Cisco has been identified as one of the ‘Best Workplaces in Saudi Arabia', by Great Place to Work (GPTW) Middle East, achieving second position in this year's list. Great Place to Work recognized 25 private and 9 public and non-profit entities in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, evaluating their success based on a comprehensive employee satisfaction survey and external audit. Cisco Saudi Arabia's achievement comes in part from its adoption of a workplace ethos known as its ‘conscious culture'. To create a positive working environment, Cisco ensures that its employees are encouraged to reflect on their practices and become increasingly self-aware. Greater awareness helps the company enhance trust, empathy and integrity amongst peers. Employees also benefit from mentorship initiatives to help guide their personal career paths. Cisco prides itself on having a particularly diverse workforce, consisting of different genders, ethnicities, religions and more. Cisco's goal is to be diverse across every function of its business, in every region and at all job levels. In ensuring diversity and inclusion, the company aims to illustrate equal opportunities for all of its staff. Additionally, employee wellbeing is regarded as a priority, with the organization having introduced its own Mental Health Strategy and campaign to raise awareness and reduce stigma. Employees now have access to on-site and virtual services, ensuring their welfare and is always put first. Cisco also runs the Pavelka Program — a wellbeing initiative focused on providing employees with the advice and resources needed to enable a healthy lifestyle. Employees are encouraged to incorporate the program's four key elements: ‘eat, sweat, think and connect' into their personal and professional lives to achieve their goals and greater peace-of-mind. "We are extremely grateful to see the recognition that Cisco Saudi Arabia is receiving. I would like to thank each and every person on our team, who helps create a work environment, which we look forward to each day. We remain committed to our people, with a vision of inspiring and uplifting them to achieve their full potential. We will continue to uphold these values and ensure that Cisco remains one of the best companies to work for in the Kingdom," said Salman Faqeeh, managing director, Cisco Saudi Arabia. Cisco employees benefit from an advanced digital environment, which has collaboration and co-creation at its core to enhance communication and increase workplace efficiency. The company's TelePresence and Webex platforms empower staff to access files, share content and interact from any location, via laptop, or smartphone, empowering them to adopt more flexible working practices. Commenting on this year's Best Workplaces list, Michael Burchell, CEO, Great Place To Work Middle East, said: "The Best Workplaces list recognizes organizations that have demonstrated a truly serious commitment to creating workplaces that foster trust, pride and camaraderie amongst their employees. Every organization that made it onto the list should be proud of this noteworthy accomplishment. Based on our annual benchmarking study, we can say, without a doubt, that these 34 entities are the best workplaces in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Congratulations to all the list makers." — SG
