Cisco's CEO Scot Gardner explains how wellbeing builds agility in his business
As a CEO what is your primary reason for addressing employee wellbeing at your organisation?
People are at the core of Cisco. Our technology changes the world but our edge doesn’t come from technology, it comes from our people. Research shows that companies with a strong culture of health and wellbeing see high motivation levels, creativity, greater focus on customers and stronger teams.
How committed is your board to the issue of employee wellbeing?
Every quarter, we hold a UK Health Trustee meeting to look at what we offer our employees: everything from our BUPA healthcare plan to free health assessments, from our employee assistance programme to our Cisco Pavelka Wellbeing Programme (which I explain more about a bit later).
The trustees ensure that we consider the wellbeing of our employees in a holistic way and that we are effectively communicating with them and with representatives at each site.
Do you report on employee wellbeing to shareholders?
Not at present.
What are the business or workforce challenges that keep wellbeing a main focus at your organisation?
The world is moving fast. In five years, 40% of market leaders in any industry will be displaced because of the pace of change. Disruption demands business model innovation, better customer experiences, continuous innovation and business agility. We fundamentally believe that unless you focus on ensuring your people are at their best, the adaptability of your business will suffer.
We are clear on who we are as a company and we constantly listen to our people to foster an environment that will help build the best individuals, the best teams and the best leaders. People are unique with different strengths so Cisco doesn’t follow a one-size-fits-all approach, rather a ‘one-size-fits-one’ approach.
This means that we have to be more thoughtful about what our employees need as their career journey changes. They may have just graduated from university, become a new parent or be caring for older parents, for example. We offer different things that help our employees be the best they can be throughout their entire career journey.
A great example of this is the Cisco Pavelka programme, one of many initiatives that we offer to support employee growth and development. It’s the result of a partnership with Jessie Pavelka, an internationally recognised health and wellbeing expert who has helped hundreds of people transform their lives by making small and sustainable changes.
Do you require organisations in your supply or distribution chains to commit to any employee wellbeing standards before signing contracts with them?
Not at present.
Does your board report on mental health at your organisation?
We have a very strong focus on peer support at Cisco with 50 trained mental health first aiders in the UK who are available for employees to talk to in confidence about any issues in relation to mental health. We capture anonymised data on mental health issues from our private health providers and employee assistance programme to help ensure we are providing the necessary support. We do not, however, report that information externally.
Do you feel the government supports employers to improve employee health and wellbeing?
We believe that it is important for employees to be able to benefit from advantageous tax structures provided by government in the preventative health and wellbeing space. Some examples are gym membership and health checks. It help reduces pressure on healthcare systems now and in the long term.
We do capitalise on a number of initiatives provided by the government but there is always more that can be done. The ultimate goal is achieving a balance between what businesses are incentivised to do, and what employees can access to help them become resilient, innovative, creative and energised in everything they do at work and at home.
In our view, what would work best is partnership working between employers and policy makers to achieve the best outcomes for individuals, the economy and society as a whole.
Scot Gardner, chief executive at Cisco UK & Ireland
Cisco won the inaugral REBA Pinnacle Award for Employee Wellbeing 2018.
