Cloud Software Group Talent Blog

Bangalore offices host concerts for a cause

Wed, 21 Jun 2023 16:00:00 +0000

Our teams in India love to rock. The Bangalore offices recently featured two bands of employees and came together to build community and camaraderie. But this wasn't just a jam session - it was a way to serve the community.

The event raised money for Vidyaranya, a local Bangalore nonprofit, empowering children, elderly people, and women. The theme was “100 Helping Hands,” with the goal of receiving financial donations from 100 employees.

They raised ₹192,399 INR ($2,333 USD) from 245 employees. An incredible outcome.

The initiative was spearheaded by Mallika, our Director of Customer Service Director, and the Citrix Customer Service team, with support from Sohini, our Corporate Citizenship Lead.

"The idea was for us to pay it forward for the ones who are less fortunate than us," Mallika said. "Although there are many problems to solve, we prioritized raising funds for food as every individual has the basic right to a healthy and nutritious meal."

The fundraiser was a group effort, and help came from more than just employees. A long-term event management vendor for the Bangalore office offered pro-bono services on the audio system for the performances. When a lead vocalist had to opt out for heath reasons, another employee’s 12-year-old daughter filled in. (And she was incredible!)

Citrix India has partnered with Vidyaranya for four years. Now as Cloud Software Group, we are proud to continue our support. In March & April 2023 we hosted an online food drive for the organization, to make our Cloud Software Group employee donations nearly ₹300,000 INR ($4,000 USD).

And we won't stop with just funds. In June 2021, a team of employees visited Vidyaranya to serve food, play music, and spend time with the nonprofit’s 400 beneficiaries. We absolutely love seeing the individuals we can affect in person.

Representatives from Vidyaranya poetically noted: "Music has the power to unite hearts and create waves of change. Citrix/Cloud Software Group, your inspiring music charity event has not only raised funds for our initiatives, but also orchestrated a symphony of hope and compassion. Your harmonious effects have struck a chord with the world, reminding us that together we can create a symphony of possibilities. Thank you for making a meaningful difference."

Giving booth for early career talent at Unite 2023

Thu, 22 Jun 2023 16:00:00 +0000

We recently wrapped our 2023 Unite conference in Orlando, where we built partnerships and strategies for the rest of the year, and the next. Because so many of our team members were together, it was also a great chance to flex our community support muscles.

Our Corporate Citizenship Team organized a Giving Booth during the welcome reception at Unite, to bring purpose and passion together. Cloud Software Group volunteers curated a career readiness kit to empower early career talent from diverse communities and backgrounds. Each volunteer, managers and leaders from our various functional teams, wrote a note of career or life advice on career-journey-cards, created roll-for-inspiration oversized dice, and a journal to track their progress. Volunteers then personally packed them into a canvas bag and wrote a personalized note to the recipient.

These career kits are inspired by After School All Stars (ASAS), a nonprofit based in Orlando that provides free, comprehensive after-school programs that keep children safe and help them succeed in school and in life. The kits will equip youth with insights into various career choices, helping them make informed decisions. Guillermo Escober, the ASAS National Director of Programs, kindly joined us to share about the recipients and the impact these kits can make.

We are grateful to After School All Stars, the early career talent we were able to serve, and Goodera, for supporting our volunteer program and curating the experience.

A refreshed mission and new leadership at the helm of the Military Veterans Employee Resource Group

Wed, 23 Aug 2023 16:00:00 +0000

We are proud of each of our Employee Resource Groups (ERG), supporting our employees and creating communities.

Our Military Veterans ERG is building momentum, supporting veterans and their familes in our workforce. It supplies education and opportunities, answers questions from all team members, and fosters a greater understanding of the value veterans provide to corporations.

The members of the ERG recently appointed a new chairperson, Rob Payne, to guide the priorities of the group. “Our primary objective is to broaden awareness of our group and to create an environment of inclusion, where we embrace and honor Veterans from all countries,” said Rob.

Rob is a Veteran of the United States Air Force, where he served on active duty for 21 years. His professional background in the Air Force was in HR Operations, Employee Relations, Learning & Development, and Human Resources Business Partnering roles. He joined the Cloud Software Group Human Resources Business Partner team (via Citrix) in September of 2021.

It is important to bring veteran team members together with non-veterans and foster a conversation and mutual understanding. Rob says, “I’m very passionate about advocating for military Veterans transitioning from the service and creating mentorship programs to provide career advice and support.”

The Cloud Software Group Military Veterans ERG isn’t designed just for United States Veterans, or only people who had the opportunity to serve their country. “It aims to foster an environment where we can learn about how other countries honor their Veterans and supply tangible stories to employees who are curious about what life was like as a Veteran. Everyone is welcome to join our group.” said Rob.

If you are passionate about cloud software and contributing to communities with diverse lived experiences, we’d love to hear from you.

