ST. JOSEPH, MI (May 16, 2014) -- United Federal Credit Union (UFCU) won an Excellence Award in the Strategic Leadership category for its entry entitled Skill Based Pay Program from the CUNA Human Resources/Training and Development (HR/TD) Council. The award recognizes credit unions that exemplify excellence in the HR/TD disciplines and promote credit union philosophies through people leadership. The award was presented at the 20th annual conference in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., April 27-30.
UFCU received the award for the HR/TD practices for developing a multi-step job learning and advancement program that provides guidelines and expectations for Tellers and Member Service Advisors. UFCU Chief Human Resources Officer Cindy Swigert said, “We are honored to receive this award for our program that encourages excellence, provides self-paced advancement for our branch teams, and ultimately provides great service and experiences for our Members.”
The program centers on differentiating and developing Teller and Member Service Advisor competencies. Standardization of knowledge, skills and abilities (KSAs) as well as pay advancement opportunities for these positions had become inconsistent across UFCU’s growing branch network. To correct the inconsistency, UFCU developed a stratified skill-based pay system, providing measureable levels of KSAs and performance results for each position and level.
The program has resulted in increased organizational comprehension and training efficiency for job advancement, as well as greater consistency in Member experience across branch locations nationwide. Feedback from applicants and new hires has been overwhelmingly positive for the self-paced nature of the program, which has aided talent acquisition results for UFCU.
For the past year, Swigert served as Secretary for the CUNA HR/TD Council and served as Vice-Chair of the Education and Resources Committee. This committee helps to generate valuable and timely educational opportunities and resources for the professional advancement of Council members, including webinars, white papers and virtual-roundtables. Swigert has been a member of the CUNA HR/TD Council since 1999.
About UFCU
United Federal Credit Union has served its Members since 1949 by helping them to build a sound financial future. UFCU consists of more than 120,000 Member/owners worldwide, and manages assets in excess of $1.57 billion. Its corporate offices and main branch are located in St. Joseph, Mich., with additional branches in Arkansas, Indiana, Michigan, Nevada, North Carolina, and Ohio. UFCU has been named the Michigan Credit Union League Outstanding Credit Union of the Year 2013. UFCU has also been named the National Federal Credit Union of the Year 2013 by the National Association of Federal Credit Unions.
About CUNA HR/TD
The CUNA HR/TD Council connects nearly 800 human resource and training professionals in the credit union industry across the country who network to share ideas regarding employee development, successful recruiting techniques, succession planning, compensation issues, employment regulations, and health care reform. Credit unions of all sizes are represented on the Council, and its geographic and demographic diversity allows its members to share resources, information, advice, and answers.