Thursday, May 24, 2012

Best Places to Work In Atlantic Canada

Last week I had the opportunity, along with Lisa Purchase of Port aux Basques branch and Lydia Bennett of St. Georges branch, to attend the "Best Places to Work in Atlantic Canada" awards. I am pleased to report that Leading Edge Credit Union placed 13th out of the 27 recipients that made the cut. What makes us different?
This is a question that I can easily answer based on my own perceptions and opinions. However, this very question was asked to 32 of our staff and the answers that were provided included words like:
-Great team work
-Friendly work environment
-Not a high stress place to work
-We feel like we are a family
-Respectful
-Encourages training
-Everyone is approachable
-Open communication
-Encouraged to be innovative
-Opportunities for advancement

The culture at Leading Edge Credit Union must be conducive to the service we expect our membership to receive. A happy employee will deliver exceptional service and enjoy doing it. When people love to come to work and the atmosphere is positive, employee motivation will be higher which translates into better relationship building with our members. We have friendly, professional staff, not by accident, but by selecting people whose values align with those of the Credit Union. I am extremely pleased that our organization is viewed so strongly as a great place to work!

Here is a recent article in the Credit Union Newswire, an internal Credit Union publication for Canada.

Seven of Top 27 Best Places to Work in Atlantic Canada are Credit Unions

Seven of the top 27 Best Places to Work in Atlantic Canada 2012 are Atlantic credit unions - including Metro Credit Union, which placed number one on the list prepared annually by Progress Magazine.
Metro Credit Union’s General Manager Bernard Gillis notes, “Metro is full of great employees who take pride in their career, who value the role our credit union plays in the community, and who go out of their way to provide outstanding service to their members. We’re very pleased to be honored this way.”
In addition to Metro Credit Union, the list includes Newfoundland and Labrador Credit Union (no. 2); OMISTA Credit Union (no. 6); Leading Edge Credit Union (no. 13); Bergengren Credit Union (no. 16); Bayview Credit Union (no. 18); and East Coast Credit Union (no. 23). Every province is represented among the credit unions. The list was announced May 17 in Halifax.
NLCU’s Chief Operating Officer Glenn Bolger comments on NLCU’s website, “Having this many credit unions recognized at such a prestigious event is a true indication of the strength of the credit union system in Canada. Credit unions understand that we cannot be successful unless our owners and our employees are successful - and we make it our mission to help them get there.” (https://www.nlcu.com/Home/YourCreditUnion/AboutUs/AwardsandRecognition/index.jsp)
Atlantic Central President and CEO Bernie O’Neil offered congratulations to all credit unions on their recognition. “While not surprising it is tremendously gratifying to see seven Atlantic credit unions on this list, particularly to see the top two spots occupied by credit unions. Special congratulations to both Metro Credit Union and NLCU for this achievement.”
“Credit unions are special financial institutions because we do focus on people; both the needs of our members, and also our employees. Our focused approach ensures that we not only manage our members’ assets wisely, but that we help members and staff meet their goals. That’s our definition of success.”
The role of Atlantic Central is to represent and support the credit unions of Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Newfoundland and Labrador, and Prince Edward Island.
2012 is the United Nations’ International Year of Co-operatives, and credit unions are co-operative financial institutions founded on the same seven values that all co-operatives share. (http://www.ica.coop/coop/principles.html)  The theme for 2012 is Co-operative Enterprises Build a Better World, and awards like this demonstrate that the theme is correct. Credit unions, through their boards, staff and members, are building stronger communities all across the Atlantic region.
For more information on the credit union system, visit http://www.atlanticcreditunions.ca/:
Last Updated on Wednesday, May 23 2012, 10:03AM ADT