teller

relationship banker

customer care specialist

financial representative

senior relationship manager

ESL Federal Credit Union

ESL is falling apart at the seams. The "happy" culture they promote is fake. CEO is out for himself and that permeates the whole organization. He is a bully that is not capable of listening or leading a credit union  How he ever got this position is a great question? As soon as someone has a different idea than his, that person is escorted from the company. I have seen it time and time again. Management by fear. CEO is a dictator/bully and other senior people are intimidated by him. A lot of scared, spineless and angry people running the joint. Joyless place to come into every day. Like a morgue. Branches are also out of control and in turmoil. CEO Makes decisions to grow so he can lap up the attention from those in high places in the community/society. He loves the Limelight and attention. Loves to give credit union money away for recognition and personal ego building. By growing too much to fast chaos ensues and it is happening as I speak at ESL. Because of the fear culture and the chaos from growing too fast, everyone plays the blame game. Most of top execs are not qualified to run a bank this size. Ditto for the board of directors. Amateur hour.Total unorganization with leadership that can not lead or manage in branches or back office. ESL has a very long list of outstanding leaders/employees who have been let go for no reason and with no notice. Especially the CFO who was walked out last year.  Not a way to run an organization. Its the CEO that has created this environment. Time to retire MR CEO.. What a work place you have created at ESL. You should be ashamed of yourself. You are a heartless piece of work. You just do not care about your workers or Members. Its all about you.

The CEO has now come up with another brainy Ideal. Shared Value? Solving the Economic and social problems in Rochester. CEO has hired a few managers for big bucks to handle this new venture. Just what we need more chiefs doing nothing. ESL has too many managers already that are dead wood. Very top heavy.  ESL even hired a consulting firm for big bucks to help with this huge project of solving the cities problems.  Just one problem, the credit union is falling apart.  When will the CEO fix the credit Union? We have very high turnover, poor training, forced to make goals or be terminated, poor rates, poor products, very unhappy employees, we irritate customers with sales pushes all the time, we are understaffed at the branches and we are underpaid as well for having to be salespeople in addition to bankers, We are forced to sell while the CEO gives money to every community event, charity and sports team in town.  What a vain CEO. He loves his photo opportunities and recognition. If only the community knew what a fool he was they may think twice about banking here. They can get more value at other financial institutions who care about their customers and employees. I hate working here. I am treated like trash. The purpose of a credit union is to serve members not solve social and economic problems and be supporting every charity in town. Its also to serve not force products down members throats that they do not need or want. There are days I wonder how this place runs? Why on earth does ESL need to hire more managers to solve social problems?  Way to many already. The blind leading the blind and the CEO has major macular degeneration.

The culture is evil but could be inviting to some who thrive in this environment. Management does not know how to communicate with employees. VP - Branch Center Director will not ever acknowledge you exist unless you are an Assistant Manager or higher. What would it take to just say hello or acknowledge you exist? Very arrogant, rude and vain just like many of the other upper managers who do the same thing. CEO on vanity trip.  The managers have their favorites and it shows. Many termination notices every week from tellers to CFO. You never know who will be next in line for the ax. Very disorganized at corporate level all the time. Advancement and recognition based on who you know and how well you play the game and kiss up. Performance seems almost secondary. Most never advance as you will stay where you come in. ESL is a credit Union. It should be serving members but its serves management first. Backstabbing happens daily. Trust no one. You can not afford to have friends here as they may eat you alive. You must keep your mouth shut and speak to no one to survive.There is too much power in the hands of those that are really not qualified to be over people, lead or hire. Lots of mangers with very fancy titles at ESL, especially in HR. To bad their titles do not represent their management skills or intelligence. ESL could be a good place if not for much of management. The truly great managers/employees are gone that once made ESL great.

Tough goals; from Teller to Banker to CSR to Manager. Customer service environment with an added pressure to sell sell sell sell. You are groomed into selling. Its all about selling. They make you thing you are doing the customer a favor by selling and building relationships. They coach you on selling. They have meetings on selling. The talk to you about seling and making goals. They tell you to sell or you are out the door with no mercy. They have graphs and charts to makes sales and  goals. Its all about sales. They could care less about you the employee or the member. They are obsessed to the extreeme about sales. Its not worth the agrevation for the pay and no chance for advancement. The sales goals are not releastic and you are almost pushed to the edge of insanity from the stress. This is why we have unions in the USA..  One of ESL core vales is carring about people. Managemnet does not care. Its turn and burn employeee policy is out of control. Integrity is another  ESL Core Value. What integrity is there when I am forced to sell a product to an 87 year old woman with alzheimers so I can meet goals and I know its the wrong thing to do for her. Then there is accountability. The managers at the top that are making these decision are not held accountable. They should be fired. This is not the way a credit uinion should be run or managed.

