Keeping Interest High – Salmon Arm Savings and Credit Union

As I knock on the door of Salmon Arm Savings and Credit Union, an image flashes across my mind of coat-tailed bankers with briefcases, their footsteps echoing down cavernous hallways. Instead, a smiling woman wearing a white cotton blouse and dress pants greets me and leads me into a comfortable office area decorated in muted earth tones.

It’s 8:45 on a Friday morning, and I’m taken aback when member-services representative Chrisi Davis tells me she won’t be working in the hot tub today. No, not that kind of hot tub, she explains. It’s a raised circular area enclosed in polished wood and glass, where a staff member answers inquiries. Staff call it the hot tub because it’s hot – as in very busy. As Davis describes her work, boisterous laughter erupts from the office area behind us. That’s the loans department having their morning meeting, she explains. “There’s lots of socializing – it can get loud here in the morning,” she says. The doors don’t open to the public until 9 a.m. I watch as one of the tellers walks by carrying a tray of hors d’oeuvres. “It’s Fat Friday,” Davis says, explaining that tradition dictates one of the tellers brings treats, but everyone is allowed to sample them. “Loans keeps theirs secret in the back office, but we know it’s there,” Davis adds with a smile. In fact, food seems to be an important bonding agent for this company. The day before my visit, staff held a potluck and jeans day, a monthly event to raise money for local causes where everyone chips in $5 and gets to eat home-cooked food. Yesterday’s menu featured soups, breads and buns. The $550 raised will go to needy families the credit union will be supporting this Christmas. Last month the staff contributed money for Brooklyn, a little girl with a life-threatening illness. They all wore stickers with her photo, so the public could contribute too. “I was really impressed – what a great idea,” says Davis. “Not only to get everybody inside to know one another, but to involve the community.” Donna Campbell, a level-two member-service representative and a 10-year employee, overhears us as she walks by carrying a screwdriver. “This company still has a heart,” she says. “We haven’t lost that connection.” Although Campbell’s work generally centres on less manual tasks, today she’s updating the credit union’s safety deposit box supply – hence the screwdriver. Beneath Davis’s desk is a cardboard box containing fake leaves, miniature plastic rakes and fake coins. Because Davis worked in marketing before her credit-union job, she’s going to help with the company’s Rake in the Savings campaign by decorating the office. “Everybody has a kind of a side job so they can chip in, stretch, grow and understand why we do things,” Davis says. “Everybody has an area they excel in, so it can make them a go-to person.” Many of its 100-plus employees have worked at the Salmon Arm Savings and Credit Union anywhere from 10 to 25 years. When asked why they stay on, great benefits, working conditions and friendly people are recurring themes. For example, one of the more unique benefits the credit union offers is special hours and programs to accommodate mothers returning from maternity leave. “It’s the variety, the people, and we’re a very progressive, proactive organization,” says administrative assistant Carol Booth, who has been with the company 25 years. “We’re very visible in the community and we’re proud of that.” Back to Best Companies to Work for in B.C.