December 21, 2010

Credit Union Management’s Web-only “Facility Solutions” column runs the third Wednesday of each month.

Juliet, in Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet may have felt that a name is an artificial and meaningless convention when it comes to the person she loved, but for credit union staff, what you call their job positions may limit their potential in terms of job scope and performance.

We all understand that change is constant and we must constantly evolve to remain relevant to our members and encourage our staff to be multifaceted and take responsibility for their own success. While we experience and drive constant evolution in services, products, marketing, communications, technology, and delivery systems, and the work and retail environments, how we describe branch staff activities to members and staff often is overlooked.

The past often defines the present in terms of job descriptions. For the past 100 years, tellers took deposits and paid out cash. They waited for members to ask them to perform specific tasks. Today, many credit unions expect “tellers” to provide transaction services, member development, lead generation and sales—to be self-starters, proactive, and engage with members. So is “teller” the right psychoactive name to drive the desired scope or level of performance for this position? Likely not. In fact, by its deep-rooted definition, it can limit and inhibit performance in the new work environment.

Many of these traditional entry-level positions are staffed by young people—the same Gen Yers we want as new members and as staff to grow from within our organizations. Members of this generation are reported to hold more complicated expectations of their jobs than people did 20 or 30 years ago. They are looking for more responsibility, active methods to increase their knowledge base, and a deeper understanding of business objectives and the part they play in creating success. Most do not want to be called a teller.

Rather than trying to rigidly define the box staff must work within, it is often more productive to develop a name that becomes a platform upon which staff can build their skills and competence, and channel their energy. Let’s look at a few examples developed by credit unions:

When is the right time to change staff work description names? Name changes are often developed as a result of branch branding and branch prototype development. This process should employ a “zero base” approach to branch design and operation. The prototype should provide a stage for the credit union and its staff to perform at their highest level.

A credit union’s brand should influence every facility choice and the activities that are conducted within, including what you name the branch and its staff. For example, $2.3 billion North Shore Credit Union, located in Vancouver, British Columbia, renamed its branch the i-branch, with the “i” standing for member “intimacy.”

Early in the process CU leaders realized that staff members were quickly changing from process workers to knowledge workers due to increasing technology, centralization, and credit union expectations of their product and service acumen and member advocacy. The new brand image was focused on developing close relationships with members and creating member intimacy and so titles needed to reflect that branding.

To be successful, branch prototypes must deliver a unique and memorable member experience that increases member development, satisfaction, growth, share of wallet, and return on investment. Staff must operate this model. The more aligned their job title and perception of their responsibilities with the brand, the better the branch performance.

When we consider changing the physical environment, we should also consider enhancing the psychological environment. The better we align staff perceptions of their role in creating member and credit union success, the closer we are to maximizing productivity, ROI and member and staff satisfaction.

Paul Seibert, CMC, is vice president of EHS Design, a CUES Supplier member based in Seattle, and author of CUES Complete Guide to Credit Union Facilities.