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      Calix

      Engaged Employer

      Calix reviews

      4.5

      91% would recommend to a friend

      (1,130 total reviews)
      avatar

      Michael Weening

      93% approve of CEO

      91% positive business outlook

      Ratings by category

      4.5

      Culture & values

      4.5

      Diversity & inclusion

      4.5

      Compensation and benefits

      4.4

      Work/Life balance

      4.3

      Senior management

      4.3

      Career opportunities

      Calix has an employee rating of 4.5 out of 5 stars, based on 1,130 company reviews on Glassdoor which indicates that most employees have an excellent working experience there. The Calix employee rating is 24% above average for employers within the Information Technology industry (3.6 stars).

      Ratings by demographic groups

      Reviews by job title

      1K reviews
      1.0
      Sep 18, 2024

      Unhealthy Culture

      Individual contributor
      Recommend
      CEO approval
      Business Outlook

      Pros

      There are some exceptional employees who are intelligent, supportive, and dedicated to producing high-quality work. However, they are in the minority and often go unrecognized by senior leadership and the company’s culture.

      Cons

      Price’s Law dominates the culture at Calix. Wall Street, suppliers, customers, and competitors recognize this imbalance, yet some employees and many of the senior and executive leadership remain overly optimistic of being part of a "world class team". There are limited opportunities for career advancement and professional development within the company. The promotion criteria and bonus awards appear to be inconsistent across the whole organization, leading many employees to feel that promotions and bonuses are influenced by favoritism rather than merit. The base salary could be better, and due to the stock’s flat performance, the ESPP plans are not financially advantageous. High performers lack work-life balance, frequently working long hours without taking vacations and not receiving recognition for their efforts. The primary cultural focus at Calix is on creating the appearance of hard work without delivering real value and growth. Senior leadership struggle to make sound decisions, failing to identify company priorities and effectively allocate resources for growth. Redesigning the wheel or doing busy work gets a lot of praise and attention from leadership. Senior leadership are also reluctant to challenge the executive leadership and lack the ability to hold them accountable, leading to a lack of focus and direction. The executive leadership lacks the experience needed to transition the company from a start-up mentality to a mature, quality-focused organization. The company and culture is stuck somewhere between a start-up and a mature organization. The executives are unable to lead the company through change, leaving individual contributors and lower-level managers to handle change management on their own. Decision-making is irresponsible, with different departments pursuing conflicting goals and wasting resources. Trust is deficient between employees and executive management. A culture of fear prevails, with executives blaming subordinates for their own failures instead of addressing the root causes. Additionally, the CEO’s feuds and rants about employees owning the company culture are confusing, as he fosters an environment of fear, conformity and sycophancy around him.

      avatar
      Calix Response
      1y
      Thank you for sharing your feedback on Glassdoor. Our culture is built on two core tenets: “better better, never best” and “never let me be wrong”. We are constantly seeking improvement and actively encourage team members to speak up. We believe that there can be no bystanders when it comes to our culture. It matters how we each act, treat each other, and work to make our company a better place. We understand that your feedback may have come from a place of frustration, and we welcome the opportunity to engage in open, productive dialogue with you. We invite you to reach out to your leader, your functional leader, the CEO, or me- CHRO to discuss what changes we can make to improve our team and company. As one of the leaders you mentioned in your feedback, I can assure you that my experience has been one of collaboration and implementation of decisions. We are all committed to improvement, both as individuals and as a team. We hope that you will take the initiative to share your suggestions with us, so that we can work together towards a better Calix Thank you for taking the time to share your thoughts with us. We look forward to hearing from you and working together towards a better future for our company.
      1.0
      Dec 12, 2023

      don't be fooled

      Sales
      Recommend
      CEO approval
      Business Outlook

      Pros

      good benefits, paid for by not paying commissions

      Cons

      Don't be fooled by their "culture" bs. you're a commodity just like any other company and the minute they want to cut costs...your out. They lay off people all the time, I saw several rounds in a year - Don't expect to make any sideways moves either they would rather fill position from the outside than promote and train internally as I found out - Their commission system is awful, you have to be there when the deal is closed AND when it ships. With year long purchase cycles of service providers don't expect any hardware commissions for the first year or more. And they follow the old adage that a layoff is best served cold, they don't try to find other positions for you, you're just immediately shown the door.

      avatar
      Calix Response
      2y
      Thank you for taking the time to leave a review on your experience as an employee at Calix. At Calix, we prioritize and invest in cultivating a strong, positive culture where our employees feel supported, valued, and motivated to thrive. As Calix transforms, we continue to re-align the way we go to market and re-invest in critical growth areas across the business. We continue to invest in sales headcount as we pursue our journey of transforming the broadband industry. We actively encourage and support internal career growth opportunities for our employees, fostering a culture that values professional development and advancement. We regularly review our sales incentive plan to ensure its competitiveness and that our employees are rewarded for growing our business. Thank you for sharing your feedback. We wish you the best in all future endeavors.
      2.0
      Mar 2, 2018

      Working environment going downhill quickly

      Senior devops engineer
      Recommend
      CEO approval
      Business Outlook

      Pros

      Interesting work. Good products. CEO always honest and on top of things in the past.

      Cons

      Too middle management heavy. Experienced engineers being replaced by outsourcing teams creates an environment where nobody is certain that their job will still be there in the next Quarter. Upper management went from a super aggressive hiring mode to outsourcing model instead. It appears Calix Board/Investors are looking at bottom line costs only and losing all the company expertise. This will create a huge support hole in the future when all the knowledge base as been let go.

      avatar
      Calix Response
      8y
      Thank you for your feedback. We’re sorry to learn about your views on your experience at Calix and take your comments very seriously. We will look for any constructive points in your comments that can help us improve and wish you the best with your next role. If you have any further feedback to share, please email glassdoor@calix.com.
      Viewing 28 - 30 of 1,130 Reviews
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