Calix
San Jose, CA
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Editor’s Summary: Calix is a global company committed to creating a robust and inclusive corporate culture. A primary focus is on providing training and development opportunities to enhance job satisfaction and engagement, while promoting diversity, equity, and overall well-being. The company offers various advancement opportunities, with 15% of employees promoted in 2022. With programs such as Calix University, employees are encouraged to expand their learning. As a remote-first organization, communication and transparency are key to Calix’s operation. They prioritize community service, facilitating opportunities for employees to contribute to societal causes. Employees are provided with various benefits, including a wellness allowance, mental health resources, and adoption assistance. The company values diversity, fostering inclusion through a range of initiatives. New hires are introduced to the corporate vision directly from the executive team, promoting a culture of trust and alignment. Calix ensures the well-being of its employees through various tools and resources. Despite the pandemic, the company managed to grow, adding 561 employees in 2022, reflecting its positive and resilient culture. |
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Intro: Calix focuses heavily on building a strong culture and it shows—employees and customers routinely share “Why I Love Calix” posts on social media. With a 4.9/5-star rating, 98 percent overall approval and 100 percent CEO approval on Glassdoor, the company ranks among the best in the industry for culture. Calix also enjoys an A+ culture rating from Comparably and has won 33 Comparably awards since 2020, underscoring its growing status as one of the best employers in the United States and globally. |
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Impact statements
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Advancement Opportunities:
Calix believes that having an engaged and motivated team is the key to long-term growth and success. The company encourages employees to chart their PATH, guided by the core principles of Purpose, Alignment, Transparency, and High Performance. Calix continuously builds and evolves its culture to accelerate business growth while staying firmly grounded in its values. Leadership inspires our teams by setting a clear vision and providing necessary support for employees to be successful.
Calix encourages employees to explore individual aspirations and interests through on-demand learning opportunities – providing employees with access to curated trainings through Calix University or online subscriptions to Coursera, LinkedIn Learning, ExecOnline, Blinkest, MasterClass, Audible, O’Reilly and KnowBe4 to further their learning and development.
In 2022, 15% of Calix employees were promoted. This is a testament to our leaders and their investment in our people. To further equip leaders and teams, Calix is investing in and developing a leadership enablement program to continue to fuel our leaders with knowledge and experience to lead with confidence.
Training Opportunities:
At Calix, we believe that training positively impacts our company culture because it improves job satisfaction, engagement and retention. In addition to traditional training opportunities, we also offer a variety of special training experiences, which include but are not limited to stretch assignments, working on assignments in a different function, mentoring, live theatre training and executive coaching.
Specifically, we offer training on special topics such as unconscious bias, inclusivity, personal and social branding and a variety of wellness topics that includes how to sleep well, how to manage stress, financial freedom and mental well-being.
Community service/charitable causes:
Calix is committed to creating a positive social impact by leveraging our resources, expertise, and network to address pressing societal challenges. Our key giving pillars include:
- Connectivity – Bridging the digital divide and providing access to all
- Equitable Opportunities – Bringing equitable opportunities to our local communities and beyond
- STEM – Supporting science, technology, engineering, and mathematics education and curriculum
- Aid and Response – Providing support and aid to disaster relief and right now needs
Calix provides employees with 2 days paid time off to volunteer and give back to causes they care most about. In addition to our VTO program, employees are empowered to organize companywide volunteer activities through employee resource groups. For example, in celebration of Black History Month in February, our Black Employee Resource Group hosted a month-long initiative to create posters with information on scholarship opportunities to distribute to students through local nonprofits and schools.
Calix is in the business of bringing broadband and connection to underserved communities. Therefore, giving back and service is woven into the fabric of our culture. We strive to give back to the community whenever possible. At leadership and team offsites, we prioritize time together to volunteer. To establish a rhythm and cadence, Calix sponsors 2 major giving campaigns throughout the year – National Volunteer Month in April and Season of Giving in Q4.
We believe together we can be a force for good and are determined to drive change in the communities where we operate and beyond.
