manager before you sign up for training with an associated cost. This will save on potential cancellation fees later. Refer to the CDO website for more training guidelines and ways you can continue your development and save money.