Hybrid? Work from Home? Office? The Debate Over The Ideal Work Environment Continues in CUs

 The Still-to-be-Answered Question About Work

By Ray Birch

MADISON, Wis.—With several years’ experience now under their belts, what has turned out to be the most productive work structure for credit unions in the wake of the pandemic—return to office, work from home, hybrid? It’s a challenging question, one compounded by the fact many CUs lack objective metrics for measurement, according to one person.

“As we all know, credit unions first jumped to remote work and then things came back a bit as they tried to create a work environment that as closely as possible reflected ‘normal,’” explained Lesley Sears, VP of consulting services at CUES.

Sears pointed out when credit unions shut down at the beginning of the pandemic they were forced like every other employer to choose only the tech tools they could afford, with many unable to afford the optimum tools to maximize productivity.

“So, some credit unions—especially smaller ones—had to simply pull people back into the office to maintain that semblance of normalcy,” Sears said. “They did not have the time to identify the metrics for productivity, to show them more clearly what they should be doing.”

As an example, Sears pointed to call centers.

“If you're a call center employee within a credit union there are software solutions you can utilize that help you be fully remote,” she said. “But that digital transformation is expensive and it is time-consuming to initiate. You have to understand at a pretty deep level where your productivity needs to be, and what should be accomplished in a given day to equate to a successful call center employee.”

What to do Now?

Lesley Sears

Now that the pandemic is moving further back in the rearview mirror, it's time for credit unions to begin measuring what's working, and then base their decisions on data about how to structure their policies when it comes to in-office, work from home or a hybrid arrangement, Sears explained.

“This is very important, because it will make the difference in their business success, employee productivity and in their ability to keep their workforce assets,” she said.

Sears added the metrics will also help with the “balancing act” credit unions face in delivering on their workforce’s desires and need for flexibility, and what tools they can afford to incorporate into their systems.

“You want the best people working for your credit union. To keep those people, in a number of instances they're going to have to offer flexible work. And if they don't offer that employees have said they'll leave, even to make less money. They want flexibility. I don't think that's going to change,” Sears said. “I think the pandemic let people see that work/life balance is important, and they're willing to sacrifice pay, up to 15%.”

Not Angry, Unless…

When it comes to the question of using metrics to measure staff productivity, Sears said she believes employees will not be offended by new metrics, if they are correctly employed.

“I don't think people get angry about being expected to be productive,” she said. “I think they get angry when they don't know what productivity means. If managers can't come to their workforce and say the expectation for productivity in a given day is X, Y and Z…Explain clearly how they are determining productivity and what it should look like, how they draw conclusions, what training is available…That is where productivity (measurement) needs to start.”

Amidst all that, Sears emphasized a credit union must evaluate its own culture to ensure employees are engage. It’s a already difficult challenge magnified by the different work environments, she acknowledged, saying all three work scenarios must be measured, if applicable

“There's multiple buckets now that you're managing. You have to look at each individually and then collectively,” Sears said.

A ‘Varied’ Environment

So, where are credit unions today in their mix of the three working options?

“I think it's pretty varied. I facilitated discussion around this topic—hybrid/remote—with a group of credit unions over the summer. We met and talked through this, and it's interesting that they were very diverse in their approach,” Sears said. “There were leaders who were very outspoken about never doing remote, and they were very vocal about that. They were passionate about that. But overwhelmingly, most of the credit unions that we talked to have some form of hybrid work. They would have some positions that were fully remote, but that was very less frequent. Hybrid was definitely predominant in our discussions.”

Lack of Understanding

As a result of the rapid shift to remote work at the outset of the pandemic, Sears reiterated she does not think every employer has done a great job of truly understanding what has worked and what has not.

“I think they've done some of that, but I think there's a probably a need for a deeper dive into taking the pulse of the current structure within hybrid/remote/on-site work,” she said. “I think most of it falls in the in the laps of managers, identifying really what engagement means to their teams, and individual members of their teams.”

One CU’s Experience

At the $800-million SeaComm FCU in Massena, N.Y., CEO Scott Wilson told CUToday.info the credit union currently bases its decisions on work environment on individual workers themselves.

“We find it really depends on the individual and their respective responsibilities,” he said. “We have a number of employees who have or currently work remote full-time in our indirect department.  It works well for them and us. These are all task-oriented positions, often lending related. We have also offered a hybrid option, as well, in our risk-management area. This gives employees flexibility to work two days at home and three in office.”

Wilson said the organization receives employee requests to work from home and most of the time the decision comes down to the manager’s preference.

“As I said, it really comes down to, ‘Ia this a position that can be done remotely without impacting the overall work quality or ultimately our service level to our membership?’” he said. “If a work from home request isn’t granted, this can cause some dissatisfaction with the individual employee. However, if there is a legitimate reason and it is fully explained to them, they tend to understand and accept it.”

Wilson emphasized the credit union likes to see employees in the office.

“There is much more opportunity to get a feel of what is going on with an employee than if they were at home and only available by screen and phone,” Wilson said. “This, too, lends more opportunity for advancement as you can meet with them regularly and see the input they offer on a daily basis.”