It is the skill and dedication of employees that make the wheels turn for Manitoba credit unions. Like many employers, concern for the health and well-being of employees and their families was a top priority as credit unions navigated new ways of working and serving members.
Taking their lead from senior provincial health authorities, credit unions throughout the province put measures in place to protect employees and help slow the spread of COVID-19 in their communities.
“We wanted to make it known to our staff that we were serious about keeping them safe,” says Brent Thomas, CEO of Casera.
“We proactively shifted to appointment-only service in branches and installed plastic shields. We encouraged members to use electronic and online channels such as ATM, online banking, mobile app, e-Transfer and Deposit Anywhere. Our staff was also available to complete transactions, answer questions and deal with any financial concerns our members had over the phone.”
Focused on the overall health and wellbeing of their employees, Casera provided employees with additional vacation time, increased sick leave allowances, and provided flexibility for employees balancing new responsibilities at home.
Employee focus was a major piece of the pandemic response plan for all Manitoba credit unions. For Assiniboine Credit Union, regular and transparent communication with their staff was key.
“There were a lot of questions,” says Brendan Reimer, Assiniboine Credit Union’s Strategic Partner, Values-Based Banking. “People were wondering, ‘Are there going to be changes in hours? Are there going to be closures? How do we do our jobs? How do we stay safe? What if we have kids who are now not in school?’"
"What was most important was to engage with employees and understand what they needed to succeed in adjusting to the changes.”
Taking their lead from senior provincial health authorities, credit unions throughout the province put measures in place to protect employees and help slow the spread of COVID-19 in their communities.
“We wanted to make it known to our staff that we were serious about keeping them safe,” says Brent Thomas, CEO of Casera.
“We proactively shifted to appointment-only service in branches and installed plastic shields. We encouraged members to use electronic and online channels such as ATM, online banking, mobile app, e-Transfer and Deposit Anywhere. Our staff was also available to complete transactions, answer questions and deal with any financial concerns our members had over the phone.”
Focused on the overall health and wellbeing of their employees, Casera provided employees with additional vacation time, increased sick leave allowances, and provided flexibility for employees balancing new responsibilities at home.
Employee focus was a major piece of the pandemic response plan for all Manitoba credit unions. For Assiniboine Credit Union, regular and transparent communication with their staff was key.
“There were a lot of questions,” says Brendan Reimer, Assiniboine Credit Union’s Strategic Partner, Values-Based Banking. “People were wondering, ‘Are there going to be changes in hours? Are there going to be closures? How do we do our jobs? How do we stay safe? What if we have kids who are now not in school?’"
"What was most important was to engage with employees and understand what they needed to succeed in adjusting to the changes.”
EMPLOYEE FOCUS WAS A MAJOR PART OF THE PANDEMIC RESPONSE FOR EVERY MANITOBA CREDIT UNION.
Beyond implementing meticulous measures to keep employees safe at work, Assiniboine also worked hard to quickly transition much of their workforce to work remotely. In one week, hundreds of employees were able to work securely on a remote connection from home.
“The IT infrastructure required was significant and our IT team managed to get nearly everyone transitioned to remote working environments in only a week. We are very proud of how hard they worked at ensuring our employees could continue to serve our members,” says Reimer.
“The IT infrastructure required was significant and our IT team managed to get nearly everyone transitioned to remote working environments in only a week. We are very proud of how hard they worked at ensuring our employees could continue to serve our members,” says Reimer.
A sampling of blog posts from Mona Forsen, then CEO of Crosstown-Civic Credit Union, in support of employees.
|
Open communication was also a big part of how Mona Forsen, then CEO of Crosstown Civic Credit Union (since merged with Access Credit Union), decided to lead through the pandemic. She wrote daily blogs on the company intranet, using humour and a personal touch to encourage discussions and questions.
“She shared personal stories, favourite podcasts, wellness tips, and words of encouragement,” says Dawn Borges, now VP of Marketing and Communications at Access Credit Union. “She also threw out daily or weekly challenges to staff, like ‘What are you doing to connect with loved ones? How are you going to spend the weekend?’” According to Borges, staff felt supported, and that their voices were heard amid these new challenges. |