Measuring satisfaction:
Communication is one Calix’s cultural pillars and as a remote first company, it is essential to our success as an organization. We believe trust and respect is rooted in how we communicate and share feedback. There are several ways information is shared and received at Calix to promote a culture of transparency and communication.
Calix cares about employee feedback and regularly asks employees to provide feedback through employee reviews and surveys. So much so, feedback is automatically requested at 90 days and milestone anniversaries there after to leave reviews on Comparably and Glassdoor. In addition, an annual survey is conducted through Great Place to Work to help the company better understand the employee experience and provide actionable insights on how areas of opportunities and improvements.
In 2022, Calix conducted focus groups hosted by an external consultant to give employees a more intimate and safe space to share in more detail on the results from the survey. Later that year, people leaders met in person at a leadership offsite to discuss results and strategized on how to better the employee experience. The executive leadership team are owning next steps and working with teams to execute new processes and programs to address the feedback. All employee voices matter at Calix and feedback does not go unnoticed or unaddressed.
Calix has physical locations across the world in the United States, China, and India. However, as a remote first company, most employees work from home. Ensuring employees are well-equipped to do work from anywhere is crucial to our business. Our Remote Office Furniture Program offers employees reimbursement on office furniture up to $1,260 that enables them to purchase furniture items of their choice. In addition, Calix also offers monthly internet reimbursement to ensure employees have strong internet connection. Calix also ensures employees have access to a robust IT catalogue that includes their choice of a PC or a MAC, and a variety of headsets to choose from. If equipment that an employee need is not available, such as a specific ergonomic keyboard, employees have the latitude to purchase it on their own and submit for reimbursement. Calix has also invested in VIBE Smart Whiteboards, which enables employees, such as Engineering, to collaborate seamlessly.
Work/Life:
One of Calix’s values is we take care of our own. During the pandemic we received a lot of feedback regarding Zoom fatigue. In response, Calix implemented Productivity Days (No internal meetings) and Recharge Days (Employees decide what they need in order to feel “recharged”). We believe this change, along with the implementation of our Calix Leadership Cares program, which provides leaders with a budget to send each of their employees gifts throughout the year, as a way to express their thanks for a job well done, send congratulations on a promotion or express gratitude for going above and beyond has contributed to Calix being recognized as a company that has the happiest employees.
Because Connectivity is a key cultural attribute at Calix, we also facilitate a variety of social initiatives such as local meet ups (employees within an hour driving distance meet up for lunch, dinner or a team building activity), volunteering events and virtual and on-site team building activities to ensure the Calix team feels connected and has an opportunity to expand their network, wider than those who they collaborate with on a day-to-day basis.
Calix is committed to providing a generous time off program that aligns with our agile focus and work environment and to the needs of our Calix team in the U.S. and Canada. Our Agile Flexible Time Off (“AFTO”) program provides Calix eligible team members in the U.S. and Canada with the flexibility to take time off away from work while still being able to meet the needs of ongoing projects, deadlines, and/or other work-related commitments.
AFTO is designed to be agile and flexible. Employees decide how much reasonable time away from work is appropriate based on an individual’s ability to meet or exceed the requirements of the job. There is no specified amount of vacation days or paid time off. Employees are encouraged to work directly with their leader to arrange the dates and coverage during their time off.
Perks:
Calix is committed to providing employees and teams with the resources they need to learn new skills, grow their career, and take care of overall wellness.
Some notable perks at Calix include:
- LifeStyle Reimbursement Program – employees are granted a wellness allowance of $1200 annually designed to help reach their personal wellness goals and support a healthy lifestyle.
- Unmind – an easy-to-use app that gives employees access to digital tools and techniques designed to empower them to love a more fulfilling and balanced life. With Unmind, users can proactively measure, understand and nurture their own mental health in wellbeing areas such as fulfillment, coping, happiness, health and sleep.
- WageWorks Commuter Benefits – allows employees who commute to and from work to set aside pre-tax funds to pay for travel and parking expenses.
- Adoption Assistance Program – Calix will reimburse full time employees up to $10,000 per child for fees associated with the adoption of a child.
- Learning and development subscriptions include Coursera, Execonline, Blinkist, Audible, MasterClass, and PresenterMedia.
