Eastman Credit Union

A typical day at work involves serving members (credit union term for customers) with various financial needs - from simple transactions to loans to account problems.  Burnout is pretty high as you're working with the general public all day, every day.  Also be prepared to work ten hour days with a 30 minute lunch break.  I thought this was absurd when I first heard about it and still do.  By the end of the day (especially if you're in a very busy location) you're absolutely exhausted.  The hours (7:30 am to 5:30 pm) are not family friendly and takes a toll on a lot of the staff and their relationships.  The benefits are OK and pretty standard for the industry: 6% 401K matching and good health insurance.  Vacation time isn't very good.  You get two weeks (3 weeks after 3 years with the company), but it's difficult to get time off approved.  The sick time policy is really strange. No one ever says how much sick time you actually have.  Promotions are easy for some and harder for others (like any company).  It's all about who you know and where you're at.  If you work in the Kingsport or Johnson City region, it's easier.  If you're further away from the Kingsport headquarters, forget about it. You're stuck where you're at.

There is a very creepy cult like mindset at this place walking in the door. They want you to think this is the best job you could ever have. They’ll even jokingly tell you to drink the koolaid. They will then poorly train you and expect you to immediately catch on and perform as good as everyone else. If you end up in their member contact center you will be expected to reach 100 calls a day and you will have less than two months to get to that point. If you call off sick and aren’t meeting these metrics you will get fired for poor attendance and poor job performance. Management is super condescending and passive aggressive. For the amount of work you end up learning how to do (opening up new CD’s) you should be getting paid as much as an MSR but you won’t be paid anymore than any other call center in the area. You can do better. Do yourself a favor and don’t drink the Koolaid. You won’t be able to bloom where you’re planted because someone will pull you like a weed if you aren’t hitting the numbers they want you to hit right out of training. 

Things I like: co-workers, customer focused
Things I don’t like: cliquish culture - at times I don’t feel as though I belong, pay could be better, medical insurance is $$, almost no work/life balance (however, I saw the company taking steps to improve this before I left).  

The company has the potential to be a great company. Friendly co-workers, gestures of appreciation are provided throughout the year. Groupthink is very common in this organization and the cliquish culture is sometimes frustrating.  I was passed over for several advancement opportunities for positions I was more than qualified.  When I asked for feedback it was either not provided or very vague.  I felt excluded on numerous occasions and was left out of policy changes that were important to my position.  I decided to leave due to limited advancement, toxic office culture, and better pay/benefits. 

Overall I enjoyed working @ ECU.  My coworkers and direct manager were supportive.  In terms of work/life it depends on your role within the company.  Lending areas tend to have longer hours.  In terms of advancement, there are opportunities but you maybe limited with advancement if you are “too good” in a critical role.  The pay was okay.  Benefits were okay but could improve (specifically health insurance). My biggest complaint would be groupthink is very prevalent within the organization as a whole. If you have a different idea or opinion, you are viewed unfavourably. Senior management at the time I left seemed out of touch with what was occurring in the trenches.  Overall - I would recommend working for the company; however, have a discussion regarding work/life during the interview process.  I went into my role knowing there would be times I would have longer hours; however, I did not realize just how many hours I would work over on a regular basis.

Management styles in various work groups create a very hostile work environment.  If you do not know someone in the higher ranks you are blackballed and never have a chance in advancement.  A lot of clique's and it's very hard to find a place to actually fit in.  You are not provided feedback about the places you excel, however the only time you get any feedback is if they see something they feel you could improve upon.  The management styles is they sit behind desks and complete daily tasks and do not interact with their employees to carry out a leadership role. Examples would be consistently asked to visit your mangers office to assist with problematic issues they do not have the skills to solve, or you implement a process and they take the credit for it. 

Typical day at work consisted of non stop member service functions. Opening accounts , consumer loans, account resolutions, sometimes jumping on the teller line to help when they are short staffed and extremely busy, and so on. 
You only get a 30 minute break for pretty much the entire day ( even the 10 hour shifts).
You can’t say anything negative or offer any type of constructive feedback on the company or you seriously become black listed. 
The things I enjoyed about the job are you meet some decent members and co workers.  That is about it. You really are not compensated on all the hats you have to wear in this role. 

Used to be an amazing company to work for but as they grow (and with the new CEO) they keep getting more and more of that “corporate” feel. Pay is mediocre at best, especially given the scope of knowledge we’re expected to possess and portray ourselves as experts on. Service mentality beats a sales mentality but management consistently sides with members over employees but claim they have your back. Coworkers are great, but there is ZERO flexibility in scheduling even though they claim you have a great work/life balance. Employees are forced to use their own PTO instead of sick time if a child / dependent needs medical care or is sick. Can be a great stepping stone, but don’t expect much when it comes to pay increases. 

What is the best part of working at the company?
The people (coworkers) and the job security.

What is the most stressful part about working at the company?
Timelines but that comes with every job.

What is the work environment and culture like at the company?
Great! They make it fun! It’s also kept very neat and clean.

What is a typical day like for you at the company?
I no longer work there but when I did, typical clock in and out, do your job, build friendships with coworkers, and work hard to meet the needs of our customers.

Take 125-170 calls per day, average handle time 2-3 minutes.  Calls constantly waiting ,non stop 10 hours a day.  Micro Management, Secret Shops by members and half the time they cant find the caller or if they do the situation was assessed incorrectly.  Benefits are costly for a famliy.  If you dont do everything their way, everyday , dont open your mouth and know someone you might advance otherwise you are stuck.

Work and life balance is difficult to manage. Pay is better than other positions around locally, but irregular with paying their employees .  Floater positions make it difficult to plan where you'll be or what your day will be like. Training is well-thought out and well-put-together. Management is hard to reach unless there is something wrong. Friendly work environment. Constant need for growth and improvement. 

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