The Scope of HR in Our Business

Wed, 13 Sep 2023 15:42:30 +0000

As we continue to evolve one of the largest private enterprise software companies in the world, we find our HR team members in the center of the activity. We are aligning business goals and products from across legacy Citrix and TIBCO business units, onboarding to new systems, and evolving our processes to spotlight best practices. Our people, our teams, make this all possible. (Learn more about the combined strength of Citrix and TIBCO.)

“We are a people business. People build, sell, and support our products, and 80% of our company’s costs are related to people,” says Gayatri Kunjithaya, our Head of HR. “Attracting, developing, and retaining top, diverse talent is a key competitive advantage for all companies.”

Gayatri acknowledges the amount of effort and speed of change that came with the formation of Cloud Software Group was unlike any she had witnessed in her career. As it continues to evolve, Cloud Software Group is full of incredible career opportunities.

Our ongoing mission is to continue uniting these two world leaders in cloud software, which includes the work of merging legal entities, defining compensation and benefits programs for each country, and developing new policies and practices for the continuing company entity.

“HR is a highly impactful function,” Chief Legal and Administrative Officer Tony Gomes said. “People are at the core of driving our business outcomes, and HR shapes the employee experience in how our organizations are designed and resourced, and how people are compensated and rewarded.”

Since people are so fundamental to our business, we are focusing on building strong Total Rewards packages, including a new job framework, aligning with market pricing, a mid-year merit increase, a variable compensation plan, and long-term incentives.

We’re also designing the rhythm of the business, such as the merit cycle, promotions cycle, and performance management.

“I focus on two things I need to succeed in this role: productivity and good health.”
-Gayatri Kunjithaya, Head of HR

Our diversity, equity, and inclusion (DE&I) focus for 2023 is on supporting the Employee Resource Groups (ERGs) and identifying additional ways to strengthen the company’s commitment to DE&I. Since we leverage a manager-led hiring model, our HR teams work particularly hard to attract and support individuals with diverse lived experience.

We are committed to cultivating an equitable and inclusive workplace, nurturing a growth mindset, and providing a supportive environment to connect, aspire, and embrace authenticity.
-Sohini Karmakar, HR Partner, ERG Programs

Gayatri dropped a few more bits of wisdom we value:

"As an introvert navigating the world of work that tends to promote extroverts, the book ’Quiet’ by Susan Cain has been profoundly impactful on my life and career."
"The advice I would give a new hire is that we are in a moment where there is an incredible opportunity to learn and grow. Make the most of it."
"As practices to guide my work, I am doing my best to form habits around these ideas:
- Prioritize constantly.
- Your attention is the only thing that trumps your time as being more precious.
- Protect your positive energy.
- Celebrate wins. It’s easier to criticize and see the glass as half empty.
- Chase progress. Perfection will follow."

Five questions to help connect with your colleagues and their communication preferences

Thu, 21 Sep 2023 16:05:52 +0000

As business professionals and technologists, we all partner with colleagues on projects who are spread across locations, functional areas, and levels. We need to actively learn more about each other’s work styles to help sync communication, collaboration, deadlines, impromptu meetings, etc.

Relying on observations and experience working together, whether that’s a little or a lot, can lead to miscommunication, confusion, and incorrect assumptions. There’s a more efficient and easier way to find out how your team members like to work: ask them!

This isn’t about changing anyone’s habits, but it helps gain better insights into your colleagues’ preferences. And it’s an opportunity to share yours too! Being aligned on communication style can help improve how your team approaches goals and works together.

Here are five questions you can ask your colleagues to open the conversation and learn more about them:

1) What’s the best way to reach you?

You probably prefer certain communication methods for different needs, and your colleagues probably do, too. A follow-up question might be, how do you prefer I reach you with an urgent request?

2) When are you typically available to meet?

This question can help you find a reliable, consistent window of time to meet. Meeting at mutually convenient times, especially if it's a reocurring, can really accelerate progress.

3) Are there certain times of day that you block for specific activities, like focus time or batch work?

This question not only complements the first two by communicating availability, but it can also help establish when you can/cannot expect responses to questions. A follow-up might be, are any of these blocks flexible for urgent conversations?

4) What time of day do you feel most creative?

In an ideal world, we’d all feel creative 24/7. Since we don’t, let’s learn what times are likely better for group creative activities, like brainstorming, problem-solving, planning, and creating.

5) How do you prefer to receive praise or positive feedback?

Some people are extroverted and love to have the spotlight. Some would rather not be publicly praised. It’s good to know how our teammates want to be recognized for their great work. For the extroverts, bring them up to the front. Put their picture up in the all-hands. For the introverts, subtlety is appreciated. We still need to recognize their work, but less overtly. Consider in a 1:1 meeting, a thoughtful email, a gif in slack, or a handwritten note on their desk. How to tell the difference between the two? Ask them.

To scale the exercise, and the insight, try creating a shared document with these questions. Invite your team to help fill it in. As a plus, each person can revisit the document at any time to reference team expectations or to update their answers.

Go Team!