banker ii

teller

member services representative

executive director

call center representative

Lighthouse Credit Union

My experience at Lighthouse Credit Union highlighted some significant internal challenges that ultimately impacted my ability to grow and contribute effectively.

There are talented individuals across the company who genuinely care about the member experience and the future of the brand. I appreciated the opportunity to contribute to initiatives including brand evolution work, campaign planning, UGC/influencer initiatives, website and communications updates, and cross-functional collaboration efforts.

That said, I found the leadership environment within marketing to be highly siloed, reactive, and at times lacking in strategic clarity and communication. Priorities and direction frequently shifted without alignment, making it difficult to execute effectively despite strong effort and proactive initiative from team members.

One of the more challenging aspects of the culture was the inconsistency between feedback provided privately versus formally. Contributions, collaboration, and initiative were often acknowledged positively in some settings, while concerns around communication style or “fit” surfaced later in more corrective contexts rather than through constructive, real-time coaching conversations. This created an environment that often felt more punitive than developmental.

I also found there to be limited support for employee growth, strengths development, and career pathing. Efforts to pursue professional development opportunities, strategic ownership, and expanded creative contributions were often dismissed or deprioritized, despite being encouraged at a broader organizational level.

From a management perspective, there appeared to be a tendency toward micromanagement rather than empowerment, with limited recognition of individual working styles and strengths. Communication across leadership sometimes felt disconnected, and important strategic or operational decisions were not always aligned cross-functionally before execution.

Concerns raised to executive leadership was often disregarded or deprioritized to focus on other complications within the organization.

I found the culture and leadership dynamics to be misaligned with the collaborative, strategic, and growth-oriented environment I was seeking professionally.

The management of some branches is not conducive to a healthy working environment and there is not enough opportunity if any to advance in your role. I love working with the members and enjoyed the daily duties of my role.


Initial onboarding and training is engaging and innovative, however this is inconsistent when you make it to your branch. You will not be given the support you think you will and you'll find that they are more likely going to set you up for failure. Notifying HR will not always prove helpful as managers could retaliate. Management at certain locations is incredibly poor and unprofessional. Employees are allowed to and at most times encouraged to solicit for companies outside the credit union while on the clock. There is no open door policy with certain managers and they will not hear any concerns or questions you may have. They will make every concern feel invalidated and shrugged off. Most branch updates are on a need to know basis as there is minimal if any communication. This includes available positions (staff updates). Policies are outdated and written to screw you over more than they are there to incentivize you. Coworkers form cliques that make you feel as if you're back in high school unless you bend to their level. Don't bend to their level. Be the better person. Lack of respect and job knowledge is prevalent among most. NECU prides itself on having core values: SASS- Service, Accountability, Sense of Urgency, Selflessness TIRE- Teamwork, Integrity, Respect, Excellence They tell you these values and service standards until they're blue in the face and it makes you feel good that this is what they're about. Unfortunately, you can say the words all you want... Unless you actually follow them, your words mean absolutely nothing.

Northeast is good for if you want a good paying paycheck, but micromanaging at its worst in the call center. No consistency and the management is all about sales and meeting numbers not about doing what is right for the member. You never get the same answer from any manager. You are told you are doing well and then once your monthly review comes in, you are told you need to do better. You have to ask for breaks (but they aren’t guaranteed because if call volume is high, which is almost every day they won’t give them). They tried to micromanage bathroom breaks once and that didn’t go over well. Incentives are good, and they try to make it fun, but the truth is, with 3 locations for the call center, it’s not the same in every location. They say they want your ideas on how to make it better, and then don’t do anything with them or do the opposite. Training is lacking tremendously. Two weeks with one and a half of those weeks with HR. You get a total of maybe 4 full days training in the center before thrust onto the phones alone because they need to meet numbers and “can’t drop calls.” The amount of work is overwhelming and you don’t get time to do it because again “can’t drop calls”. If your in after call work for more than 3 minutes (sometimes less) you get hounded by management asking what you are doing. You have to ask for vacation or days off a month or more in advance. If something comes up and you need to use PTO, it counts against you, and if you have too many you get written up and put on probation. Same for not meeting sales goals, instead of helping you and teaching you different ways to succeed they just say do better. 

Take my advice and go somewhere else. 

Culture is great in practice in the back office, but the individuals who currently lead the retail end do not practice the required culture and leadership practices. I would highly recommend any back office position. 

