Cisco recognizes that when, where, and how people work has a major impact on their productivity and job satisfaction. We promote flexibility in our approach to both work styles and lifestyles, investing in programs and tools that help employees balance job, family, and other personal responsibilities. Cisco has become a prominent advocate of networking technology as a driving force for transforming the workplace and improving the lives of workers, while also contributing to prosperity and environmental sustainability in communities worldwide.

Cisco technology makes it possible for employees to work from home, access real-time business information, and collaborate with colleagues and customers—whenever, wherever. Combined with flexible work schedules and a culture of trust and empowerment, communications technology gives employees more control over their work and personal lives. 

For parents, networks provide the opportunity to fully realize a challenging career and a fulfilling home life. For the children of aging parents, networks offer the ability to care for their parents and still fulfill their career goals. Cisco sees a positive correlation between flexibility and productivity, low attrition, and a workforce equipped to meet the demands of a 24-hour global business environment.

 

Working from Remote Locations

As of June 2008 approximately 1200 employees, or 2 percent of our workforce, have officially registered as full-time remote workers. However, a recent survey showed that up to 22 percent of Cisco employees may be working remotely at any given time. Based on a 2008 workplace study of Cisco work practices:

• Most Cisco employees (85 percent) devote some portion of their time working at home during an average week.
• Cisco employees spend an average of 56 percent of their working time at locations other than their primary office or desk.
• After their Cisco office, home is where employees spend the greatest portion of their work time (23 percent, on average).
• About 22 percent of employees’ work time is spent outside the usual 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. business hours, often collaborating with team members and clients in remote locations and different time zones.

 

Cisco Connected Workplace

Cisco designed a flexible work environment that boosts productivity by making collaboration and communication easier. Many floors in the buildings on our San Jose, California, campus have converted to the Cisco Connected Workplace environment or are scheduled for conversion.

Instead of assigned cubicles, Cisco Connected Workplace features an open, flexible layout, portable furniture, and a variety of workstations. With comfortable couches and chairs, televisions, kitchens with cappuccino makers, and enclosed meeting spaces for individuals or groups, the workspace encourages collaboration and camaraderie. The spaces are work-enabled by Cisco products and technologies, including IP telephony, video conferencing, Cisco TelePresence, and wireless mobility. The design has not only improved employee satisfaction as measured by our internal surveys, it has also reduced building and equipment costs and yielded environmental benefits by allowing more people to work comfortably in less floor space.

Read more about Cisco Connected Workplace

 

How Cisco Technology Creates Flexibility

Cisco’s commitment to flexibility takes tangible form in the technology that we provide our employees:

• Laptops with VPN access: Every Cisco employee is supplied with a laptop that provides wireless capability and highly secure virtual private network (VPN) access to the company’s internal network.
• Mobile mail/handheld devices: Cisco currently supports mobile mail devices and services for 23,800 employees globally, about a third of our workforce. We will extend mobile capabilities to additional employees in the future as requirements warrant. These services offer immediate access to email, calendar, directory information, sales information, customer satisfaction scores, and Internet resources.
• Home broadband: Cisco pays for installation and the monthly charges associated with broadband connections for approximately 19,000 of our U.S. employees and 25,000 employees globally.
• Softphone/IP Communicator: Delivering the functionality of a Cisco desk phone, Cisco Softphone software allows employees to take their work extension numbers to any location where they have access to their Cisco laptops and the Internet.
• Collaboration technologies: Cisco Unified Video Advantage improves collaboration in phone meetings by allowing employees to place and receive video calls using a video camera hooked to a laptop. With Cisco Unity Voice Messaging, employees can access voicemail from their computer or by using a desk, home, or mobile telephone. Cisco Unified MeetingPlace provides an integrated voice and web conferencing tool that supports virtual meetings and document sharing. Cisco WebEx Connect makes it quick and easy for teams to collaborate with capabilities such as workspaces, desktop sharing, file sharing, instant messaging, and voice and video calls between PCs. Cisco TelePresence is a sophisticated collaboration technology that allows employees to have face-to-face conversations and share information remotely just as if they were in the same room with other meeting attendees.