BC Business
It’s unseasonably chilly this Tuesday morning as a huddle builds in the glass-encased vestibule at the Summerland & District Credit Union. At 9:30 a.m., the doors open to a steady stream of members who circulate through queues and wickets or settle into sofas in the common area.
I’m in the south Okanagan town of Summerland, surrounded by orchards, vineyards and fresh air. It’s unseasonably chilly this Tuesday morning as a huddle builds in the glass-encased vestibule at the Summerland & District Credit Union. At 9:30 a.m., the doors open to a steady stream of members who circulate through queues and wickets or settle into sofas in the common area. Standing behind a crescent-shaped counter is Wendy Hodgson who, as service coordinator, is part maître d’, part air-traffic controller. An elderly gentleman stops by to profess his unhappy relationship with his new debit card. “I like the personal service,” he tells Hodgson good-naturedly. “I don’t like talking to a machine.” With spiky hair, a pin-striped pantsuit and a smile, Hodgson, 44, greets members by name and makes sure that if she can’t help them within five to 15 minutes, they get matched with a co-worker who can. I glance at her shoes. Shod in pointy-toed heels, she walks as many as 48 kilometres during a typical shift, according to a pedometer she strapped to her ankle one day recently. “I’m used to running around like a chicken with its head cut off,” she says with a laugh, hoisting a five-gallon jug onto a water dispenser. Instead of lamenting sore feet and bunions, Hodgson pronounces, “I love my job.” All around us, workers appear unabashedly jubilant. At first I’m skeptical, but by morning’s end I’m convinced the ever-present laughter and jollity is as pervasive as white noise in an elevator. And, as I snoop further, I find more evidence to support the notion that the credit union is one of B.C.’s best companies to work for. HR manager Herlinda Mills tells me staff rarely quit and are hesitant to retire. The average tenure is more than 15 years. Mills, 46, has been with the firm for almost 20. The 63-year-old company has a generous tradition of distributing profits among members and workers alike, this year paying out more than $650,000 in customer rebates in addition to bonuses to full- and part-time staff. The credit union works hard to accommodate scheduling changes so staff can care for sick children or attend Christmas pageants and school plays. “We’ve always had the philosophy that if our employees aren’t happy our members aren’t happy,” Mills says. “We get our birthdays off with pay for heaven’s sake,” she adds. “How cool is that?” In keeping with a policy of hiring from within, the credit union encourages cross-training, job sharing and course taking. “Why not educate and grow the people you’ve already got?” Mills says. Upstairs I meet the administrative staff, and it’s obvious from a glance at the surroundings that the company does not stifle individual flair. “Brenda likes pink,” understates Mills, nodding toward a woman at a pink-shrouded desk. Judging by the hue of her computer screen, file folders, desk accessories and neon foot cast, I surmise Brenda may have achieved workplace nirvana. In financial services I meet Sue Southwell, who is 60. Because she wants to retire gradually, she recently began job sharing with a co-worker. “This is a wonderful place to work, and we get awesome bonuses every year,” she says. “The first year I worked here, we received 18 per cent of our annual wage.” In addition to reduced mortgage and personal-loan rates, the company offers a fitness-incentive program in which employees earn points for an array of activities. Southwell has amassed 918 points for doing housework, walking her dogs and quitting smoking for a year. Once she reaches 1,000 points, she’ll receive $300 and a new track suit. Okay, now I’m sold. Where else can you get paid to wash your own windows? Back to Best Companies to Work for in B.C.