With hybrid work as the new normal, the challenge today for businesses is to think ahead and adopt practices that will truly enable their hybrid workforce and transform their workplace for the long term. Cisco reveals that this starts with a multi-prong strategy focused on adopting the right technological solutions, building employee engagement strategies, and creating an inclusive work environment.
Just recently, Cisco’s Global Hybrid Work study showcased findings which supported a senate resolution led by Senator Grace Poe, who urged the Senate to conduct an inquiry into the implementation of Republic Act (RA) 11165 or the “Telecommuting Act,” with the end goal of promoting remote and hybrid work arrangements. The proposed bill grants telecommuting employees’ fair treatment that are given to on-site workers and entitles them to receive a fair rate of pay, right to rest periods and regular holidays, appropriate training to technical equipment, equal access to training and career development opportunities.
According to Cisco’s Hybrid Work study, employees in the Philippines are getting more done with hybrid work. Eight in 10 (79%) believe that their quality of work has gone up. This has helped them take more time for themselves, with 89% of employees saying hybrid work has improved their overall well-being, driven by more flexible work schedules, and reduced commuting time. As a result, 92% of employees say that hybrid work has made them happier. However, only 1 in 4 (29%) of employees believe that their company is “very prepared” to transition into hybrid work.
“The last two years have shown us that work is no longer where we go, but what we do. Employees and employers in the Philippines are experiencing tangible benefits from hybrid work, stemming across improved employee wellbeing to better productivity and work performance. More needs to be done to fundamentally rethink how the work experience is designed so it places employees – their experience, engagement, and well-being – at the center, supported by an inclusive culture, empathetic leadership and with technology as an enabler.” said Zaza Nicart, Managing Director of Cisco Philippines.
Technology is a bridge in the hybrid work world
A key enabler for greater employee engagement is the use of technology to enhance the employee experience and cultivate a work environment that is not limited by differences in location, background, or life circumstances, but instead, one that is invigorated by diverse experiences and voices.
For Cisco, collaboration is not just a business but a bridge that empowers employees to work in a seamless and secure fashion. Cisco’s Webex provides a smart, seamless, secure way for people across different work environments, languages, and technological proficiency to connect, with features such as noise cancellation, real-time translations, and artificial intelligence (AI) speech enhancement leveling the playing field for all meeting participants.
73% of Filipino employees say connectivity issues on a regular basis is career limiting for remote workers. According to Nicart, having a strong networking infrastructure and cybersecurity posture can solve such connectivity issues, and overall deliver seamless and secure work experience for employees.
One critical security model that is critical to a long-term hybrid work arrangement is Secure Access Service Edge (SASE), which integrates networking and security functions into a unified, cloud-native solution or service. In contrast to traditional security solutions, it pushes security policies and enforcement closer to end users and applications that are now increasingly distributed. This connects and protects users and applications wherever they are located or hosted, ultimately providing a more consistent and secure user experience, while reducing IT cost and complexity.
Nicart noted that such user experience is “critical” in a hybrid work model, adding that “Secure connectivity enables companies to provide unified experiences to employees. As IT environments grow increasingly complex, cloud managed experiences like Cisco ThousandEyes which provides powerful visibility across the internet is key. Proactively forecasting and optimizing WAN performance in the back end allows companies to provide a seamless digital experience to employees and customers.”
In line with Cisco’s commitment to help all customers including SMEs to connect, secure and automate to accelerate their digital agility in a cloud-first world, the company set up pay-as-you-grow, a flexible consumption model that allows SMEs and enterprises to acquire the technology including software, hardware, and services for their business, reducing their upfront costs, and maximizing resource utilization.
An inclusive work culture is vital to support hybrid work
A significant number of employees believe that fully remote workers will have challenges engaging with their colleagues (71%) and company (67%) compared to those who work on-site. 71% also say that micromanaging behaviors had increased with hybrid work, a tell-tale sign that trust remains a core tenet in the new way of work.
Inclusivity is more than a physical location. It supports your work style, whether you are an introvert or extrovert, digital native or occasional user, frontline worker, or remote knowledge worker. Leaders play a key role in enabling a successful hybrid work model, starting with embedding empathy, listening, flexibility, continuous learning, and creating an inclusive environment, one we call our “Conscious Culture” at Cisco.
“Hybrid work is more than just supporting a safe office re-entry,” Nicart emphasized. “It is about trusting and listening to your employees and cultivating an inclusive culture for all. Leaders need to walk the talk and show employees that they are committed to giving them the trust and flexibility they need to do their best work.”
For example, Cisco conducts Quarterly Engagement Pulses to evaluate and spark conversations about how each employee feels about their team, the work environment, and themselves. All employees take part in weekly check-ins with their managers that allow employees to have a focused conversation about their work sentiments, priorities, and strengths. This includes what they loved and loathed doing and the support they need from their managers each week.
Within the organization, learning is prioritized. A quarterly event “Cisco Illuminate” spotlights learning, leadership, teams, and career for all to help support employee well-being and place a focus on their growth. Speakers like Oprah Winfrey and Mel Robbins are invited to share their thoughts on topics including finding purpose in their work, progressing into career roles they are passionate about and building connections in a hybrid work world and more.