#WeAreCisco Benefits

Redefining Parental Leave at Cisco

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Redefining Parental Leave at Cisco

When I was expecting my first child last spring, I was determined to make a parental leave plan that was best for my family and demonstrated leadership on a matter I am passionate about. My situation was a bit unique: while I identify as a woman and a mother, my wife was carrying our child. I sort of fell into both the traditional category of maternity leave as well as paternity leave. This led me…

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Network Connections: How Cisco and the Camino de Santiago Share Common Ground

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Network Connections: How Cisco and the Camino de Santiago Share Common Ground

What do a centuries-old pilgrimage path in Spain, a global leader in networking technology, and $54,986 have in common? Well, before I answer that question, let me back up a bit … The Camino de Santiago, established in the 9th century, is a network of pilgrimage routes leading to the cathedral of Santiago de Compostela in northwestern Spain. Did you catch that key word? A network of paths — a way to connect people. You…

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Thank You, Cisco: From Persistence to Parenthood

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Thank You, Cisco: From Persistence to Parenthood

The following story discusses the loss of a baby and miscarriage. Readers who may be sensitive, please take note. I applied to Cisco 32 times. Yes, from 2016 to 2020, I applied to Cisco 32 times, driven by the dream of joining a company that values its employees. In 2020, an amazing Emerging Talent Recruiter reached out to me and persuaded me to try one more time. I was reluctant because my feelings were still…

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What Happens When Your House Burns Down Right Before a Meeting?

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What Happens When Your House Burns Down Right Before a Meeting?

Imagine this: you’re about to hop on a meeting with a leader, and suddenly, your house catches fire. I was working from home one afternoon and had just finished a phone call. Little did I know, my life was about to change dramatically. I grabbed some food, and as I sat down at my desk to eat before my next meeting, I heard an explosion. I checked our air conditioning unit in the backyard—it was…

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Embracing New Additions With Cisco’s Child Bonding Leave

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Embracing New Additions With Cisco’s Child Bonding Leave

With baby number four on the way, my family and I were ecstatic about the upcoming addition to our squad. But as the day appeared to be nearing, reality started to set in for my wife and me. Between busy schedules with school pickups and drop-offs for our three other kids, after-school activities, meals, and homework assistance … How would we manage this? That is when I found out about Cisco’s Child Bonding Leave, supported…

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Using Cisco’s Benefits To Ease Difficult Times: The Bridge To Giving Yourself Grace

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Using Cisco’s Benefits To Ease Difficult Times: The Bridge To Giving Yourself Grace

We plan for the happy things in life: holidays, children’s sports games, birthdays. What we don’t plan for is a catastrophic family event that turns our world upside down. That only happens to other people, right? That’s what I thought until it happened to us. But as I write this, I am sitting in a hospital chair next to my mom’s bed. Ten years ago, when I lost my dad after a sudden illness, I…

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Turning Cisco’s Tuition Reimbursement Green

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Turning Cisco’s Tuition Reimbursement Green

There are seasons in life when change is inevitable, and often, these moments propel personal transformation. For me, one such moment was the passing of my mother in 2021. In the wake of this loss, I decided to return to school to pursue an Executive MBA with a concentration in sustainability. It was the perfect program. Tuesday night classes that fit with my family’s schedule, an in-person option at a faith-based university, and a two-year…

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Cisco Allowed Me To Start My Family, Stress-Free

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Cisco Allowed Me To Start My Family, Stress-Free

Becoming a parent looks different for everyone. Some are blessed for this journey to come swiftly. For others, the road is bumpier and has many pit stops along the way. After all, one in six couples struggles with fertility. And after a year and a half of trying to conceive, I found myself facing the real possibility of IVF being the most likely path to parenthood for my husband and me. Photo by CLJ Photography…

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A Dream Come True: My Journey to Africa as a Sea Turtle Conservation Volunteer

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A Dream Come True: My Journey to Africa as a Sea Turtle Conservation Volunteer

I had this longtime dream of volunteering in Africa and working with sea turtles. This year, I had the chance to fulfill my dream because of this incredible company. Cisco incentivizes employees to give back — providing us with 80 hours of paid time off in addition to our regular paid time off called Time2Give — and this is just part of our amazing culture. No wonder we are the #1 best place to work…

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Why We’re a Cisco Family Through and Through

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Why We’re a Cisco Family Through and Through

I started my career as a contractor with Cisco back in December 2003 with the Support Delivery Services IT Finance team. Even as a contractor, I could see from day one the incredible culture Cisco had, and everyone made me feel like I was part of the team and not a newbie. That’s when I knew that this was the company I wanted to build my career with. This is where I belonged. Cisco as…

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