FT. LAUDERDALE, Fla.–The days of welcoming a new employee aboard on their first day are long gone at one credit union: first, the welcome starts long before that first day and, second, the welcome lasts much longer than a “day.”
Instead, Washington-based Numerica Credit Union welcomes new hires aboard well before they ever show up at the credit union, and once they are on-site they are put through an onboarding process that lasts a minimum of eight days and can run as long as four weeks. Numerica’s program was explained by Michelle Grabicki, VP of corporate culture, and Parker Albin, talent development trainer at Numerica, during a presentation at the CUNA HR, Organizational Development Council annual meeting themed “Onboarding vs. On…bored…ing.”
Grabicki said she needed to look only as far as her own experience at a credit union to see why good onboarding is needed. When she joined a CU 28 years ago, she said she “placed into a branch where there were pretty defined role positions, and I was the guinea pig with the universal model, even though I had never done new accounts or lending. What did that create for me? Anxiety, stress, uncertainty and, more importantly, what did it create for the member? Anxiety, stress uncertainty.”
Today, Numerica CU aims to reduce that anxiety, stress and uncertainty before the new hire pulls into the parking lot.
When to Begin
“Your interaction with that employee begins from the moment they are thinking of joining your organization. The candidate is interested in your employer brand. So. what is your application experience?” asked Grabicki. “Is it clunky and antiquated? Is the technology experience good? They all make impressions before the first interview face to face. And then you make the offer before you are officially onboarding the employee officially. As a branch manager, I used to challenge the staff to come in through the front door and look at it through the members’ eyes. The same thing is true in the training world. Take the time to walk the journey as if you were the new hire.”
Numerica has created a Manager’s Onboarding Guide. The guide includes steps and suggestions before that employee ever sets foot in the credit union, including having a card passed around to be signed by members of the team the new employee will be joining that welcomes them and is then mailed to the prospective employee. Numerica also uses a Recognition Profile, that asks the new hire about favorite hobbies and snacks and stores.
“The reason we send that out ahead of time is we like to have a welcome basket on their desk when they arrive and it makes them feel special,” said Grabicki.
On day one, after going through the initial HR process, the person is given a tour of the building, and then taken to their manager if their manager is close by. Often, Numerica’s COO will take that person to lunch in order for everyone to get to know each other.
New Hires’ ‘Best Friend’
Upon return, they are then introduced to Albin, the Talent Development Trainer, who becomes the new hire’s “best friend” for the next eight days.
“We spent a lot of time collaborating with our managers about Warm Body Syndrome,” said Galicki. “If you just want to have that warm body in a job, then it’s probably going to actually take you more time to get things done. What we like to do is have the person, depending on their role, spending anywhere from eight days to four weeks in training, before we hand them over to their team.”
Numerica “truly invests” in its employees at all levels and believes learning is constant, said Galicki. Numerica has grown its Culture Department to 10 employees from four as it believes that is what “differentiates us from the competition.”
Galicki acknowledged Numerica’s program has evolved and it has made numerous mistakes along the way. It previously had quarterly (or less frequent) training and orientation. It moved to a New Employee Experience (NEX) that was held far more frequently, but it still wasn’t meeting needs, said Galicki.
In response, Numerica created an Organization Project in which it brought together employees who had been hired within the last three years and asked them what it was they “wish their experience had looked like. We got tons and tons of great feedback.”
Over last six years, Numerica has added 200 employee positions, in addition to those who turnover. In 2017, it added 137 new employees. It has also added three new branches.
Welcome Week
Among Numerica’s onboarding creations: Welcome Week, which runs every three weeks.
Welcome Week at Numerica CU includes every employee.
The Welcome Week Class runs from 9-4, which the credit union has found to be the most effective length of time, according to Albin, who said it is an interactive effort that seeks to cater to all different learning styles. The class is taught by Subject Matter Experts from every department in the credit union.
The first day is a half-day spent with HR and then the lunch, followed by an afternoon that includes videos and discussion.
“The first thing we really talk about, because it’s the foundation of why we are here, is what is a credit union. Where did we start?” said Albin. “We also want them to understand what a cooperative is, and we go through the 7 Cooperative Principles. We discuss what our credit union does in the community that aligns with the Cooperative Principles. We get asked all the time in the branches what is the difference between a bank and a credit union, and there are fundamental differences they need to understand to have meaningful conversations.”
Day Two
On Day Two the training moves into Numerica’s brand, a process called “Brand in Hand.” The CU’s guiding principles are also shared with new employees. On day two, employees also learn about the member service chain and the loyalty curve. Finally, the credit union introduces “Connections,” a tool Numerica uses inhouse that is essentially an Intranet that organizes information around employees, products and the organization.
Day Three
On day three, discussion turns to security. “Every brand-new employee now goes to the branch. It doesn’t matter what level you are,” said Albin. “We tell them, ‘The reason you are here is because of the member. You are going to go work in the branch and see what that’s like.’ They also get to put headphones on in the call center and listen to the calls. Everyone also gets training in the security around physical structures and IT security. It becomes a dialogue; people can ask questions.”
Also on day three, an HR rep talks about PERKS program, which is the “fun stuff” that comes with working at Numerica. New employees also get an overview on its Symitar system and Numerica Financial Services.
Day Four
On day four, Numerica introduces its products and services, in addition to communication tools and doing with technology training on e-services. The marketing and communications department talks about volunteerism, how Numerica gets involved in the community, and how new employees can get involved.
Day Five
On day five, said Albin, two members of the C-suite team come and have breakfast and answer any and all questions posed by the new employees.
Employees are also set up with a “Craft Your Numerica Why” activity in which they are given tools they need to give a 30-second elevator pitch on why they like working at Numerica.
Albin added that Numerica has created a class called “Communication Fundamentals” that covers a host of issues, and it has since been taught to all 500-plus Numerica employees.
Finally, at the end of week, Group Creative Presentations are held in which each person must get up in front of the group and share what they have learned.
All of the work seems to be paying off, according to Galicki, who noted that in 2015 Numerica’s employee retention rate was 78%. To date in 2018, it’s been 92%.