United Federal Credit Union makes sure to provide support for employees who donate their time to local charities.
United Federal Credit Union may be headquartered in St. Joseph, Michigan, but it’s become a vital part of the local communities it serves in Fort Smith and Van Buren and is one of Arkansas Business’ 2014 Best Places to Work.
UFCU employs 33 of its 493 total employees from two branch offices in Fort Smith and one in Van Buren.
The national award-winning credit union manages assets of more than $1.57 billion.
In addition to its presence in Michigan and Arkansas, has offices in Indiana, Nevada, North Carolina and Ohio.
“We are unique because rather than having our corporate office in Michigan manage decisions in all six states we serve, a market vice president is assigned to each region and operates their locations based on the needs of their communities,” said Noel Sanger, market vice president for Arkansas.
“This ensures a local connection with our members, no matter where they live.”
Being a nonprofit, Sanger said UFCU’s mission is to return profit to its members. Just as important, he said, is providing the best work environment possible for its employees.
And UFCU goes above and beyond in the employee benefits department for both full- and part-time employees.
UFCU offers a series of financial incentives to encourage both good health and good on-the-job performance by offering generous reimbursement programs for participation in everything from physical fitness classes to smoking cessation programs.
Among its many perks, UFCU also assists emplyees with financial security.
UFCU offers a 10 percent bonus program; competitive health, dental, vision and life insurance benefits; a health savings account; a flexible spending account; short- and long-term disability; generous paid time off; a 401k match and contribution; tuition reimbursement; and even a $100 annual UFCU logo wear allowance.
Other perks include gift cards presented to high performers, staff and individual lunches provided for high performance, office-wide pizza and bowling parties, a formal employee recognition program and support for employees who donate time to local charities.
Sanger said UFCU strives to make the relationship between executives and employees an open conversation.
Pool Approach
Every holiday season, United Federal Credit Union gives each employee $15 to “pay it forward” to an individual or organization in need.
Employees designate a destination for their gift and often will pool their funds to provide a more substantial gift.
Last year, employees at UFCU’s Jenny Lind branch in Fort Smith pooled their money together to help a local family with medical needs and whose mother had been out of work. Rogers Avenue branch employees heard about a single mother living with her children out of a local hotel room provided as part of her employment as a maid and bought gifts for the kids and took the family out to eat.
Meanwhile, the Van Buren branch helped a single mother who had lost her job by purchasing gas cards and gifts for the kids.
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