Manitoba's Top Employers

4 INTEGRITY. PROACTIVITY. COMMUNITY SUPPORT. MEMBER AND EMPLOYEE FOCUS. AT ACCESS CREDIT UNION, YOU CAN BANK ON A COMMITMENT TO THESE CORE VALUES THAT HELP THE BUSINESS TO MAINTAIN ITS POSITION AS ONE OF MANITOBA'S TOP EMPLOYERS. "I believe our core values are something that the staff definitely rally behind," says president and CEO Larry Davey. "The staff here hold those same values, and we see it in their work every day." With 17 locations across southern Manitoba, Access Credit Union employs 270 workers all the way from Manitou to Sprague, including a branch just outside Winnipeg in Oak Bluff. "Access Credit Union has a commitment to developing our entire team — not only our directors and management but employees at all levels," Davey says. "Right now, about 22 per cent of our staff are either enrolled in post-secondary education or are working on job development courses. It's excellent. The staff have gravitated towards this and taken it beyond our expectations." Over the past five years, seven credit unions have come together to form Access Credit Union, with its headquarters located between Morden and Winkler. "With the coming together of Access over the past five years, the employees have witnessed the significant opportunities that are available to them that may not have been available if the credit unions had remained smaller and on their own," Davey says. "Over the last couple years, we've attracted people from Saskatchewan and from B.C. to come and work for us as well, knowing that the environment here is very supportive of staff and of the community." St aff members also know that their opinions are valued, thanks to open and direct communication at all levels. Through an initiative called Ask the CEO, employees can submit anonymous questions to be posted on the company's intranet along with Davey's answer. "Not only do they get their questions answered but they also bring forward suggestions. We've had some suggestions on how to change process, and we've been able to make changes because of that as well. It's created a very good environment for our staff " Davey says. Employee engagement continues to increase, measured by in-house surveys periodically and outside consultant surveys every two years. It's easy to see why employees remain engaged, since they enjoy a long list of benefits including discounts on financial services such as low-interest home loans, bonuses for new employee referrals and a year-end incentive pay. Employees receive assistance with retirement planning along with a defined contribution pension plan, long-term service awards recognize staff members for every five-year increment of employment with the organization and they also have the opportunity to participate in initiatives to support their communities. Events like Jeans Day allow them to dress in denim every Friday for a $2 donation, which is then matched by Access Credit Union. This year, the combined total surpassed $50,000. "For each location of the credit union, the staff chose which charities they would donate the money to," Davey says. "So all across our geographical footprint, people benefited." The company also hosted its annual fundraising golf tournament and matched employee and member contributions to benefit a project called Katie's Cottage. Co-ordinated through Katie Cares, this project aims to build a respite house for sick children and their families near the Winkler-Morden Boundary Trails Hospital. Access Credit Union continues to be recognized as one of Manitoba's top places to work, yet Davey is always searching for ways to improve even further. "I don't want people to have the idea that we're just going to rest on our laurels. We're certainly going to continue to meet the needs of our members and our staff," he says. "We're going to try to build on the successes that we've enjoyed and keep developing those skills going forward. There's no doubt about it — it's something we're very proud of in our community." ACCESS CREDIT UNION Access Credit Union invests in core values By Jennifer McFee www.accesscu.ca dream. build. live. right here. Back row, left to right are Darren Heide, Manager of Human Resources; Anna Wieler, VP of Human Resources; Rich Harries, VP of Branch Operations; Adam Monteith, VP of Marketing; and Murray Derksen, VP of Credit. Front row, left to right are Larry Davey, President and CEO; Reuben Schulz, SVP and CFO; and Myrna Wiebe, SVP and COO. Photo by Darcy Finley. MANITOBA'S TOP EMPLOYERS

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