Cisco's Hong Kong and Macau operations may not be the only business to use web-based videoconferencing technology, but it can, according to general manager Barbara Chiu, claim one world first.
'We must be the only company to have used our Webex technology to teach tai chi. More than 100 staff and partners participated.'
That initiative, and 'work-life balance' days in which staff are actively encouraged to stay at home and 'telecommute', is typical of Cisco's status as a leader in workplace culture and practices.
The communication technologies that enable these initiatives are Cisco's own, and the in-house policy of using them wherever possible inside their worldwide organisation - a practice known internally as 'Cisco on Cisco' - reinforces the notion that the company's products and principles are intertwined.
'Cisco is a visionary company,' Chiu said. 'We focus on diversity in the workforce to do business more effectively and efficiently. The technology enables us to be flexible. It's an encouragement to focus on a healthy balance between work and personal life.'
Women are particular beneficiaries of this philosophy, with the company's Women's Action Networks providing women employees with a platform for information exchange and support worldwide, and the latest technology and communication tools to help them. The networks can easily talk to each other (news of the Women of Influence award was immediately shared worldwide, to great acclaim), and virtual meetings and events are regular occurrences.