Sponsored by:
Produced by:
Toneya Sarwar
HEAD OF HR - MIDDLE EAST & AFRICA,
EMEA SERVICE PROVIDER
Keeping employees engaged and productive with awesome EX keeps them loyal. What are the most important considerations to ensure high engagement and satisfaction?
We did a study of 70,000 Cisco employees to identify what makes our best teams successful. The results showed three key areas that drive higher engagement. First, are we building a culture of trust, where we trust people and they trust each other? Second, do we have a shared understanding of our values and a sense of ownership? And lastly, do we recognise individuals for their strengths and what they bring to the table?
First, are we building a culture of trust, where we trust people and they trust each other? Second, do we have a shared understanding of our values and a sense of ownership? And lastly, do we recognise individuals for their strengths and what they bring to the table?
There is a definite downside where some people do not like trying to cram a five day workload into four days, because we can’t just add more hours to the day.
In a large organisation, how can you create positive moments that matter for employees?
At Cisco, we believe that one size fits one, not all. For this reason we prioritise flexibility wherever we can. That might involve providing flexible work opportunities so that people can be remote, office-based or hybrid, and utilise their time in the best way for them. Additionally, we offer flexible benefits packages and flexible learning.
We are currently piloting a four day working week and the results have been surprising. It was a very popular suggestion and some people have really responded positively. However, we have been somewhat surprised to find many people really don’t like it. The workload doesn’t change when you work four days instead of five. There is a definite downside where some people do not like trying to cram a five day workload into four days, because we can’t just add more hours to the day. It can also be an issue to work very intensively for four days, and then have an extra day off when children are in school, and a partner is working.
How does your organisation use feedback from employees to drive up the employee experience?
Listening is a huge part of Cisco’s employee experience strategy, and it starts at the very top. The CEO leads a quarterly meeting with a chat box, to gather comments from employees. We use an AI tool that picks up on thousands of messages from the employees and can report on sentiment and common issues, so we can gauge what the employees are thinking and feeling.
Second, all leaders attend mandatory engagement meetings with managers, and then we have a random survey that is distributed at random to people within the organisation each quarter. This is known as the Real Deal Survey, which invites employees to respond to a series of questions and responses are shared with the senior leadership team.
We use an AI tool that picks up on thousands of messages from the employees and can report on sentiment and common issues, so we can gauge what the employees are thinking and feeling.
Cisco enables people to make powerful connections in business, education, philanthropy, or creativity. Cisco hardware, software, and service offerings are used to create the Internet solutions that make networks possible. Today, with more than 71,000 employees worldwide, Cisco provides a broad range of service offerings, including technical support and advanced services.
