Built for People. Backed by Cisco.

On By Snorre Kjesbu6 Min Read

At Cisco, we’re not just rethinking employee experience—we’re redefining it. Not as a product, but as a promise: to make work easier to do, easier to support, and more meaningful for everyone. Because the workplace is not a single place. It’s a dynamic network of people, environments, and technology, all shaped by purpose. We help organizations bring that vision to life by doing what we do best—delivering secure, global connectivity and seamless collaboration at scale. But we don’t stop there. We go beyond tools and technology to create intelligent, adaptive experiences that put people first.

Because when work is easy to do and easy to support, innovation accelerates, engagement deepens, and everyone thrives. That’s the heart of our approach to employee experience—and it’s how we’re shaping the future of work today.

Start with the individual

Every employee deserves a workspace that adapts to them—not the other way around. In a world full of distractions and digital noise, people don’t need more tools—they need clarity.

That’s why we’ve embedded AI across the Webex Suite: to reduce overload, streamline communication, and surface what matters. From meetings to messaging to whiteboarding, our AI Assistant helps teams move from artificial intelligence to actionable intelligence—delivering the right insights at the right moment, so people can stay focused and move faster.

As Harvard’s Raj Choudhury, author of “The World is Your Office: How Work from Anywhere Boosts Talent, Productivity, and Innovation,” put it in a recent conversation with our own Edel Joyce, “We need AI to codify and predict the information a person needs to see when they wake up—to create a lagoon of information for the employee from an ocean of information that is available.” That’s exactly our vision: technology that filters complexity into clarity.

And the results speak for themselves. Customers using our intelligent video and audio tools report a 76% improvement in communication and a 98% drop in meeting fatigue [Source]. These are more than numbers—they represent time, energy, and creativity reclaimed.

This is the future of work: Smarter spaces. Simpler tools. Intelligence that empowers people to thrive.

Empower teams to collaborate wherever they are

Collaboration doesn’t just happen—it has to be designed. It has to be enabled. It starts in the meeting room—where alignment is forged, ideas spark, and decisions take shape. Yet in today’s hybrid environments where 98% of meetings include at least one remote participant, the meeting room itself must evolve [Source]. With the right tools, hybrid meetings can create friction just as easily as connection, leaving some participants struggling to feel included or engaged.

At Cisco, we believe technology should eliminate barriers, not create them. That’s why we have reimagined the meeting experience with intelligent room systems that make everyone feel equally present, no matter where they are. AI-powered framing and voice tracking ensure every remote participant is seen and heard. One-button join simplifies the start of meetings across platforms—whether it’s Webex, Microsoft Teams, Zoom, or Google Meet—eliminating complexity and reducing the risk of delays.

But meetings don’t exist in isolation. Teams need to move seamlessly between brainstorming, reviewing, and acting. With the Webex Suite’s integration with tools like Miro, Salesforce and ServiceNow, collaboration becomes fluid. Ideas don’t get lost between platforms, and teams stay in the flow—turning sparks of creativity into tangible outcomes faster.

Make spaces smarter, not just connected

Great teamwork isn’t just about the meeting itself—it’s influenced by the space where it happens. The modern workplace must go beyond functionality to actively support connection, creativity, and comfort and earn people’s commute. The environment employees’ step into needs to be a space that feels intuitive, responsive, and tailored to their needs.

Recently, I sat down with John Amaechi for a conversation on Redefining Employee Connection in the Modern Workplace, and we explored what it truly means to design experiences that work for people—not just around them. John offered a number of grounded, compelling insights about what makes spaces “smart,” not just connected. What stood out most was his view that technology should be the supporting actor, not the star—quietly enabling humans to do their best thinking, communicating, and collaborating.

“There’s technology out here that can help you—help your people thrive. And people who feel like they’re thriving while doing hard work will do more hard work for you.”

That’s the shift we’re leaning into: building platforms and environments where people feel seen, supported, and set up to succeed—wherever work happens.

These complex workplaces mean dynamic teams, diverse roles, shifting schedules, and Cisco is leading the way in making those environments smarter and more responsive.

Our collaboration devices aren’t just screens for video calls. They’re intelligent sensors that detect occupancy, temperature, noise, and air quality—turning static spaces into adaptive environments with touchless room booking, real-time visual indicators and automatic climate and lighting adjustments. When employees walk in, the space is already working for them.

And with Cisco Spaces, we transform floorplans into live, interactive maps that make sure that people can find the right space for their task—whether they need a quiet zone, a meeting room, or a collaborative breakout area. And behind the scenes, Workplace Enablement teams gain live insights into space usage, foot traffic, energy consumption, and environmental safety, making it easier to adapt layouts, reduce waste, and plan smarter across every part of the workplace.

This isn’t just for knowledge workers. It’s for everyone who makes the workplace work:

  • IT teams manage connectivity, devices, and digital experiences with live visibility
  • Facilities teams get data-driven triggers to clean high-traffic areas
  • F&B staff are notified when café zones fill up
  • Operations can adjust HVAC and lighting based on room bookings
  • Security teams monitor flow and crowding—all in real time

Because not every workplace is an office, we’ve built this platform to adapt—from hospitals to classrooms, retail floors to manufacturing sites. Whether you’re enabling hot desking, coordinating emergency response, or automating environmental controls, Cisco gives you the infrastructure, intelligence, and interoperability to make it possible.

This isn’t just a smarter space. It’s a workplace that sees its people, understands their needs, and clears the path for them to thrive.

Simplify support through intelligent management

While we deliver transformative experiences for individuals, teams, and spaces, we never lose sight of the people who make it all possible: the IT and workplace teams who keep everything running seamlessly. At the heart of our approach is Webex Control Hub—a single pane of glass that empowers these teams to manage it all. From device management and security policies to collaboration tools, network performance, and environmental monitoring, Control Hub unifies complexity into simplicity.

No matter the deployment model—cloud, on-premises, or hybrid—Control Hub delivers clarity through AI-powered diagnostics, proactive alerts, and guided remediation. It doesn’t just solve problems—it anticipates them, giving IT teams the power to resolve issues before they impact employees. This isn’t just management—it’s intelligent, proactive support that ensures work happens without disruption.

What makes this possible is Cisco’s integrated, end-to-end solution. From the network to the software to the device, every layer is designed to work in harmony. This foundation enables us to embed intelligence deeply and securely across the entire employee experience, creating a seamless ecosystem where everything—and everyone—works better together.

The future of work is built on experience

When people feel supported, whether they’re working or managing the tools that enable work, the impact results in people reclaiming time, energy and creativity. That’s the promise of a truly great employee experience: a workplace that removes barriers, clears the path, and empowers people to do their best work, together, from anywhere.

At Cisco, we are proud to deliver on that promise. We’re building technology that adapts to people, supports teams, and works effortlessly across every environment. This is the workplace we’re shaping—a workplace powered by Cisco, built for what work demands next.

About The Author

Snorre Kjesbu
Snorre Kjesbu Snorre Kjesbu Senior Vice President & General Manager of Collaboration, Employee Experience Cisco
Snorre Kjesbu is Senior Vice President & General Manager of Collaboration, Employee Experience at Cisco.
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