An MES is taught TMA (Total Member Advantage) to learn how to properly communicate and offer products within our institutions without “pushing sales”. In practice senior management requires sales pushing and you will not be considered a model employee if you don’t make their extremely inflated numbers. General teller tasks are neglected, absolutely zero training on audits and general processing, but if you create a variance/make a mistake without knowing senior management will be CC’d in emails and will question how this happened and why we aren’t doing things properly, but there’s no proper training or procedure's which is why these inconsistencies happen. I strongly believe if the company was federally audited they would find hundreds of issues that have been swept under the rug to make room for sales pushing. 

The retail department is falling apart due to the toxic culture management has created and more staff will leave for better opportunities, or for a position where they can truly treat members with respect compared to a loan number. 

Supports the Teller Supervisor or Lead Teller: functions as cash vault attendant as required, verifies ATM/night deposits, replenishes ATM and balances ATM terminals;
Performs auditing of CDM’s and replenishing, balancing CDM’s; responsible for assuring that vault and teller line cash security and control procedures are followed.
- Open personal accounts, Savings products, CD’s, Retirement Products (Traditional IRA CD’s and Variable Rate Savings IRA) & Business Accounts
- Cross-sell banking services and products to potential and existing members.

- Determines the nature and extent of each member’s financial needs and provides basic
information concerning credit union services, which meet those needs in a responsive and
Confident manner.

- Authorize and approve teller transactions of a non-routine nature, within established
Parameters. Performs overrides for other tellers as required.

-       Completes monthly audit of teller drawers and other monthly audit functions.

- Assists new hires on the job training or serve as a resource to new hires and less experienced staff on the teller line.

Depending on who your manager is- it can be a great place to work. It really varies between branch and between department. There are definitely some toxic managers.
There have been some major shifts in Senior Management/Leadership- if that is good or bad remains to be seen. There have been some great ones go and some terrible ones too.
The new CEO seems to be a great improvement- again time will tell what direction he steers the company.
Certain departments that are the "glue" that hold the place together are not treated well or taken seriously by the majority.
There are some seriously sour grapes but hopefully that will change.
They are working hard to make improvements and to try to bring everyone together. Compensation could be much better but the benefits are pretty good as well as the gain sharing. 

A typical day involves working at the main branch in Portsmouth NH and traveling to the other branches throughout the state of NH.  Depending on the needs of the branch and Facilities manager who I directly reported to.  I had only five co-workers in my department at the main branch but I traveled to all the branches and was known very well by all the branch managers.  The hardest part of the job had to due with me being the first person they put into that position I had to lead the way on what my roles were and what tools we needed.  Lack of tools at the start was also a small issue.  I learned a great deal of things while at NECU.  Banking rules to HVAC repair, and so IT support.  I found the whole job enjoyable.  The best job I have had to this point.  I would not have left if I didn't quit to finish my degree in California.

Loved working for Northeast Credit Union as this was my first overall experience in a bank. I made great connections with the people I saw on a day to day basis. My co workers were very kind and reliable. This job taught me how to care and giveback to my community in different ways. Reasons I left were personal but if I could be back in a branch I would in a heart beat. Some days work did feel like a chore but overall this was my only way of feeling human connection. NECU strives to have the best environment not only for their members but the employees too. I was always learning something new and didn’t feel “stuck” in one spot. I loved being the “face” of the branch and giving members that satisfied experience. Definitely won’t find a credit union that comes close to this one for employment.  

The mismanagement within this credit Union is mind boggling. Goals are handed down without the proper staffing to meet them. To often our members are the first ones to feel this strain.You can’t expect results without the tools to complete them. 
Work culture has completely changed to match that of a big bank hungry to make a dollar. 
Advancement often does not come from within and constructive criticism is almost never offered. 
More often than not at the end of the day your head is spinning from being pulled in so many directions. And left feeling like you accomplished very little.

Too much gossiping and talking about the skills (or perceived lack thereof) of other employees.  Management lacked proper skills when speaking with staff.  These were usually more confrontational than constructive/supportive, even if first "infringement".  Longer time employees  were allowed to be openly hostile to some new employees, because "that's just the way they are".  Staffing needs not meeting client/member needs.

Top Job Titles	Average Salary
Banker ii 13 salaries reported	$20.85 per hour
Teller 4 salaries reported	$19.00 per hour
Member services representative 2 salaries reported	$20.00 per hour
Executive director 1 salary reported	$155,000 per year
Call center representative 1 salary reported	$21.00 per hour

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