Webinar TakeawaysHR
A few years ago, Vantage West Credit Union ($3.2B, Tucson, AZ) faced a surprisingly complex challenge: With so many employees delivering strong results, traditional recognition methods no longer felt sufficient.
Rather than scaling back praise or defaulting to generic awards, however, the credit union used the moment to rethink how it celebrates impact. In 2022, it rolled out two different awards –– one for KPIs and one for kindness. Today, they endure as embedded elements of the Arizona-based cooperative’s employee culture.
CU Quick Facts
Location: Tucson, AZ
Assets: $3.4B
Members: 209.3k
Branches: 17
Employees: 480
In a webinar exclusively for clients of Callahan & Associates, chief people and technology officer Rob Hoyle discussed how his team at Vantage West ensures the awards program remains a meaningful, merit-based system for celebrating staff achievements.
According to Hoyle, maintaining a merit-based awards program comes down to four key steps.
- Make recognition meaningful. Tie decisions of who to celebrate directly back to core behaviors and outcomes. Anchoring recognition in both values and results makes it more likely employees will repeat what they celebrate.
- Keep the process simple and accessible. At Vantage West, peers can nominate peers, and selection committees include non-executives. Participation accessible at all levels of the organization removes hierarchy and increases trust. It won’t feel authentic if it’s not open and transparent.
- Based on merit, not popularity. Employee awards can easily drift into favoritism if guardrails aren’t in place. Vantage West combats this by grounding nominations in specific examples while also keeping them largely anonymous until it announces honorees.
- Go beyond a simple pat on the back. Pairing appreciation with real rewards underscores the message that the credit union invests in great work. Vantage West combines monetary bonuses, extra paid time off, and even access to professional development opportunities.
Read more about Vantage West’s Brian Brown Commitment to Kindness Award and Inspiration Award in “Vantage West Turns A Good Problem Into Great Recognition” on CreditUnions.com.
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