UnitedOne ranks No. 6 on ‘Best Credit Unions to Work For’ list

Heather Graves

Staff

October 7, 2024

NORTHEAST WISCONSIN – Not only did UnitedOne Credit Union find itself in American Banker’s top 10 of “Best Credit Unions to Work For” in the nation for the second consecutive year, it moved up a spot – ranking No. 6.

The Manitowoc-headquartered credit union came in No. 7 in 2023, and UnitedOne CEO Kim Rooney said like everything else the financial institution strives to do, “we were determined to do better this year – and we did.”

UnitedOne – a full-service financial institution serving Manitowoc, Sheboygan, Kewaunee and Door counties – is the highest-ranked credit union from Wisconsin in this year’s rankings, which recognizes 70 credit unions across the U.S. ranging in sizes as small as 25 employees to as large as 3,300 staff members.

UnitedOne ranks third among credit unions with asset sizes between $200 million to $500 million.

“We are honored at UnitedOne Credit Union to receive this recognition again,” Rooney said.

Employer of choice

American Banker’s rankings are compiled using the results from two different surveys. 

The first survey, Rooney said, was completed by employees and examines overall job satisfaction.

The second, she said, evaluates the benefits and policies of each credit union. 

“(Making the list) is important to us because American Banker is an independent group that comes in and surveys our employees,” she said.

The results, Rooney said, help UnitedOne “keep its finger on the pulse” of what is changing in the industry and gauge how UnitedOne stacks up with those changes.

“One of our goals is to be an employer of choice,” she said. “We want people to be proud to work for UnitedOne and proud to serve our members.”

Rooney said folks work because “we have to – none of us really work because we want to.”

“So, we might as well make it a rewarding place to be – where employees know that they are making a difference,” she said.

Helping folks purchase their first home or their first car or supporting them if something happens and they aren’t able to afford their mortgage payment, Rooney said, “makes you feel really good at the end of the day.”

Creating, sustaining a winning culture

The open-door mindset of UnitedOne’s leadership team, Rooney said, helps encourage employees to voice their comments and concerns.

“Myself and my leadership team always try to listen to the needs of employees,” she said. “It would be great to say we can do everything that everyone wants, but we get a lot of great feedback to our open communication.”

UnionOne’s employee liaison group, Rooney said, meets monthly to remain cognizant of the credit union’s overall working environment.

“They come to us with suggestions – ways we can continue to make UnitedOne a rewarding place to work,” she said.

Offering flexibility, Rooney said, is one aspect the credit union has worked significantly on in recent years.

“We employ a lot of young professionals and work-life balance is really important – more important than it has ever been,” she said.

Rooney said when things started to return to normal after the COVID-19 pandemic, UnitedOne didn’t require all employees to return to the office.

“We run a hybrid office,” she said. “If there are days you need to be at home for something – maybe you are having work done on your refrigerator and you need to be there between 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. – we’re flexible with that.”

Rooney said UnitedOne is adamant that none of its employees miss any school function.

“We try to make sure nobody ever misses a school concert or a play or anything that’s during the day with their children,” she said.

That focus on family, Rooney said, prompted the credit union to update its maternity and paternity leave processes.

“This year, we went with fully paid maternity and paternity leave for our employees,” she said. “We are the only ones in the market at this point, I believe, that are offering that.”

The credit union’s paternity leave, Rooney said, also comes with flexibility.

“Sometimes mom stays home right away to recover and be with baby – but then when mom goes back to work, dad can take off,” she said. “It’s a nice benefit to help families adapt as it is a big change.”

When employees know everything is taken care of at home, Rooney said, “they’re better when they come to work, and they can serve our members better.”

Each employee is awarded a day off during their work anniversary – which she said is a way to say “thank you.”

Rooney said UnitedOne recently piloted a new work-week schedule at its contact center location – which is where the credit union’s customer services representatives answer phones and interactive teller machines tellers work.

“We just went to a 32-hour work week for that branch – but they’re paid for 40,” she said. “We’re experimenting with it. It’s kind of a stressful job, the hours are long and it keeps a lot of people to keep that rolling.”

Launching the new hours this summer, Rooney said, “so far, so good.”

