Giving back in our communities is part of Cisco’s culture and DNA. But it’s more than giving back by volunteering our time – it’s also in aligning our skills and passions, so we can truly provide meaningful support to organisations in need, which is when you see and feel the impact.
The Customer Experience (CX) team in Australia & New Zealand wanted to make a collective impact, looking outside of their everyday work to volunteer with their Cisco ‘Time2Give’ hours, and give back to causes to make a meaningful difference in the community. Our employees are able to take to five days per year as their ‘Time2Give’ leave.
We initially surveyed the team to see if we could uncover some themes around purpose and passion. And to our surprise we found a large majority of the team were very motivated to engage regularly in giving back activities with key themes focussing on the homeless, combatting hunger, animal welfare, medical research, conservation and the environment. This provided ample information and guidance on how best to engage our team members across ANZ.
Over a two-week period, the CX teams gave back right across Australia and New Zealand.
Brisbane – Foodbank
Brisbane decided to give back with Foodbank, as they make a positive and direct impact on over 200,000 Queenslanders including school children, those struggling in regional areas, elderly pensioners and low-income families. The team spent the day sorting, unloading pallets and packing up food baskets.
Perth – Rottnest Island Authority – Island Beach clean
The Perth team dedicated their time to supporting the Rottnest Island Authority by cleaning up the Rottnest beaches from debris and rubbish that had been deposited during the recent storms and weather systems. The team were privileged to be able to support the local environment and contribute to providing data for the “Tangaroa Blue Foundation’s Australian Marine Debris Initiative.”
Melbourne – St Kilda’s Mum’s
In Melbourne, fifteen team members spent the day working at St Kilda Mums, an organisation that provides recycling and distribution of nursery goods and other essentials for mothers in need. Cisco has a long standing relationship with St Kilda Mums and the team were only too happy to get involved in cleaning kids car seats, building prams and cots as well as a lot of sorting and storing of recycled clothing.
Sydney – Phoenix House
The CX team in Sydney participated at the Phoenix House Youth Services in Crows Nest. For over 30 years, the Phoenix House has provided support services to the in-need youth of North Sydney and their families. The Cisco team supported by way of gardening, painting and meal preparation to name a few. Every bit of help and support goes a long way to keep Phoenix House delivering life changing outcomes!
Canberra – Red Cross Blood Service
Giving blood is the most precious gift that anyone can give to another person, every blood donation can help save three lives – with one in three Australians needing blood products at some stage in their life due to a serious life threatening event, such as cancer or a difficult pregnancy. Others have medical conditions which mean they need blood products regularly to stay alive or live a healthy life.
12 of the CX Delivery team supported, rolling up their sleeves donating blood/plasma over the week and saving up to 36 lives!
Auckland – Youthline
In Auckland the team raised money for Youthline which has an ongoing relationship with Cisco NZ. The team came up with a competition, it was $20 to enter and each contestant had to choose the baby photo of the appropriate Cisco leader. Apart from raising urgently needed funds, the competition gave the local team hours of entertainment in working out the baby face matches !
Giving back, has many benefits to both mental and physical health – and doing this together, the team builds a collective purpose and belonging as well as making a real impact in the local community.
The team are extremely excited for the next CX Giving Days scheduled in September 2019 !
