The biggest issue is leadership. Morale has been declining for years and leadership continues to act surprised about it.
During layoffs, experienced Operations leaders with years of institutional knowledge were eliminated, only to have leadership positions later filled by individuals from Retail with little or no background in ACH, wires, Check 21, mobile deposits/ATM, IRAs, and other areas in operations. Nothing against those individuals personally, but employees found themselves having to train their own leaders on the areas they were now managing. That should never happen. If you look at similar Operations leadership roles at other credit unions, a strong foundation in those areas is usually expected before getting the job. Here it felt like operational experience took a back seat to relationships and visibility.
The message employees received was pretty clear: EXPERTISE IS OPTIONAL, favoritism is not.
The company spends a lot of time talking about culture, engagement, and transparency, but actions speak louder than town halls and Great Place to Work surveys. Employees notice when experienced leaders are replaced with people who have to learn the basics of the department after they’re already in charge.
