Credit Union earns second place score among all extra-large employers in Jacksonville
JACKSONVILLE, Fla., June 5, 2019 – Community First Credit Union has been named a 2019 Best Place to Work in an employee-based survey conducted by Quantum Workplace and led by the Jacksonville Business Journal. Community First earned a score of 91.009, the second highest score in the extra-large business category, which included all industries. The credit union scored the highest score among all credit unions based in Jacksonville.
All Best Places to Work winners are determined exclusively based on employee responses to the Best Places to Work survey. Employee responses from the 30 standard survey questions, along with the number of employees that respond to the survey, are calculated to determine the company's overall score and ranking. Surveys were conducted in March and April 2019 after Community First was named a finalist in the program.
“This award is a huge testament to how we work together as a team, live and embody our Core Values each day, and make our members the focus of our credit union,” said John Hirabayashi, CEO and president. “We encourage our members to ‘Love Where You Bank’ and our employees to ‘Love Where You Work' and feel this ranking is a reflection of both pursuits. As a nonprofit credit union, our members are our owners and our employees’ dedication to our members is key to our high level of customer service.”
The credit union credits its commitment to innovative employee engagement as the foundation of its best-in-class culture. Community First has developed employee programs such as core values, wellness initiatives, enhanced and creative performance-based rewards, improved employee benefits and retirement investments and an internal two-way employee feedback program that leads to real solutions. More about Community First’s Culture can be found in this recent video.
Additionally, Community First has an engaging community relations focus with innovative programs like an employee-based “Kindness Crew” and its own nonprofit Community First Cares Foundation with a strategic philanthropic focus along with paid weekly volunteer hours. Innovations in the way our members bank are also seen in the initiatives “Building Better Banking” and Community First’s “Branch Transformation” project; improvements which rely heavily on employee participation, input and feedback.
In 2018 the Community First Cares Foundation set a record of $118,000 in annual funds raised from employees, members and partners. In 2018, Community First also reached a record high employee retention rate of 85 percent, which includes all employees even part-time and those in the probationary period.
Hirabayashi, executive leadership and staff accepted the award at the annual Best Places to Work luncheon held May 23, 2019.
Community First Credit Union of Florida is a state-chartered credit union based in Jacksonville serving anyone who lives or works on the First Coast. Community First is one of the 10 largest credit unions in the state, serving more than 135,000 members and with assets of $1.7 billion. Community First has 19 locations and 300 employees. A not-for-profit, Community First is a full-service financial institution offering banking, loans, mortgages and investments for consumers and businesses throughout the First Coast. For more information visit www.communityfirstfl.org.
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