Treating family like members, members like family

FINANCE IS FUN: Pawtucket Credit Union firmly believes that an enjoyable workplace is a productive one and encourages employees to express themselves. / PBN PHOTO/RUPERT WHITELEY
FINANCE IS FUN: Pawtucket Credit Union firmly believes that an enjoyable workplace is a productive one and encourages employees to express themselves. / PBN PHOTO/RUPERT WHITELEY

What do they say about the family who laugh together?
They stay together.
And that’s just how it goes at Pawtucket Credit Union, the Best Place To Work among large companies in the 2012 competition produced by Best Companies Group and sponsored by Providence Business News, the second win in the category for PCU.
The family atmosphere is bolstered not only by great benefits and a sense of community, but by a prevalence of laughter throughout the day and one cold, hard fact: They’ve never laid off a single employee.
“We are allowed to be productive at work, yet at the same time, express ourselves as individuals,” said Anne Bernier-LaFleur, vice president of human resources at the 85-year-old institution.
“PCU has never had a layoff, so we all have a sense that our jobs are here for us. Additionally, PCU takes the time to give recognition for a job well done,” she said. Even during recent difficult economic times, employees were given increases and bonuses to recognize their hard work and strategic-goal achievements. We have a great management team that put all of the pieces into place.”
PCU soon will open its 15th branch in Rhode Island. It is known for providing excellent service and quality products for its members, a trait that has stuck as it continues to grow in a difficult economy. PCU prides itself on its broad and competitive retail and commercial product lines, including mortgages, home equity and auto loans – plus attractive deposit and loan rates with competitive banking fees.
Given all that, you may be surprised to find out that during all that economic heavy-lifting, the credit union’s staff is also having a good time.
As proof, Bernier-LaFleur said you can often hear laughter coming from different departments when you are walking through the building. “As a PCU family, we recognize our employees’ life stages, from babies, graduations, marriages and ultimately, deaths. We provide employees with a homebuyer program, to help them when purchasing a home and support our employees by providing scholarships to their children,” Bernier-LaFleur said.
Employee longevity is a mainstay. “Just last year, an employee celebrated 50 years of employment with PCU. This year, our [chief operating officer] will celebrate his 40th anniversary with PCU,” said Bernier-LaFleur.
To put it simply, PCU is a place where employees celebrate the stages of life with one another. This applies to milestones in and out of the office.
Its Employee Appreciation Week is just as it sounds. The company takes an entire week to demonstrate how important employees are to the organization. PCU offers plenty of food, fun, games and prizes that are shared by all.
The holiday party features not only a live band, but dinner options that include steak and shrimp, a dessert buffet table and – wait for it – an open bar.
On the other side of the party coin is PCU’s extensive wellness program that includes Zumba and Boot Camp exercise programs at discount prices, a wellness library and chair massages. Employees will need to take advantage of those programs if they are going to truly enjoy the company’s other events, such as the chili cook-off, cookie exchange, summer cookout and the annual visit from the ice cream man.
“We provide resources for every aspect of our employees’ work and personal life, like our [employee-assistance program] and our wellness programs. We are concerned about the mental and physical well-being of our employees as well as their ability to produce high-quality work and understanding how that philosophy goes hand-in-hand. We have fantastic benefits and take an entire week to show our employees how much we appreciate them. In a nutshell, that’s what we do – we consider the whole person,” Bernier-LaFleur said.
In addition, management considers the makeup of the entire company, as well.
PCU annually reflects on its success in recruiting and retaining an ethnically and culturally diverse workforce. One of its strategic goals is to ensure that its workforce mirrors the communities it serves, a goal it hits by setting and meeting affirmative action goals and achievements.
For many years now, PCU has exceeded, or at the very least, met all of its set goals. A third-party vendor measures the achievements. In late 2011, the human resources department requested that the vendor prepare a report to be shared with the board of directors explaining its exemplary efforts, exceeding goals as compared with other organizations within the state.
To make sure everyone is on the same page, PCU created an annual training event.
“Our employees attend annual PCU Experience training to ensure that everyone understands our mission to be the best financial institution in Rhode Island by providing high-quality, personal, consistent and unique member service,” Bernier-LaFleur said. She said a key component of the training is “that we treat one another with the same courtesy, professionalism and respect that our members have come to depend on from our employees,” she said.
The sense of family and responsibility extends to PCU’s community as well. The company has a multiyear financial and volunteer commitment to organizations such as Special Olympics of Rhode Island, Boys & Girls Clubs of Pawtucket and home and hospice care groups.
Sometimes, the faces of charity are right in front of them.
“One of our employees informed us that her sister was battling breast cancer, but had no medical insurance,” said Bernier-LaFleur. “Our employees immediately rallied together and donated several thousand dollars out of their own pockets to help defray the cost of cancer treatments. Our family extends not only to ourselves, but to our community as well.” •

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