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A crowd of nearly 40 credit union HR professionals and staff attended the latest workshop of the Maine CU HR Council at the Credit Union Service Center on Tuesday, June 2. The interactive workshop covered a variety of topics but primarily focused on the challenges of managing staff performance and behavior, and the legal considerations that come with human resource issues.
In the morning, Attorney Daniel Rose of Drummond Woodsum shared his expertise on employment and labor matters including the myriad of compliance that employers have to deal with in today's workplace, such as discrimination laws, wrongful discharge, wage/hour issues, workers' compensation, litigation and negotiations. Rose acknowledged, "Employment laws are complicated and frequently change. The job of the HR professional is to be aware of changes, and to ensure that your credit union is well-versed on these laws and changes. Communicating policies and procedures with employees is also essential to protect your organization from litigation."
The afternoon session featured Christina Carter of KMA Consulting, who previously worked in the credit union industry for more than a decade, and Jodi Flynn of Luma Coaching. Carter and Flynn provided participants with an understanding of the effective use of mentoring, coaching and counseling. "The greatest asset a credit union has is its employees so providing an environment where they can grow and mature is a must. The ability to bring out the best in people is a talent which takes a certain skill set and training to be successful. Mentoring, coaching and counseling are three distinct techniques that are not interchangeable and, if not used properly, can result in very different outcomes," remarked Flynn.
Feedback from attendees on the workshop was complimentary and appreciated. "Today's workplace and today's employee is changing quickly, and I learned some ways in which I can adapt to be a better and more effective manager from this workshop," stated one attendee. Another added, "The legal piece was very helpful in helping me to better understand some of the areas that we need to do a better job at updating our manuals and letting our employees know about these changes in a timely manner. This workshop gave me a lot to think about."