How We’re Navigating Parenthood, Careers, and Connection at Cisco

Once upon a time, there were two Stanford University employees — a husband and wife — who weren’t able to email one another because their computers were on different networks. Eventually, they figured out a way to connect their computers, developing the multiprotocol router.

The year was 1984, and this new connection … well, it’s how Cisco was born!

And thanks to the innovations of Leonard Bosack and Sandy Lerner, my husband and I are here today. You see, I’m a Collaboration Sales Specialist at Cisco, and my husband, Scott, is a Sales Admin at Meraki. You could call us Mrs. Webex and Mr. Meraki — but for the record, I was here first!

I started my Cisco adventure in March 2021, which I owe to a fellow Cisconian who pushed me to apply for my role. I clearly talked enough about how much I loved working here that in January 2022, when Scott saw an opportunity that suited his background and skillset come up in Meraki, he jumped at the chance to apply. I’m so glad he did!

As much as I was initially wary of working at the same place as my husband, particularly as a fiercely independent person (as he will attest to!), it has turned out to be the best move for us as a couple and as a family. It’s just as well that Cisco is such a BIG organisation, so much so that even though my husband and I are both Cisconians working from the same place (most of the time), we very rarely “run into one another” at work.

As parents, Scott and I both feel so grateful to work for an organisation like Cisco — a workplace that truly values working families and puts the right tools and benefits in place to support us as we juggle working and family life. Our oldest son, Charlie, was just 18 months old when I joined Cisco. Now, he’s nearly five and is big brother to baby Brodie, who recently turned one. From maternity leave to the return to work support I received after having Brodie, coupled with the healthcare and financial benefits we receive here, as a woman looking to progress in her career and raise a family, Cisco makes it feel possible.

Our culture that puts people before all else makes having a career here a joy. In the city we’re both from, Glasgow, there’s a saying, “People make Glasgow.” I feel the same way about Cisco. The people here truly make Cisco what it is. From supportive managers to caring, hardworking, and fun teammates, we’re surrounded by good people every day.

As for how we juggle it all? The flexibility of hybrid work is key for us as a family. Scott works predominantly from home, whereas I take a blended approach. I am a Collaboration Specialist after all! Some days I work from home, some days I go into the office, and other days I’m on the go. Thankfully, with Webex we’ve got all the technology at our fingertips to make “working from anywhere” possible.

My role — covering Scotland and Ireland — includes a bit of travelling, which, as a mum with two young kids, requires planning and the right kind of support. Thankfully, with Scott having the flexibility to work from home and be around for the kids’ nursery drop-offs and pick-ups when I’m away, I don’t have any of the added worry or mum guilt that usually comes with work travel.

Another added bonus we’ve found as a couple and as parents working at the same place is our holidays align! We can also use the perks and benefits here at Cisco, like Time2Give — 80 hours of paid time off in addition to our regular paid time off — to support initiatives at our kids’ nurseries or projects in our local community together. There’s one downside, however: a Day for Me — a quarterly day off for the whole company to prioritise well-being — isn’t ever truly a day for ME. It’s a day for us!

Scott and I have been together for 17 years. We’ve studied in different cities, travelled around the world with and without each other, and seen each other through our fair share of good and not-so-good jobs. Now, it’s just great to both be settled somewhere like Cisco while navigating these whirlwind early years as parents together.

It has also always been Scott’s dream for us to raise our kids in the small village where he grew up. For so many years, I was reluctant to try the idea because there was no train station and no easy commute to work. Now, with the flexibility of Cisco’s hybrid work culture that we both enjoy and the connection that’s possible thanks to the pioneering technology that Cisco was founded on, we’re living in that little “dream” village after all — and the commute once or twice a week really isn’t so bad. In fact, as a busy mum, the 40-minute solo car journey is actually a treat!

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