The management cares more about getting sales then anything else and will do any and everything to accomplish this. They don't care about the employee's which to me makes no sense since we are the ones on the front line. All  about sales. If you did good they liked you if not look out. Quick turn over. Managers had favorites.  Bad training, customers always complaining about service, mistakes and long lines. Typical corporate good old boy network. If you are a parent and don't have anyone to take your child when they are sick, forget about raises or promotions unless you are willing to sleep with someone. Changes are made regularly for the sake of change but may not make sense. To many managers. Not sure what they all do.  People are promoted based on looks, flirting and kissing butt but not for hard work. Bonus is a freaking joke and and so is the company party.  Employees are monitored and watched all the time. You are owned by the company. Nothing you do is good enough. Guard your back cause they are out to get you if you open your mouth and go against the grain. Very hard to trust anyone. I heard it worse in the back office.

Not a place for talented agressive young educated people. You will be used, abused forced to make goals and them forced out the door. Your advancement potential is sololy dependent on your onnections or sucking up but not in anyway from your job performance.  Most advance out the door in less than a year. The biggenst problem is that the managemnet does not care about you or the members. Its the drive to make goals and numbers that they are totaly consumed  with.  Its just sick. They have forgot why they are in business.  I enjoyed my job at McDonalds more than ESL. At lest I was respected and was having some fun while going to college. No fun here. My college degree is wotrthless here. They are just looking to fill seats not long term employees. Its move them in and move them out like cattle.  They just do not care. You have to wonder how long they can run a business like this before it all falls apart. I could not even sleep at night from the stress. Who need this BS for the pay?  Its like working in a sweat shop. Ask others that have worked here before you get a job here. You have been warned. You will start at higher pay with more advancements opportunities and less stress at other financial institutions in town.

Sick culture. Constant backstabbing. You never know who is going to be terminated next. It's always someone, which causes a high degree of paranoia and "looking over your shoulder". Trust no-one, because almost no-one can be trusted. Arbitrary changes to departments, usually poorly planned. Management only cares about goals not employees or customers.  ESL is good at 'dangling carrots' to get results, but if you have any sense of decency, you see through it pretty quickly. I found that my sense of right and wrong was tested by the need to meet goals to satisfy management. I loved helping my members, but could not in good conscience 'force' loans or long-term products to people simply to make myself look good. I found another job that truly allows me to help people without having to make myself look big for my boss' benefit. Less stress + not compromising my values = happier person. Very satanic culture at ESL. If you can survive in this environment you could be a candidate for Satan. Many just quit.  Those with integrity that question leadership are usually forced out, many are fired and some are just burned out from the nonsense.  The leadership is the major problem at this Credit Union.

A typical day at the credit union is very busy.  We come in a half hour ealier than we open and have a lot of duties that need to be completed before we open the branch for the day.  These duties can include filling cash dispensers, alarm test and other audit procedures that need to be completed.  I have held a lot of differant positions within the branch in the last 9 years that I have been employed at ESL.  I have learned how to adapt to my surroundings.  I know that not everyone has the same personality and that I have to adapt to each individuall.  The banking industry is forever changing and the hardest part of the job is keeping compliant with the current policy and procedures.  The management team does a very good job keeping the team updated as needed.  The most enjoyable part of my job is seeing the member leave satisfied with the service I gave them.  I always take pride in customer service and I give everyone my full attention. At the end of the day I enjoy leaving for the day that I know I did my best.

ESL always wins annual awards for one of the best workplaces in Rochester, where there voters are employees at their respective companies.  They are a great place to work.  Corporate is located in Rochester - a huge plus for advancement.  I was only there for 10 months and as a teller, and I loved all of my colleagues and thought highly of management.  The training and coaching program are very strong.  I only have two real complains: (1) Working in a branch, it may be tough to secure 40 hours of work.  Systematically you typically begin at 28 hours and only gain hours as there is attrition in the branch.  I was only able to secure 32 hours after 10 months.  (2) Advancement seems very seniority-based.  I applied for a full time position in the corporate office, and after two rounds of interviews, I was told by the department manager that although very qualified for the position, the two hires were people also qualified, but whom have worked for ESL for 10 and 8 years.  I tend to be an employee that likes to work faster and advance quicker than though a system that prioritizes time very heavily.

Many of the reviews here on Indeed for ESL Federal Credit Union tell you what you do on a Typical day. Count money, work with customers, review mail, balancing cash and answer phones. A typical day.  We all know what you do at a bank daily or in an office environment.  How about how you are treated?  Advancement? Stress? Managers? Training?  The training was ok but not the best.  You will most likley not advance at ESL but leave for another job unless you have contacts.  Very High Stress level daily with goals.  Managers are a joke. Very unprofessional in how the treat employees.  Working at ESL was like being a slave.  I felt used and abused.  I dreaded to come to work daily.  Managers/supervisiors very unqualified and had favorites and they made it known.  They loved to play head games.  Not an enjoyable work environment.  I had no fun here.  You will be watched and monitored daily.  A fish bowl environment. Very poorly managed organization to work for!! Not many long term employees.

Top Job Titles	Average Salary
Teller 79 salaries reported	$20.64 per hour
Relationship banker 10 salaries reported	$22.58 per hour
Customer care specialist 5 salaries reported	$22.02 per hour
Financial representative 7 salaries reported	$31.11 per hour
Senior relationship manager 2 salaries reported	$160,268 per year

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