In as many ways as possible, Cox Communications Inc. strives to do the right thing for its employees, according to Paul Cronin, vice president and region manager of Cox New England, based in West Warwick.
“There’s no one single thing a company can do that makes it stand out,” Cronin said. “It starts with our culture. Cox really tries to engage our employees in all areas.”
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Cox’ multi-faceted approach to making itself a superior workplace has made the company one of the Best Places to Work in Rhode Island.
The privately held company headquartered in Atlanta is a multi-service broadband communications provider offering analog cable television and digital video services, along with an array of other services, including local and long-distance telephone, high-speed Internet, home networking and commercial voice and data services.
Communication is also the cornerstone of Cox’s relationship with its employees, Cronin said. Cox strives to create a work environment in which employees at all levels are empowered to share their ideas and concerns. To that end, the company conducts regular meetings with employees and routinely sends out company-wide e-mails to share Cox news and discuss issues.
“We take that open-door environment very seriously,” Cronin said. “Employees are encouraged to reach out directly to their supervisors, and that approach works very well for us.”
The company also spends considerable amounts of money and effort for ongoing job training for its employees. In-house training is conducted in classrooms found in many Cox facilities, and online at Cox University, a private training program on the Internet. Employees also can receive tuition reimbursement for college and other educational.
“We invest quite a bit
in training, because our business is very dynamic driven by technology that’s constantly evolving,” Cronin said.
Beyond providing training, Cox works to develop the long-term careers of its employees in ways that are mutually beneficial for the employees and the company. Cox’s human resources and operating departments help all Cox employees define and achieve their own career paths, so that employees have a good sense about what they need to do to prepare for their future roles in the company, Cronin said.
“We really encourage folks to advance their careers, and show them what they can do to move along,” he said.
Additionally, the company provides a broad range of monetary and non-monetary benefits, including full pay and benefits for personnel on active military duty and a pension plan to complement the 401(k) plan it offers. Non-exempt employees also are able to cash out unused paid time off each year during the holidays.
Cox’s field service employees start their day from their home in their company vehicle, work with tools provided by the company, and are allowed to make a certain amount of personal calls throughout the day on Nextel cell phones provided by the company.
Paul Silva, a field technician who works in northern Rhode Island, said he values working for a company that will provide him with a full pension upon retirement – a piece of security that not many workers enjoy in this day and age.
“I’ve got a wife and two kids, and the benefits have helped take care of my family,” said Silva, an employee for 22 years. “We’ve all been taken very well care of by Cox. We’re fully vested in the pension plan. Today many people my age can’t really say that about the place they work.”
