Happy campers make for a successful outing. It”™s no different in workplace America, where employees can give their company an upbeat “face” or have it come across as a corporate disgrace.
Being named Best Companies to Work for in New York in 2010 is a distinction that has left Hudson Valley Federal Credit Union”™s vice president of human resources, Diane Allenbaugh, smiling.
With hundreds of thousands of potential customers throughout the region and fierce competition for their business, attracting and keeping customers satisfied has become a priority for financial institutions
For Allenbaugh, who came to HVFCU more than a year ago to work in its human resources department, it was an opportunity to help the company connect better with people on the front lines.
“The happiest part of my job is working with employees,” Allenbaugh said. “We have changed a lot in our policies over the last year to try to create a work-life balance for them. Technology has allowed us to be more creative. Many employees need flex time because of family considerations. It was a happy surprise to learn we”™d been chosen as one of the best places to work by the Human Resources Association of New York (a sub-association of the Society of Human Resource Management.)”
The selection process involved an extensive interview, including a list of policies, practices and philosophies. The other essential was a survey of more than 350 of the 750 employees chosen anonymously. “That was our best measure for determining what aspects of the job employees felt satisfied in or where they felt we could help more,” Allenbaugh said. “Since 75 percent of our total score was weighted by the employee survey, I felt it really gave us a true perspective on how they felt, where they felt we had met expectations and how they felt about the management and employee conditions … it was very helpful and insightful.”
While HVFCU provides many different options for its employees, including flex time, it does not provide child care at its locations as some larger corporations. “What we do, however, is work with local day care providers that are convenient for our staff and who will give them a discount as HVFCU employees. We realize we are working with hundreds of employees with children and many in a two-parent household where both parents work or single-parent homes; either they are in need of child care or they need flex time to work out who will be home to take care of their children, and we are here to assist them in any way we can.”
HVFCU waited three months to learn if they”™d made it through the selection process. “Naturally, we are thrilled to be among the 40 companies chosen throughout the state,” Allenbaugh said. “We are not sure where we placed within the 15 ”˜large”™ companies in New York, but we”™re certainly happy to be among them.” The awards ceremony will be held on April 21 in Albany.
HVFCU has 17 branches serving Orange, Dutchess and Ulster, four of which are in IBM facilities, from which the credit union traces its origins. With more than 225,000 members, its assets stand at approximately $2.8 billion. It expects to open a new branch in Highland in October.
“And yes, we are hiring,” Allenbaugh said. “Despite a tough economy, we do have positions to fill. I encourage anyone in working for HVFCU to check out website and contact us. There is a lot of talent here in the Hudson Valley, and we welcome the opportunity to see if we are a good fit for each other.”
