A Sustainable Future for All: Work Worth Fighting For

Cisco was recently named #1 in “Fortune 100 Best Companies to Work For” for the third year in a row. This is a running streak I can get behind. I find a great sense of pride and purpose in this honorable recognition. As a long time Cisco employee, this has special significance to me and I’d like to take a moment to share and connect with you on what this year’s award means to me.

A little over a year ago, I made the decision to go ‘all in’ on Sustainability and made a major pivot in my career to start and lead Cisco’s Engineering Sustainability Office.

The mission has remained firm and unwavering: Develop sustainable solutions across Cisco's portfolio to accelerate our customers and partners’ net zero and sustainability commitments. The strategy on how to get there, the roadmaps, the technologies and myriad of ways to execute against all of them – continue to evolve and change. That said, the work and the amazing people behind it is the constant that keeps me going.

As I started this role with a ‘small and mighty team’ of five, I have watched in awe, wonder and inspiration at the number of people who have mobilized to join the movement both internally, as well as externally with our expansive partner and customer communities - across every function, at every level, from every generation, and from every geography. The groundswell of support and willingness to solve some of the world’s most difficult problems, to collaborate, partner and to simply ‘roll up your sleeves’ and move forward together continues to fuel me.?To be honest, it’s really not typically the sort of thing you expect to find in an organization of this size and maturity. It is, however, the sort of thing that tickles those with the ‘creator’, ‘start up’ mentality that has given Silicon Valley its name, reputation, and legacy.

What’s more, there is data that backs up this story. The data tells us that organizations that prioritize sustainability specifically, have been shown to have higher employee satisfaction, higher retention rates and improved overall performance:

• In a Fast Company survey, 70% of respondents said that if a company had a strong sustainability plan, it would affect their decision to stay with that company long term.
• Climate leaders can attract and retain better talent (40% of talent seeks to work for sustainable companies), realize higher growth, save costs, avoid regulatory risk, access cheaper capital, and achieve higher shareholder returns, according to A CEO Guide to Net Zero by Boston Consulting Group, (BCG).

While my stories are unique to me, I know my experience is shared by so many who have been in the Cisco ecosystem in the past, present and those hopefuls for the future. I take great pride and care in the choices I make to work with the incredible people who show up every day to create, foster and build a workplace where people feel like they can make a difference and prioritize purpose driven work.

So as you go about your own day and, maybe you'll stop and consider your own workplace, know that we all have a role to play in making the workplace one of trust, integrity and respect. And maybe you too will find your organization in the headlines for a great (if not The Best) place to work.