Calix
San Jose, CA
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Editor’s Summary: Calix, is renowned for its strong culture, emphasizing inclusivity, continuous learning, and employee empowerment. The company offers on-demand learning opportunities, specialized training, and leadership development programs. Community service is integral to Calix, with major giving campaigns, paid volunteer time, and partnerships with nonprofit organizations. The company prioritizes work/life balance through flexible scheduling, wellness programs, and unlimited time off. Communication is facilitated via digital tools like Microsoft Teams and SharePoint, ensuring seamless collaboration. Employee achievements are celebrated with awards and recognitions, fostering a supportive community. Calix’s commitment to creating a positive work environment is evident through its various initiatives, such as the Lifestyle Wellness Reimbursement Program, baby bonding time, and financial wellness programs. These efforts have earned Calix numerous accolades, establishing it as a top employer in the tech industry and a place where employees can thrive and innovate. |
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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 4.7/5-star rating, 94 percent overall approval and 94 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 54 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 Coursera, Blinkist, MasterClass, Audible, and KnowBe4 to further their learning and development. Additionally, Calix offers Predictive Index training for people managers, storytelling writing workshops, Toastmasters, presentation delivery and online+ presence trainings.
To foster a culture of continued learning, Calix invested in a new learning management system (LMS) launching May 1st to support employees throughout their learning journey with new learning paths for onboarding, job specific training, leadership development and more.
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.
Leadership is intentional about bringing in diverse thought leaders and subject matter experts to provide the best experience for our teams. At our annual Leadership Summit this year, Calix invited Stephen Covey, the global authority on trust, leadership, and culture, to educate our leaders on the importance of trust in our teams and how to build a team with a foundation of trust.
In 2023, 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.
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 is in the business of bringing broadband and connection to underserved communities. We partner with nonprofit organizations like Human IT to donate our old tech to do our part in limiting e-waste. These donations help empower communities across the country with digital opportunities. Employees join in and give to personal tech drives to amplify our impact.
Giving back and service is woven into the fabric of our culture. We strive to give back to the community whenever possible. 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. At leadership and team offsites, we prioritize time together to volunteer. As a remote first company, we have partnered with Goodera to meet employees where they are and offer unlimited virtual volunteering opportunities. Now groups of any size can choose from a curated list of virtual opportunities to give back anytime, anywhere – unleashing new levels of impact for our team and global communities.
New this year, Calix is excited to offer employees a donation match to help amplify their impact to causes they care most about. Upon request, employees can elect to use their allocated Calix Leadership Cares budget for an employer match up to $500 a year.
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, this Earth Day, our Sustainability Group hosted several trash clean up days across the globe, cleaning up the earth one mile at a time.
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:
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 thereafter 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.
New in 2024, our CEO instituted a quick pulse survey asking for employee feedback on one thing Calix can continue, stop, and stop doing to make our culture better. Our leaders are committed to building a culture that fosters inclusion of thought and perspectives from all employees. The survey is on a quarterly cadence to receive timely and ongoing feedback that helps us pivot and adjust as needed. All employee voices matter at Calix and feedback does not go unnoticed or unaddressed. The feedback is discussed among our executive team who then share the results and discuss next steps.
Work/Life:
The basis of our remote-first culture was to promote work/life balance. Calix values employee wellbeing and provides several programs and initiatives to ensure employees feel supported and cared for. Calix provides Agile Flex Time Off (AFTO), also known as unlimited time off, to give employees flexibility to take planned time off. To further ensure employees have work life balance, people leaders are sent a report providing them visibility on their team’s logged time off to encourage employees who have not taken time to schedule their time off.
In 2023, we also repositioned Sick Days to Wellness Days. This change aimed to expand time off beyond just physical illness and takes into consideration overall employee wellbeing, namely employee’s mental health.
In response to zoom fatigue, Calix implemented Productivity Days (No internal meetings) and Recharge Days (Employees decide what they need 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. Collectively, employees logged 2,395 volunteer hours globally in 2023.
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. Unmind Talk was introduced in 2023, connecting employees to licensed mental health practitioners who oLer one on one therapy coaching sessions.
- Baby Bonding – Calix oLers parents 4 months of paid time off to enable the team to cherish one of the most important moments of their lives.
- 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 Knowbe4 and PresenterMedia.
At Calix, we understand that special perks can have an impact on job satisfaction, employee morale and productivity, in addition to increased loyalty and reduced turnover. In 2023, Calix was ranked as one of the top 10 companies by Comparably as having the best perks and benefits.
