Independent Banker - September 2020 - 69
How to handle employee requests
for new and diff erent benefi ts
In the coming months, community bankers will almost certainly face requests
for changes to benefits. Here are some ways to prepare.
Canvas employees. Randell Leach, interim CEO at Beneficial State Bank in
Oakland, Calif., has relied on employee surveys to gauge sentiment. " We have a
wealth of insights from our team, " he says, " and these ideas will inform how we
create work-from-home benefits for the future. "
Early in the pandemic, Andrew Silsby, president and CEO of Kennebec
Savings Bank in Augusta, Maine, surveyed employees to learn who would face
serious challenges if schools and day care centers closed. He worked with
the 15 employees who said that these situations would create a hardship and
" prioritized them in our deployment activities, trying to let them work from
home. " His motto has been that " we're in this storm together, but we're all in
diff erent boats. " Communicating regularly allows him to help employees solve
whatever problems they face.
Form a taskforce. Janet Olawsky, an attorney at Jackson Lewis, a labor and
employment law firm in Minneapolis, recommends creating a coronavirus
taskforce to consider everything from the safety of branch facilities to changes
in workplace benefits. When it comes to making employees feel confident
about returning to branches and off ices, having a well-articulated plan, she
says, is critical. " We want banks to communicate their plans, " she says. " Then
if an employee says, 'I don't feel safe here,' the bank can say, 'No, we are
completely prepared, and here's our taskforce and what we're doing. This is a
safe environment.' "
Encourage many voices in decision-making. Olawsky advises community
bankers to listen to " a mix of people within the bank. " Ideally, she says, a
taskforce might include people " who can put a stamp on something and make
it happen, " as well as tellers and employees in administrative positions. " A lot
of times, " she adds, " employees have a better finger on the pulse of what other
employees are feeling-and what their concerns are. "
Be flexible. Jennifer Nodes, an attorney at Jackson Lewis, considers adapting
policies rather than making permanent changes a wise strategy given the
uncertainties ahead.
" I've seen bankers really try to work with their team to make minor
exceptions to policies and procedures, documenting that it is temporary and
it's for addressing the current circumstances we find ourselves in, " she says.
" Flexibility is paramount; the pandemic is unlike anything employees have
experienced before, and existing policies and procedures may need to be
periodically amended to reflect these unusual times and circumstances. "
independentbanker.org Q 59
http://www.independentbanker.org
Independent Banker - September 2020
Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Independent Banker - September 2020
Table of Contents
Independent Banker - September 2020 - Intro
Independent Banker - September 2020 - Cover1
Independent Banker - September 2020 - Cover2
Independent Banker - September 2020 - Table of Contents
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