NAFCU Journal November December 2021

36 THE NAFCU JOURNAL November–December 2021 TAKING CARE OF YOUR EMPLOYEES By Nathanael Tarwasokono MANAGEMENT INSIGHT A t Firstmark, we have adopted a saying: The member experience will never exceed the employee experience. We focus on employee well-being; in return, our employees happily take amazing care of our members. Employees cannot give what they do not receive, and the stron- ger our cultural foundation is, the more our team members will remain engaged in authentic service to one another. Firstmark is a place where everyone can make a difference for our members and our community. The cultural foundation of any company begins with people. Our employees make the credit union work, and we want them to feel connected to the greater vision and to know they are valued contributors to our success. We uphold a set of shared values that sets the tone for how we support one another; these values are the epicenter of the work that we accomplish together. Stronger align- ment results in more cohesive efforts and greater outcomes. At Firstmark, we have taken several steps to create an engaging employee experience. Our leadership team has fostered an open door policy where every employee has a voice and is not hindered by hierarchy. Anyone can talk to anyone, and that level of transparency drives more meaningful and honest communi- cation and collaboration. Furthermore, the leadership team frequently commu- nicates with employees in an open and honest way and through various channels to ensure clear organizational alignment. We are currently developing a reskilling program to equip our employees with skills to serve in different areas of the credit union, opening doors for profes- sional development and new opportuni- ties. When hiring for open positions, we seek first to promote from within, which has resulted in inspiring stories across our credit union of those who stepped into larger roles and have been invigorated by new possibilities. It is their stories that tell an even greater story of a credit union that is passionate about the employee experience and its rooted culture. There has never been a better example of a culture tested than during the recent global pandemic. COVID-19 brought about significant challenges that tried our resilience. During the greatest time of uncertainty in our lifetimes, it was important to establish a sense of safety and stability for our employees. We took numerous steps to provide peace of mind to our employees’ families, including providing face masks, enacting unlimited pandemic sick time and approving two $1,000 bonuses. In return, our employees supported our members in a legendary manner, providing hope to countless fam- ilies in our community. Meeting the chal- lenges of COVID brought about a greater realization that our team can overcome any obstacle and accomplish anything we set our minds and hearts to. The highest compliment of our culture came directly from our employees. In 2020, amid the COVID crisis, and again in 2021, we were recognized as a Best Places to Work by the S an Antonio Business Journal , a designation resulting from high employee engagement. This is a team accomplishment of which we are extremely proud, and I am grateful to work with such an outstanding group of people. Nathanael Tarwasokono is president and CEO of Firstmark Credit Union in San Antonio, TX. When hiring for open positions, we seek first to promote from within, which has resulted in inspiring stories across our credit union of those who stepped into larger roles and have been invigorated by new possibilities.