Cox Communications, the Atlanta-based cable television and communications giant, is one of Providence Business News’ Best Places to Work for the second year in a row, and its appearance on the list is no accident.
“The culture here, all the way to our corporate headquarters, is focused on the employee,” said Paul Cronin, vice president and region manager for Cox. “For a company like ours, where the employees are taking calls from customers and going into people’s homes, they are an extension of our business, and it’s important that they like the company and their jobs.”
Laura Husband, a customer service supervisor, joined Cox five years ago after earning a communications degree from the University of Rhode Island. She had heard that the company would allow her to work her way up, and it was true.
Soon after being hired, she got her first promotion, to quality service representative. Next, she became a sales lead, and two years ago, she got her current job.
“Cox is so focused on their employees’ careers,” she said. “There are so many opportunities here for growth, with all the classes they offer. They truly want to retain good employees.” She is not alone; many of the company’s supervisors started as front-line employees.
It all adds up to an environment that fosters teamwork and innovation. And helps keep customers satisfied.
“We’ve all had experiences where we meet people who aren’t happy with their jobs, and it reflects poorly on that company,” Cronin said. “When people are happy with their jobs, that feeling permeates out to customers.”
To help keep its work force happy, Cox encourages employees to voice opinions and concerns about the business. The company also conducts regular employee opinion surveys to help learn more about what they are thinking.
Updates from vice presidents and regional managers are periodically sent to employees’ homes to keep them informed on how the company is doing, there is also a weekly e-newsletter and a monthly magazine.
“When we launch new projects, we make sure our employees are involved in the rollout plans,” Cronin said. It “ensures the process will run smoothly.”
Initiatives that allow employees to get involved in shaping the company’s policies and priorities also help the company attract and retain a loyal work force.
For example, the Cox Charities Employee Advisory Council helps guide the company’s charitable giving. Cox’ Diversity Council has helped the company be chosen as one of the top 50 companies in the country by Diversity Inc., a monthly business magazine.
The company also offers extensive career training. Its facility at 9 J.P. Murphy Hwy. in West Warwick has classrooms where regular training sessions are held to help employees advance their careers. It was there that Husband learned to use Microsoft Excel and took advantage of employee relations trainings that helped advance her to supervisor.
For employees who pursue an education outside the company, Cox offers tuition reimbursements of up to $5,000 a year – which Husband used to earn her master’s degree in communications from URI; she finished the program last December.