Fun:
At Calix, we strive to create an inclusive culture that values diversity, promotes equity, and celebrates the differences among us. We believe a diverse workforce is at the core of our innovation and drives productivity and growth. Our diversity and inclusion strategy takes into consideration the entire employee life cycle, from recruitment, to employee experience, to learning and development, and employee exit. Great Place to Work survey results reveal an average score of 90 in overall areas of Respect (measuring professional support, collaboration, and demonstrated caring) and Fairness (measuring equity, impartiality, and justice).
Calix understands the importance of developing a highly diverse culture. The company supports a range of employee programs and initiatives designed to foster belonging, engagement, acceptance, and diversity, including:
- Affinity Groups allow employees to connect during work hours to create community outside of their daily jobs, focus on shared interests, and further a sense of belonging and acceptance. Calix has 8 ERGs and 15 interest groups globally, including Women@Calix, Latinx, LGBTQ+, Black ERG, Veterans, and Parenting, among others. Affinity groups are employee led and company sponsored to empower employees to engage in creating a more inclusive workplace for all.
- Calix Leadership Events unite Calix leaders twice each year to focus on innovation and communication. Featuring thought leaders across different disciplines, meetings explore ways Calix can be even more inclusive, while ensuring the company is fully prepared to meet future challenges.
- Calix Meet Ups provides in-person connection beyond our four physical office locations to help the remote Calix workforce get to know each other outside the workplace. Employees who live within an hour driving distance of major cities meet over lunch, happy hour, or dinner to connect with others at the company. The program was piloted at the end of 2022 and expected to grow in number of locations to reach more employees in 2023.
- Celebrations bring employees together in a fun and meaningful way. Through employee resource groups, employees organize company events such as Black History Month, International Women’s Day, Pride Month, and Hispanic Heritage Month. Bringing together people of different backgrounds and cultures helps foster a culture of inclusion and is an opportunity for employees to learn more about other cultures and perspectives.
Calix is proud to be recognized by Comparably as a Best Company for Diversity (#2 of 100 companies) awarded based on employee reviews and feedback. Diversity, equity, and inclusion is a critical part of our culture and is imperative to promoting a healthy work environment, drive innovation, and stay competitive in an ever-changing world.
How corporate vision is communicated:
Communication is one Calix’s cultural pillars and as a remote first company, it is essential to our success as an organization. We believe trust and respect is rooted in how we communicate and share feedback. There are several ways information is shared and received at Calix to promote a culture of transparency and communication.
Upon joining the company, all new hires are scheduled in cohorts to meet with each executive team member. This is an opportunity for employees to get to know each leader and learn about their business groups and strategic priorities for the year. New hires are also able to ask leaders questions they are curious about at the end of the call. Leaders invest the time to meet with new hires because it sets the tone that leadership is accessible and available to all employees.
On a quarterly basis, employee all hands are hosted to hear directly from our executive leadership team and get a download of top priorities and progress on company goals. During Calix Quarterly meetings, leaders also share industry insights and celebrate employee achievements. It gives employees at all levels visibility into how the business is performing and a chance to ask leaders questions.
Empowering employees:
At Calix, we believe that creating a culture with a meaningful purpose informs employees to make decisions. Leaders are expected to share a compelling vision by communicating strategic priorities and ensuring their team is motivated, engaged and aligned. This approach ensures employees feel trusted and valued.
Giving employees the autonomy and authority to make decisions and act creates a greater sense of ownership within our teams. In addition, it is a goal for all leaders to produce more leaders which is imperative to our growth as we scale.
We have received overwhelming feedback from employees that one of the most exciting things about working for Calix is the ability to affect change and see that change positively make an impact on the business. We are intentional about making sure that all team members feel like an owner of the company. At Calix, we know that encouraging employees to speak up is critical to our better, better, never best culture and we encourage them to do so by providing a variety of formal channels such as engagement and pulse surveys, focus groups, an anonymous hotline, and an online suggestion box and informal channels such as our open door policy, where employees reach out to any leader at any time, including our CEO, providing suggestions in chat boxes during webinars or just reaching out to various program owners and sharing their feedback.
