Cisco remote work existed years before work-from-home was common across the business world.
While employees weren’t fully remote, the company already had a hybrid work model in place. Cisco’s processes and tech have allowed all employees to work away from the office.
So what does this remote work policy look like, and are employees benefitting from the model?
Let’s discuss some highlights of the Cisco remote work policy, as well as employee satisfaction.
Highlights of Cisco’s Remote Work Policy
Cisco employees have always worked from home at least once a week. The company has been doing this for years.
When the world came to a standstill, other businesses were scrambling to deal with remote work. Cisco, on the other hand, already had the processes, tech, and culture in place.
Hybrid work was nothing new to them. Cisco’s remote work policy hardly needed any tweaking at all.
The only real changes Cisco needed were to scale up their VPN and implement split tunneling. Their VPN was already miles above most other companies.
With most of the company working from home, Cisco made certain their VPN and firewalls would hold.
And now, Cisco promotes hybrid work for all businesses. They have a range of software, tools, and tech specifically created for hybrid work.
While many big tech companies are returning to their offices, Cisco knows better. Hybrid work models are the future, and they aren’t afraid to embrace it.
Employees Can Choose Between Full-Time Remote Work or Hybrid Work
At Cisco, employees have always had some choice in where they work and when.
Their freedom and flexibility have only increased post-Covid. Top management believes that hybrid work is the future.
This quote by Cisco’s Chief People, Purpose, and Policy Office sums it up nicely: “Work is not a place you go to, it’s what you do.”
In terms of remote and hybrid work, the company is ahead in the game.
Enabling Employees to Get the Job Done
Cisco’s remote work policy aims to give employees the services and data they need to get the job done.
They found a way to provide employees with remote access to the necessary tools and materials.
They believe that security and policies should be easy to follow. It shouldn’t hinder employees in any way.
Their focus is on making their jobs easier, not harder. And their security measures and policies reflect this.
Ensuring Devices can be Trusted
Access to Cisco’s secure VPN is available to all employees, partners, and contractors.
Whether they work remotely, from the office, or have a hybrid work schedule – their devices are secure.
Users can either connect to the VPN on company laptops or from personal devices. Personal devices must be registered with Cisco IT first, to ensure they’re secure.
All devices used for work must have Cisco AnyConnect Secure Mobility Center. And those working fully remote have Cisco Virtual Office.
They ensure that their people have the correct means to work productivity.
Scaling Their VPN
Cisco’s VPN was already powerful before the pandemic. With most employees working from home at least once a week, it was necessary.
If a building in one site lost power, the other building could maintain the user capacity. And if the entire site went dark? Well, they had backups in place.
When the lockdown happened, Cisco scaled up its already impressive VPN infrastructure.
In no time at all, they had everything running smoothly for the influx of users.
Employee Reviews Of Remote Work At Cisco
We went to Indeed.com to find out what Cisco’s remote work employees had to say.
Many said they had a great work-life balance and overall experience. A few said that management changes direction too often.
One employee mentioned that high performers are often overlooked. Another employee said that remote work was productive and efficient.
It seems that the pros and cons of remote work at Cisco are evenly matched.
Cisco Remote Work In The News
An article in SiliconANGLE highlights Cisco’s remote work policy.
The article mentions the company’s live-stream event: “Cisco: Powering Hybrid Work”. When asked about the event, the Director of Product Marketing stated: “This is a great opportunity for them to learn how to prepare their infrastructure for great experiences anywhere.”
The event took place on theCUBE on February 15, 2022.
The focus of this online event was for Cisco to address the challenges of hybrid and remote work. They also discuss Cisco’s advances in tech to support hybrid work models.
Cisco’s Commitment to Remote Work
When it comes to the best remote companies to work for, Cisco is a major player! This company has recently improved its remote policy to make working from home more efficient and accessible.
Cisco believes that hybrid work should be inclusive, flexible, supportive, secure, and easy to manage.
Although employee response to the policy is mixed, overall feedback seems to be positive. This is a good sign for the future of Cisco’s hybrid model.