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.
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 37 Affinity Groups, including Women@Calix, Latinx, LGBTQ+, Black ERG, Veterans, and Parenting, among others. Events such as cultural cooking classes, fireside chats and featuring employees at the company, LGBTQ+ drag queen jeopardy are just some fun examples past events hosted by our Affinity groups. 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 Meetup Program 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 with a handful of locations and grew vastly in 2023. Calix now has 22 Meetup groups located all over North America and includes over 30% of our employee population. In Q1 of 2024, we saw our highest participation of Meetups, where 16 groups were able to get together to celebrate the start of another great year with the company.
- Whether virtually or in-person, Calix teams participate in team building events which help to improve communication, build trust and promote creativity.
- 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 (#17 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:
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 encouraged to ask leaders questions during the meeting. 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.
Communication and Collaboration:
Communication is one of 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 Morning News is a companywide weekly newsletter, managed by our internal communications team, that shares updates and important announcements for all employees.
- Calix Leadership News is a dedicated newsletter sent to all people leaders with curated information and communications for leaders at the company.
- Our Calix is our company intranet that houses static information and serves as a wiki.
- Vibe Boards are an all-in-one smart whiteboard that enhances collaboration during meetings, team brainstorms, presentations and more.
- Chatter lets the Calix team exchange different information, from customer successes, praise for promotions to birthday greetings.
- Espresa is our Total Rewards platform that enables peer to peer recognition. In Q1 this year over 20% of employees took the opportunity to express “thanks” to a colleague.
- Our Calix Meetup program aims to connect and build relationships with employees who live in their local area.
- Other communication applications available to employees include Zoom and Microsoft Teams.
Calix has physical locations across the United States, and in 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 for 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 monitors and 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.
Empowering employees:
Employees are recognized for their work and accomplishments in many ways. At the start of 2024, Calix launched a new global reward and recognition tool called Espresa. People leaders can leverage the tool to submit spot awards up to $2,000 and ‘Employee Engagement’ awards up to $100 can be granted to employees for team events. Employees are also given work anniversary gifts based on their years if service to thank them for their commitment and work at the company. Through Espresa, points granted for recognition equal the dollar value which then can be redeemed for the employees’ gift of choice. In addition, Espresa unlocked peer to peer recognition giving employees the ability to shout out, thank, or recognize their peers for their efforts and partnership.
Leaders also 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 Invest in the success of others to be successful’, the Calix Leadership Cares Program provides people leaders with a budget of $125 per quarter per employee, to purchase meaningful gifts, unique to the individual on their team.
To encourage employees to share their experience and have their voices heard, the Social Giants Program aims to celebrate and thank employees for strengthening the virtual culture by sharing on Chatter and LinkedIn. Every quarter, five winners are selected from each of the following categories: Chatter Giants, LinkedIn Giants, and Culture Giants. Winners receive 1,000 Espresa points, equivalent to $1,000, to redeem for a gift of their choice. New to the Social Giants program this year is the Volunteer Giant award, recognizing employees who go above and beyond to give back to the communities where they live and work.
We have received overwhelming feedback from employees that one of the most exciting things about working for Calix is the ability to aLect 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. One of our cultural mantras is “No Bystanders,” which means if you are not happy about something, do something. Our CEO reminds employees of this call to action every time he discusses our culture. 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.
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.
Ensuring well-being:
Calix is committed to providing a generous time oL program that aligns to our agile culture 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 regular employees 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.
Employee well-being is crucial to creating a healthy workplace where employees can 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 mental, but financial and social health as well. We have a diverse workforce and oLer 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 Reimbursement Program, we offer a variety of financial programs, including 401K matching and 2 ESPP Programs coupled with a variety of financial webinars such as Invest Confidently in Your Future and Making the Most of Your Retirement Savings, just to name a few. 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 2023 Cigna Healthy Workforce, achieving the silver level, moving up from Bronze the previous year which means our focus on vitality and well-being has not only helped our employees be healthier, but also more productive and engaged.
| Closing company statements:
With a low attrition rate of 7.1%, employees who join Calix, stay at Calix. Great Place to Work Survey data reveals 92% of employees experience a high-trust culture and are invested in Calix. Receiving an average score of 91% satisfaction across all statements. 2023 was another record-breaking year for Calix and the outlook for 2024 is bright. There couldn’t be a greater time to join Calix! |
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