“During that time, I believe we only had one person leave (at that branch) – which has not been the case previously,” she said.

The success seen at that contact center, Rooney said, has prompted other departments to look at the feasibility of a similar schedule.

“If other departments want to try it, they have to figure out what they will be tracking – we want some key performance indicators for each area interested in doing it,” she said. “We want to make sure we aren’t slipping in member service or not getting things done that need to get done – but if the team can do it, we’re all for them trying.”

UnitedOne’s commitment to the communities it serves, Rooney said, is another aspect of the credit union well received by employees.

“All employees receive paid time off every year to give back to the community to area nonprofits,” she said. “I’m a member of several area boards, as are other members of the leadership team. We live and work in our communities, and we feel strongly about making sure that we do all we can to make them good places to live and work.”

In 2023, UnitedOne employees contributed a combined more than 1,700 hours of service to community nonprofits.

Rooney said UnitedOne also works with local educators and leaders to find ways to support financial literacy in schools.

“Our partnership with the Manitowoc Public School District (MPSD) dates back to the opening of our first school branch at Monroe Elementary in 1996,” she said.

Today, UnitedOne has branches in eight MPSD schools, providing students with real-world career experiences through youth apprenticeships.

“Our student-led branches are open to students and school staff members,” she said.

Each year, Rooney said UnitedOne also offers one scholarship to a Manitowoc County resident member and one to a Sheboygan County resident member.

Other UnitedOne employee incentives – such as competitive pay, inclusive onboarding program and progressive benefits, including pet bereavement and grandparent-bonding leave – Rooney said help set the credit union apart in the talent attraction and retention game.

In addition, she said UnitedOne’s continuing education and shadowing opportunities for vertical movement and field specialization can help employees move the needle from job to career.

Rooney said by fostering a supportive culture through the efforts of its leadership team and board of directors, UnitedOne empowers employees to achieve their best. 

“This dedication ultimately translates into extraordinary experiences for our members, who are at the core of everything we do,” she said.

Though smaller than some of the other credit unions that call Northeast Wisconsin home, Rooney said UnitedOne’s all-hands-on-deck mindset helps set it apart from the pack.

“We believe in what we do,” she said. “We believe our mission is to help people thrive financially, and we stay focused on doing the best we can every day.”

With a footprint of about a dozen locations and a team of more than 90 employees, Rooney said UnitedOne’s focus on being an employer of choice directly impacts its members.

“Keeping our employees focused, empowered and happy means they are going to treat our members better, too – and that’s really what’s most important,” she said.

Rooney said it all comes back to UnitedOne’s seven principles: member-focused approach, flexible scheduling, remote work, family first, work-life harmony, efficiency and productivity and performance and accountability.

Continuing to improve

With this year’s rankings complete, Rooney said UnitedOne is already focused on next year’s – as the leadership team continues to focus on making UnitedOne Credit Union an employer of choice.

“Laura Fielding, our chief human resources officer, has been instrumental in helping us achieve these goals,” she said. “In fact, she was hired five years ago with the sole purpose of focusing on our employees – making sure they have everything they need to be successful and that we are an employer of choice.”

Rooney said though not everything employees want to see at UnitedOne is attainable, “a lot of it is.”

“If it would make our employees feel happier or give them something that helps them – we’re all for it,” she said. “I think continuing to listen and be flexible is key. We all have things happen in our lives, and we shouldn’t be something we have to worry about during those times.”

A bit of history

UnitedOne Credit Union, Rooney said, was founded in 1938 by local aluminum workers at what became Mirro Aluminum Company.

“When we started, we could only serve Mirro employees,” she said.

Over time, she said the credit union grew, and “we were then able to serve people in the City of Manitowoc and then Manitowoc County.”

“In 2000, we merged with First Superior Credit Union in Sheboygan, and we became UnitedOne,” she said. “Today, we can serve anyone who lives or works in Sheboygan, Manitowoc, Kewaunee or Door counties. We’ve been around for 86 years – a long time.”

Through it all, Rooney said the credit union’s philosophy has remained the same –  “We’re here because you’re here.”

For more on UnitedOne Credit Union, visit unitedone.org.