MALTA, N.Y. — GlobalFoundries celebrated Veterans Day with a special event honoring its veteran employees.
Employees of the Malta factory were invited to the dining hall for a presentation by the GlobalFoundries Veterans Resource Group (VRG).
The event was emceed by VRG president Bobby Brennan, a Navy veteran, who moderated a panel discussion by four VRG members. GlobalFoundries welcomes veterans as employees and provides comprehensive support to veterans transitioning to civilian careers through programs, outreach, resources, and collaboration.
The VRG panel members talked about how their military training made them better employees at GlobalFoundries, giving them skills that were valuable in the workplace, such as flexibility, adaptability, communication, and resiliency. The four panel members were Shannon Hanson, Lead HR Business Partner and GF VRG Member; Alex Martin, Senior Manager/Department Director of Testsite Engineering and a veteran of the Army; Jermaine Sykes, Senior Engineer for Equipment Engineering and a veteran of the Army; and John MacPherson, Technician, Equipment Engineering and a veteran of the Navy.
The veterans spoke about how the mindsets they had learned in the military prepared them for employment in a fast-paced environment such as GlobalFoundries. Mottos and attitudes such as “plans never survive first contact with the enemy” and “smooth seas never made a skilled sailor” help the veterans overcome adversity and workplace challenges on a daily basis, showcasing their abilities to quickly adapt to change and find solutions to problems.
GlobalFoundries’ VRG provides mentorship and support to its veteran employees that assists in the transition to civilian employment and offer volunteer opportunities throughout the year. It publishes a quarterly Veterans Voice newsletter and works with the company’s HR department to encourage veterans to access the resources available to them.
“I don’t want people to struggle,” Brennan said. “When I left the Navy, I had a difficult time acclimating to civilian life. When you’re in the military, you’re trained to see things differently, to think differently, than civilians do. It was because of two other veterans that I was able to learn the right ways to talk and the right things to say at work. I don’t want anyone else to go through the difficulties I did.”
Military veterans are highly skilled in problem-solving, accountability, leadership, and teamwork, making them valuable employees. Brennan insists that at GlobalFoundries, veterans are “a turnkey solution for the industry” because of their training. GlobalFoundries employs several hundred veterans, though the exact number is unknown because veteran status is a protected demographic, and veterans can only be known if they voluntarily identify as such.
“Veterans don’t walk away from a problem,” Brennan said. “They don’t have that mentality. They’re critical for keeping our factory moving. As new hires, they can be up to speed and hit the ground running very quickly. My hope is that we can encourage more of our veterans to identify themselves so that we can help them however we can.”
Brennan explained that many veterans choose to hide their status, especially as disabled veterans, because there is a lot of stigma and harmful stereotypes about veterans. Many fear that potential employers won’t want to deal with perceived or preconceived notions about behaviors and abilities. Brennan says the key to overcoming this and helping employers see veterans as the valuable, skilled workers they are is shifting the focus to a veteran’s skillset and training.
One of the best ways to facilitate that shift in focus is by leveraging veteran employees already in the company. They understand better than anyone how to communicate with prospective veteran employees, can help facilitate the transition to the new job, and can better identify and analyze the skills and assets listed on a résumé.
After the panel presentation, Brennan invited Paul Loomis to the stage, who announced the results of the fundraising from that year’s Malta 5K race, which GlobalFoundries sponsors and which raises funds for veteran support. Several tens of thousands of dollars were given out to eight community organizations that support veterans and first responders.
Brennan then announced the kickoff of GlobalFoundries’ GlobalGives and Toys for Tots holiday initiatives. During GlobalGives, the GlobalFoundries Malta location will match contributions to its four participating organizations at a 2:1 rate. During the Toys for Tots drive, GlobalFoundries Malta will serve as a drop-off spot for donations of new and unwrapped toys.
The morning was concluded with a site-wide moment of silence at 11 am — the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month, a reflection of the armistice that ended World War I in 1918.
For more information about the GlobalFoundries Veterans Resource Group, visit https://gf.com/careers/veteran-opportunities/.
Representatives from the Global Foundries Veterans Resource Group hosts a panel discussion for Veterans Day. (Melissa Schuman – MediaNews Group)
Paul Loomis talks about the importance of the Malta 5K’s fundraising efforts. (Melissa Schuman – MediaNews Group)
The Global Foundries dining hall is decorated with flags and the emblems of each branch of the military. (Melissa Schuman – MediaNews Group)