Notes from — June 11, 2009
Human Resources Council Meeting
June 11, 2009
Robins FCU
Attendees:
Tish Fernandez and Candace Marsh from GCUA
Jeanette Emory, Joanna Kimmanee and Janie Camp from Robins FCU
Jeff Smith from CU of GA
Paula Kitchens from Augusta Metro FCU
Nanci Smith from Marshland CU
Cheryl Thomas from Emory Alliance CU
Romal Holder from MEA Federal CU
Lana Beck from Atlanta Postal CU
Sharon Smith from Southeastern FCU
This meeting was at Robins Federal CU.
In the roundtable discussion, topics varied as usual, and were as follows:
July 4th holiday – the question was posed as to what other CU’s were doing since this year the 4th is on a Saturday? One CU is giving everyone an extra 8 hours of PTO since they will be open on the Friday before the holiday. Lots of employees expressed unhappiness that they were missing this holiday. One CU is looking at improving morale on that day by having a pot luck lunch and casual day.
Cost saving measures... what is being done? One CU has closed one branch early on Tuesdays or for the slow branch, all day on Tuesday. Some are looking at mandatory 5 day furloughs to cut costs. Most have agreed that they are not replacing the position when someone leaves unless it is a critical position. A lot have placed a freeze on pay increases.
Write ups – everyone seemed to agree that most managers do not like writing employees up. A long discussion of how some managers are just not cut out to be managers ensued. Just because Sally was a great loan officer, doesn’t mean Sally will be a great manager. All agreed that most managers need continual training as an ongoing effort to help them deal with difficult situations/employees. One person even suggested that coaching/discipline should be a part of the supervisor’s review, essentially making them more accountable for that aspect of their job. Another CU demoted two Branch Managers because they were unable to perform at the level needed.
Unemployment hearings – lots of us are dealing with unemployment claims and appeals. It was discussed that sometimes it’s best to do in person hearings and even bring the manager to the hearing, that way Managers see the importance of documenting employee performance.
Paperfree – some CU’s are trying to convert to a paper free environment, long process but worth it when it is complete.
Cell phones – what is required from non-exempt employees, if anything? One manager expects non-exempt employees to answer the phone up until 10pm.
Social networking – most CU’s limit access to sites such as Facebook and Myspace, while others allow access during breaks. What do you do if an employee complains about the CU or members while on these sites? Is that cause for termination? All agreed that you should at minimum let the employees know that you are monitoring the sites they visit. Notifying them may deter them from posting derogatory comments. One employee posted how much they hate when members come in the branch 5 minutes before closing time. Another had a employee who posted something negative about a co-worker. Many agreed a policy should be in place that refers to professionalism when dealing with social networks – this can be referred back to when dealing with negative comments being posted on said websites.
PEO’s – one CU is looking at the possibility of outsourcing HR functions to a PEO. They are completing a benefit analysis of doing that or hiring another staff person for the department. They are looking at ADP, Paychecks, Adminstaff and Corporate Business Solutions. Most will handle a good portion of the HR functions such as job descriptions, handbook reviews, benefits, payroll and even webinar training.
Policy updates – with the new FMLA requirements, most of us have spent time rewriting our policy to reflect those changes.
Fraud – More loan fraud than previously and even some internal fraud, fortunately the employee was caught.
EEOC – some CU’s are dealing with EEOC complaints, all get attorneys involved to help.
Background checks – a majority of CU’s use Choicepoint but one mentioned Background Ferret and seemed happy with their service.
Collectors – why do they have the worst credit history… One CU uses a temp service when hiring for that position because they know how hard it is to get someone with decent/good credit.
Dating policies – Does your CU have a nepotism policy? Most have policies in place and have been fortunate not to have to deal with this too much. One CU has had an issue where one person in the relationship sent out a broadcast email. The problem is not when they are together but it’s when they break up that problems arise.
Bankruptcies – do you hold employees to the same standard? Yes and none of the CU’s pull credit after hired unless they apply for a new loan and only then the VP or HR person is the one to pull.
Dress code – some CU’s have a “summer dress code,” do they have any problems and what about the male employees? Some CU’s allow logo shirts to be worn with slacks and with jeans on jean day paired with a fundraiser (CUPAC or CMN) sticker. Others have casual day every Friday. Men for the most part have to wear dress shirt and slacks and/or a logo shirt.
Insurance increase – most CU’s have had to spread some of the cost onto the employees. When doing so, there must be communication involved and the suggestion was made to show the employees just how much the CU pays for the coverage. It may help the employee realize how expensive it really is. One CU pays 80% of employee cost and 40% of dependent cost. Another pays 85% of employee cost and 70% of dependent cost. Another pays 100% of employee cost and 0% of dependent cost. One thing for sure is that CU’s cannot continue to pay as much for insurance so we are always looking at ways to reduce this cost some even mentioned changing their copays and/or deductibles. |
