Independent Banker - September 2020 - 72

a " support bank " for COVID-related
issues in mid-March. As of early June,
50 of the bank's 370 employees had
used some of the 80 PTO hours they
had been granted in addition to the 80
hours or more of PTO each employee
receives annually. Klein wanted PTO
to alleviate some of the stresses of
pandemic life: " We said, 'Even if
you're at home, take time for yourself.'
This isn't business as usual. "
Another approach was to give
employees a monetary bonus to use
however they saw fit. Going this route,
and how difficult life becomes when
plans for care are disrupted. " We have
to think through the entire benefits
package and see how things need
to change going forward, " he says.
" In employee benefits, when things
aren't working for people, we get the
feedback very quickly and can adapt
very quickly, too. "
" Do you change your benefits
package today? No, I don't
recommend that. Things are
just too fluid. "
Jennifer Nodes, Jackson Lewis
Meanwhile, Beneficial's Leach
foresees a chance to reinvent
workforce benefits. " Things that
we thought of as baseline aren't the
case anymore, " he says. " This has
challenged the basic assumptions
we've all been operating under. "
He maintains that there are
important implications from the
widespread use of Zoom and other
videoconferencing technologies.
" What has been wonderful, " he
says, " is we're now seeing each other
in our living rooms and kitchens.
Family members come by, and pets,
too. It really has helped us see each
other for the individuals that we are.
That's powerful. "
F&M paid all nonexempt employees
a one-time bonus, ranging from $800
for full-time employees to $200 for
those working 20 hours or less.
" We wanted to recognize that the
work you're asked to do is more
challenging than it was 30 days
ago, " Hanna says. " We have a lot
of parents-and single parents-in
our employee base, and many had
unexpected responsibilities. Even if
there were no new needs, this was a
way to say 'thank you.' "
Fostering community in the
new normal
Many community bankers are starting
to reflect on what it will mean to
be a community bank in the postpandemic
future.
Klein notes that this crisis was a
wake-up call about " how many of our
employees are taking care of others "
62 Q ICBA Independent Banker Q September 2020
If, as many experts believe, more
teleworking and videoconferencing
are in the cards, community bankers
will need to find ways to project their
friendly, customer-service-oriented
image in a more remote environment.
" Community banking has taken
an enormous amount of pride in
providing face-to-face relationships
and good customer service, " Silsby
says, " and it's harder to do that over
video or a screen. "
That said, Silsby points out that
in the first week of June, Kennebec
used DocuSign to open 167 new
checking accounts electronically
or over the phone. He attributes
these new accounts to the fact that
community banks such as his " are
longtime staples of the community
and many people turn to us in times
of uncertainty. "
He concludes: " We're a nimble
group and this is another moment for
community banks to shine. "
Elizabeth Judd is a writer in Maryland.
Independent Banker - September 2020

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