Winning Secrets: Inside GlobalFoundries' commitment to providing a comprehensive and enriching employee experience

Mike Murray, Senior Director, Talent Management, GlobalFoundries, on the semiconductor manufacturer's significant investments in professional development programmes.

As of one of the world’s leading semiconductor manufacturers, GlobalFoundries (GF) focuses on semiconductor manufacturing driven by feature-rich process technology solutions in pervasive high growth markets.

With a talented and diverse workforce and an at-scale manufacturing footprint spanning the US, Europe, and Asia, GF offers a unique mix of design, development, and fabrication services. 

At the third annual edition of Employee Experience Awards - Singapore in 2023, GlobalFoundries bagged prizes in several categories, including:

• Gold for Best Soft Skills Training Programme
• Gold for Best Learning and Development Programme
• Gold for Best Diversity and Inclusion Strategy
• Gold for Best First-Time Manager Programme
• Gold for Best Remote Work Strategy
• Gold for Best Capability Development Programme for the HR team
• Silver for Best In-House Learning Academy
• Silver for Best Holistic Leadership Development Strategy
• Bronze for Best In-House Career Website

As a result, the team won the coveted award for the 'Overall Learning EX Champion of the Year'.

To celebrate this milestone, we catch up with Mike Murray, Senior Director, Talent Management, GlobalFoundries, who talks about the holistic and strategic approach to align employee experience initiatives with business objectives.

Q How do you ensure your employee experience initiatives are aligned with your business objectives?

GlobalFoundries adopts a holistic and strategic approach to align our employee experience initiatives with our business objectives. We identify the skills needed at every level to drive our business and design talent development programmes accordingly. Regular feedback from employees, managers, and stakeholders helps us assess the impact of our initiatives and make data-driven decisions. Our initiatives are integrated into performance and talent management processes, linking development and engagement to evaluations, goal setting, and succession planning.

We foster a culture of continuous learning, encouraging employee input for improvement. By aligning talent development, performance management, and feedback processes, our initiatives contribute to our organisation's success. This ensures that our employees have the necessary skills and competencies to support our business goals, while also driving performance, engagement, and innovation.

We strive to create an employee experience that is directly tied to our business objectives, enabling us to achieve sustainable growth and success.

Q Can you provide examples of how the organisation has invested in the employee experience?

GlobalFoundries has made significant investments in enhancing the employee experience. Here are a few key initiatives:

Talent development programmes: We offer a wide range of professional development opportunities, including leadership development, team engagement, communication, and technical skill building. These programmes empower employees to unlock their potential, become future leaders, and drive innovation.

Training and on-the-job learning: We provide extensive training through instructor-led and web-based courses, averaging more than 21 training hours per employee annually. Additionally, employees receive on-the-job training, with an estimated average of over 90 hours per employee. This ensures continuous learning and skill development.

Mentoring and coaching: Our global mentoring programme connects employees with ideal mentors, fostering meaningful relationships focused on technical innovation, leadership development, and global teamwork. We also support employees through coaching, professional certifications, and partnerships with external organisations.

Online learning: Employees have access to thousands of self-paced online courses covering various skill development topics. We regularly update the course library and encourage employees to expand their knowledge through recommended content and curated playlists.

These investments demonstrate our commitment to providing a comprehensive and enriching employee experience, enabling growth, engagement, and career advancement.

Q What are some of the key challenges that you faced in implementing your EX initiatives, and how did you overcome them?

One key challenge was increasing engagement and ensuring widespread adoption of our initiatives among employees. To overcome this, we adopted a multi-pronged approach, that focused on effective communication and change management strategies. We organised employee session such as brown-bag session and coffee sessions, alongside surveys to gauge the level of knowledge about EX initiatives across the company.

With insights gleaned from the responses, we identified communication objectives and tailored our messages accordingly with the purpose of raising awareness, education and reinforcing of messages. We employed a variety of communication platforms and tools including email, internal social media and multimedia video productions to convey our EX initiatives, emphasising how they aligned with individual and organisational goals. We also involved employees in the design and development process, seeking their input and feedback to create a sense of ownership.

Additionally, we provided training and resources to support employees in navigating and utilising the new programmes. Another challenge was managing the logistics and coordination of various initiatives across different locations. We established a centralised project management approach, ensuring clear roles, responsibilities, and timelines.

Regular monitoring and evaluation helped us identify and address any implementation issues promptly. By addressing these challenges proactively, we were able to successfully implement our EX initiatives and create a positive and impactful employee experience.

Q Do you have processes to measure the effectiveness of your EX initiatives, and what metrics do you use to evaluate success?

In evaluating the effectiveness of our employee experience (EX) initiatives, we take a holistic approach that considers the bigger picture. We recognise that the success of our EX initiatives goes beyond individual metrics and extends to the overall impact on our organisation.

One key aspect we consider is employee engagement. Engaged employees are more likely to be motivated, productive, and committed to the organisation's goals. We measure engagement through surveys and feedback mechanisms to understand the level of satisfaction and connection employees have with their work and the organisation.

Another important factor is talent retention. Our EX initiatives aim to create an environment where employees feel valued, supported, and have opportunities for growth and development. By monitoring turnover rates and retention rates, we can assess the effectiveness of our initiatives in retaining top talent.

We also evaluate the impact of our EX initiatives on performance and productivity. Engaged and satisfied employees are more likely to perform at their best, leading to improved individual and team performance. We track performance metrics, such as goal attainment and productivity, to gauge the influence of our initiatives on employee performance.

Additionally, we consider the impact of our EX initiatives on learning and development. We track participation rates in training programmes, completion rates of online courses, and gather feedback on the relevance and impact of the learning experiences. This helps us understand how our initiatives contribute to the continuous growth and development of our employees.

By analysing these broader metrics and feedback, we gain a comprehensive understanding of the effectiveness of our EX initiatives. This enables us to make informed decisions, refine our programmes, and create an employee experience that fosters engagement, retention, performance, and growth across the organisation.

Q Finally, what role do leaders and managers play in driving a beautiful employee experience, and how are they held accountable for the success of these initiatives?

We believe leaders and managers play a crucial role in driving the overall employee experience from day one.

They are responsible for setting the tone, creating a positive work culture, and ensuring that the organisation's values and goals are reflected in the employee experience initiatives. They are accountable for the success of these initiatives through various means.

Firstly, they are empowered with the tools and training to understand and actively support and promote the initiatives, leading by example and demonstrating their commitment to employee well-being and development.

Secondly, they are responsible for effectively communicating the purpose and benefits of the initiatives to their teams, ensuring understanding and buy-in.

Lastly, they are held accountable for monitoring and evaluating the impact of the initiatives on employee engagement, performance, and retention. Regular feedback and performance evaluations help assess their effectiveness in driving a beautiful employee experience.

Read more interviews on why organisations have won trophies for their HR practices - head over to our Winning Secrets section!

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