Jo-Dee Benson discusses how she transformed the culture at Cirrus Logic from one with low employee morale and high turnover to a top workplace by applying basic marketing principles to define and reinforce their mission, vision, and values. This included establishing their "brand" around core messages of continuous improvement, innovation, integrity, and communication, and implementing various activities centered on these values to immerse and engage employees in the new culture. After 8 years, Cirrus Logic now has strong employee satisfaction and recruiting success with low voluntary turnover.

1. The Power of Culture: UnlockingYour
Organization’s Superpowers
Jo-Dee Benson lVP Chief Culture Officer l Cirrus Logic
Karen Mathews l Director WorkLife Services l WellStar Health System
Moderator- AndreaWicks Bowles l HorizonsWorkforce Consulting

2. © 2015 Bright Horizons Family Solutions LLC
Jo-Dee Benson
VP, Chief Culture Officer
Transforming a Company
Culture Through the Power
of Branding

4. High Tech – Semiconductors
Since 1984 – HQ in Austin, Texas
~1100 Employees Worldwide
R&D driven, Masters Degree and higher
Average employee salary greater than
$110K

5. Jo-Dee Benson
Marketing background
Started at Cirrus Logic in 1995
Marketing Communications
VP, Chief Culture Officer

6. 8 Years Ago Today

7. Low Employee Moral Top 10 Best Place
to Work
Low Voluntary
Turnover
Strong Recruiting
Success
High Voluntary Turnover
Difficult to Attract and Retain
Experienced Talent

8. What’s our Secret Weapon?

9. Basic marketing principles apply to creating a great corporate
culture:
 Know who your customer is
 Know what your customer wants
 Focus and reinforce key messages

10. First Choice in
Signal Processing Components
Provide innovative, high-performance analog and
digital signal processing components that ROCK!
Continuous Improvement
Innovation
Integrity
Communication
Job Satisfaction
Let this be your first step…

11. Every company has a corporate culture … good or bad
Tone comes from the top – starting with CEO
Establish, define and practice your Vision, Mission and Core
Values…everyday!
Employees are your most important assets
Don’t guess, ask! – employee surveys – a forum to be heard
Consistency and patience
Look for themes that resonate with your organization and
build a “brand” around it
It’s the smallest gestures that can make the biggest impact

12. Cirrus Logic Branding Activities
Candidate
Welcome Kits
Customized Behavioral
Interviewing
Welcome
Calls from
CEO
Employee Orientation
Focus on Mission, Vision, Values
CEO New Hire Lunch
Buddy Program
Early I.T. Setup for New Hires
Gamification Tools
Community Relations
Free Exercise Classes
Innovations
“Hall of Fame”
“Date Night”
Book Club!
“Fresh Feedback”
Employee Surveys
Culture Immersion
Camp
Employee
“Meet-ups”
Free Transportation
Free Guitar
Classes
“Engineered to Rock”
Weekly Happy Hours
Kids Holiday
Party
Valentines
“Bailout”
Gourmet Coffee & Food

13. Example: Culture Immersion “Camp”
Fast growing
experienced employee
population – bringing
“old” culture habits
Centered
around the core
values

14.  All new hires
 Full day
 Reflects on recent new hire
experiences
 Focus on living our core values
everyday
 Power of storytelling
Example: Culture Immersion “Camp”

16. Want to know more?
cirrus.com/careers/