In addition to acting like owners and providing feedback, employees are encouraged to affect change by setting strategic priorities and periodically assessing their performance, while having the support of their leader if the impact they intended may not happen.
Employees are recognized for their work and accomplishments in many ways. Leaders utilize tools such as Chatter, LinkedIn, and Kudo boards to showcase employee achievements and publicly thank them for their work. Employees are also spotlighted for promotions and internal awards such as the Calix Leadership Award and Patent Awards that are announced during our all-hand meetings. As a people first company, leaders prioritize the well-being of their team and demonstrate genuine care through personalized appreciation. In line with the cultural value of ‘We Take Care of Our Own’, the Calix Leadership Cares Program provides people leaders with a budget of $125 per month per employee, to purchase meaningful gifts, unique to the individual on their team.
Ensuring well-being:
Employee Well-being is crucial to creating a healthy workplace where employees can come do their best work. Calix recognizes that employees have diverse needs when it comes to health and well-being – providing an expanded library of tools and apps. Notably Unmind, an app that provides digital tools and techniques designed to empower employees to live a more fulfilling and balanced life. To further support employees and their wellness journey, Calix launched a “LifeStyle” Wellness Reimbursement Program that offers employees a quarterly wellness allowance to help employees reach their personal wellness goals and support a healthy lifestyle.
Wellbeing at Calix not only includes physical and emotional, but financial and social health as well. We have a diverse workforce and offer a variety of comprehensive health programs so that employees may choose the options that are most appropriate for them (and their family). In addition, to our Lifestyle Spending Account where Calix funds an account for our employees’ to cover expenses that aren’t covered by traditional benefits, we offer a variety of financial programs, including 401K matching and 2 ESPP Programs. And while we offer an award winning benefits program and have been recognized for multiple years as a Best Company for Work-Life Balance by Comparably, what we are most proud of is being designated as a 2022 Cigna Healthy Workforce, which means our focus on vitality and well-being has not only helped our employees be healthier, but also more productive and engaged.
While the pandemic forced many companies to close down or implement partial shutdowns, Calix was in a fortunate position to have already been a “remote-first” organization. “We Take Care of Our Own” is one of our cultural pillars and describes how we not only treated one another during the pandemic, but how we treat one another every day.
Practically that meant listening to our employees, and addressing their needs and concerns. This effort was led by our then CEO, Carl Russo, who quickly established the weekly “Coronavirus Calls with Carl.” This was a type of forum where any employee could join, and anyone could ask him a question regarding the state of the virus, the state of our business, or anything else that was on their mind. Another example of Calix listening to employee feedback is when employees shared their concerns regarding Zoom fatigue and how their calendars consisted of back-to-back meetings. As a result, we quickly implemented Productivity Days, which are no meeting days so employees could have dedicated focus time to work on things they hadn’t gotten a chance to and Recharge Days, where employees could do whatever they needed to do to feel recharged, whether that meant volunteering their time or getting together with colleagues to have lunch.
With the world practically shut-down and employees working from home, the well-being of the team was always top of mine. Therefore, we implemented UnMind, which is a platform that focuses on mental well-being. The goal was give our employees, and their families, at no cost to them, easy access to mental health support.
Career development has always been a critical component of the employee experience and during the pandemic we reinforced that sentiment by rolling out on-demand learning subscriptions such as Coursera and Masterclass to all employees globally. In addition, we also offered other online learning tools such as Audible and Harvard Business Review.
While these programs and perks were implemented during the pandemic, they are benefits that are still in place today.
| Closing company statements:
2022 was another record-breaking year for Calix and the outlook for 2023 is bright. In 2022, Calix added 561 employees and currently has 385 open positions to fuel the company’s continued growth. There couldn’t be a greater time to join Calix! With a low attrition rate of 7.8%, employees who join Calix, stay at Calix. Great Place to Work Survey data reveals 90% of employees experience a high-trust culture and are invested in Calix. Receiving an average score of 91% satisfaction across all statements, a 3% increase from the previous year. |
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