Cisco Named #1 in 2022 Singapore Best Workplaces and Best in Technology by Great Place to Work Singapore
Worldwide technology leader Cisco has been ranked number one in Singapore’s Best Workplaces™ 2022 Medium Category. The award was given at a Gala Dinner, which concluded the two-day ASEAN Greater Summit by Great Place To Work® ASEAN & ANZ. The event was graced by Mr Heng Swee Keat, Deputy Prime Minister and Coordinating Minister for Economic Policies, and was attended by close to 450 guests including key representatives from various Great Place To Work Certified companies across ASEAN.
96% of employees at Cisco say it is a great place to work, compared to 53% of employees at a typical global company, according to this year’s 2022 Singapore Best Workplaces list. This recognition follows Cisco’s #1 ranking on the 2022 Singapore Best Workplaces in Technology list for the second consecutive year. The list was unveiled last month at an event held at the Cisco Singapore office, which also saw the launch of a new mentorship program for women by Great Place to Work, Growing In Tech (GRIT), in the presence of Minister for Communications and Information and Second Minister for Home Affairs, Mrs Josephine Teo.
Andy Lee, Managing Director, Cisco Singapore and Brunei said, “We are proud to be recognized as Singapore’s Best Workplaces in both the nationwide and technology lists. These achievements are a testament to our Conscious Culture, where we hold each other accountable and feel empowered to speak up and help each other when we are in need, even in a hybrid work world where we work from everywhere.”
“It is imperative for organizations to have a hybrid work strategy in today’s environment. At Cisco, we put our employees’ experience at the center by creating a consistent employee engagement experience, embedding trust, empathy, and flexibility in our culture, and delivering the right technology building blocks through close collaboration with IT, Human Resources and Facilities. As the future of work evolves, we remain committed to listening to our employees and cultivating a culture that enables them to unleash their full potential and innovation while balancing multiple roles in life. Our purpose-led culture is a critical enabler that allows us to show up in the right ways to our customers, partners, and the wider tech ecosystem and drive growth for Singapore’s digital economy,” he added.
Powering inclusivity is key for the year ahead
The flexibility to work from anywhere will continue to be highly valued by both employees and employers in 2023 as businesses increasingly recognize that neither a fully in-person nor fully remote style of working can serve the needs of today’s workforce. At Cisco, hybrid work has been in the company’s DNA for decades long before the pandemic, and its success has been anchored in an inclusive culture supported by the highest level of trust and leadership.
Cisco prioritizes an empathetic leadership style whereby leaders listen actively and create an environment where everyone is empowered to speak up. Cisco puts this into
practice through Quarterly Engagement Pulses and check-ins with its people to find out their top-of-mind issues, concerns, and other feedback. The company has also introduced a monthly global check-in for over 80,000 of its global employees with the Executive Leadership Team since the start of the pandemic.
Anupam Trehan, Vice President, People & Communities for Asia Pacific, Japan and Greater China, Cisco, said, “Cisco’s continued recognition as a Best Workplace reflects our unwavering dedication to engaging with the workforce and placing the well-being of our employees at the front and center of our people strategy. Our people are the most valuable asset in our organization and we are confident that our employee-centric culture will pave the way forward for them to succeed in a hybrid work environment.”
Cultivating a diverse workforce, empowering women in tech
On the back of Cisco’s #1 ranking in the Singapore Best Workplaces in Technology list, the company will be taking on the Chairmanship for the first year of GRIT, a mentorship program for women in Technology that aims to promote knowledge sharing in this space and cultivate culture ambassadors. It offers women in the Technology sector an opportunity to be mentored by senior women executives from the Best Workplaces in Singapore.
The Chairmanship of GRIT will rotate amongst participating Best Workplaces on an annual basis. It entails co-hosting with Great Place To Work in-person meetings for mentors and mentees and sharing thought leadership content amongst other activities to support active engagement within the community.
Cisco is also pioneering various initiatives to bridge the talent gap and promote retraining and reskilling. As one of the world’s largest and longest-running education programs to empower people with career possibilities, Cisco Networking Academy has supported a total of 17.5 million students over the past 25 years globally. It has trained over 90,000
students in Singapore since its inception, where 1 in 5 (20%) of total students are females.