Cisco Australia moves onto activity-based working in new offices

New Australian headquarters

Cisco Australia has moved to a striking new North Sydney office, designed to maximise staff collaboration and comfort.

Cisco realised that only 55 percent of its local staff were utilising its previous office, with 22 percent of those showing up 75 percent of the time.

Wanting to address this, the vendor created a modern, flexible working environment across three floors.

Ken Boal, Cisco vice president for Australia and New Zealand, said: "In the competitive market we live in, retaining our talent through employee satisfaction and empowerment sit at the heart of everything we do at Cisco, including our workspaces."

Desks with a view

Staff can work anywhere across the company's three floors, with a range of seated and standing workstations available. There is also DX80 video conferencing available on every other desk.

"We believe that digitisation of the workplace, and the technology that supports it, is a critical enabler to a positive, productive and efficient workplace; working in harmony with a great built environment that staff enjoy spending time in. This is something that we’ve worked hard to achieve in our Sydney office," Boal said.

Non-bookable meeting rooms

Each meeting room is equipped with Cisco’s Spark technology, an iPad and full teleconferencing facilities. Bookable meeting rooms are contained to just one floor.

"All our other meeting rooms are just a case of turning up and using, as and when you need it. We also discourage staff from camping out for the day in casual meeting rooms and audio privacy rooms by not providing power outlets," Boal said.

On-site Genius Bar

Employees can take their devices for the best technology advice and support as and when they need it.

Staff work how they want

The open-plan office has several different types of communal spaces where staff can meet and work together. There are also soundproofed pod chairs and small private rooms where they can work alone or take calls in peace.

Digital lockers

Swipe-card accessed digital lockers on two floors let staff use whichever is closest to where they decide to sit at the time. Nobody has a set locker or fixed seat.

Plenty of chill out areas

Spaces that encourages employees to have internal meeting rather than leaving to go to a cafe.

Casual meeting spots

"We wanted to apply an ‘uber’ like approach to office resources; sharing communal assets in an efficient way. At the heart of this uberisation, and what enables it to work with confidence and ease, is technology," Ken Boal, Cisco vice president for Australia and New Zealand, said.

Fully equipped training rooms

"From plug and play hot desks to telepresence boardrooms and casual meeting with video conferencing and our new Spark Board technology, that allow staff to collaborate with Cisco offices both locally and globally, our new ANZ headquarters offers the ultimate in technology-infused workspaces and the capability for our staff to work from anywhere," Boal added.