State Employees’ Credit
Union
Teller Training Evaluations and Recommendations
By:
Cherie Fontanilla
Paige Mauney
Emily Moss
Travis Orr
11/19/2009
Table of Contents
Introduction ..................................................................................................................................... 3
How does training relate to the company goals? ............................................................................ 4
How consistent is SECU’s training function with other HR sub functions? .................................. 5
Evaluation of Training .................................................................................................................... 8
Strengths ......................................................................................................................................... 9
Weaknesses ................................................................................................................................... 12
Recommendations ......................................................................................................................... 14
Works Cited .................................................................................................................................. 18
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Introduction
State Employees’ Credit Union (SECU), a member-owned non-profit cooperative,
prides itself on being the second largest credit union in the nation. When SECU began in
1937, it had only seventeen members and $437 in assets. Since then, SECU has
experienced tremendous growth in membership. Along with the basic products and
services that a financial institution offers, which include processing demand deposits and
cash withdrawals, SECU also provides distinctive products and services such as salary
advance loans, mortgage options, youth accounts, summer cash accounts, and holiday
accounts (2009). What, then, makes SECU such a successful company? SECU
employees are able to build and maintain trust with their members because of extensive
and on-going training, and the fruits of their labor are evident. In other words, they train
to retain.
For SECU’s 1.5 million memberships with $16 billion in assets as of 2008, there
are 218 branches, 980 ATMs, two call centers, and a website to accommodate member
needs (2009). Members conduct their daily transactions at these branches, so the tellers
must be the face of the organization. This paper evaluates teller training, how it aligns
with organizational goals, the training program’s consistency with other HR sub
functions, and how the training programs are evaluated. Based on our review of these
evaluations strengths and weaknesses have been identified and recommendations have
been provided. Tellers create and uphold SECU’s respectable image and it is essential
that they make a lasting impression on the member. Upon conducting considerable
research on the teller position at SECU, it is evident that training is the foundation for the
success of the organization.
How does training relate to the company goals?
The goal of the credit union is: “People Helping People in North Carolina”
(2009). The Credit Union is able to achieve this goal by: “Promoting thrift among its
members by affording them an opportunity to accumulate their savings, create for them a
source of credit at a fair and reasonably rate of interest, and provide for its members an
opportunity to use and control their money to improve their economic and social
condition” (2009). SECU employee training programs reinforce the company’s goals
because they are essential for the success of the credit union. Both classroom and one-on-
one workplace settings are used in employee training at the SECU. The Credit Union
tellers are trained to interact on a personal level with members to ensure they are happy
with the services they received. Also tellers are trained to ensure they have the experience
necessary to protect the member’s assets and assist with any transactions the member
requests.
The more members and assets the credit union has the more discounts and returns
they can provide for their members. The credit union strives to have properly trained
individuals to ensure customer satisfaction and security of assets to ensure a growing
membership base to be able to provide the maximum rewards for SECU membership. If
tellers are trained properly they can advise members on how to handle their money to
promote thrift and accumulate savings, while offering them fair interest rates, and
providing opportunities to control their money. SECU tellers are given “tips of the day”
such as: smile and approach members with a positive response, ask questions and learn
something new each day, do a good deed daily, don’t let speed replace accuracy, and
don’t allow errors or mistakes to have an effect on you (SECU Teller Training Manual,
2009). Working and training at the SECU is an ongoing process that never stops. For
example, the tip of the day, “Ask questions and learn something new each day” states:
“with all the resources at your disposal (SECU library, online, your mentor at your
branch and other employees) it won’t be hard to find an answer to any questions you
have. Make it a point to learn something new, don’t hesitate to ask questions. No question
is too stupid to ask. With all the changes being lined up for the future, it’s important that
the faces of the credit union are well informed” (SECU Teller training manual, 2009).
This reinforces teller training to assert yourself in the workplace and to take advantage of
the resources you have to improve your knowledge, skills, and abilities to benefit the
SECU and its members. Tellers feel empowered through their training and the tips given
to help members with their financial needs because it reinforces the company’s mission
of “People helping People.”
How consistent is SECU’s training function with other HR sub functions?
State Employees Credit Union training sector stays consistent with other functions
of HR by offering performance appraisals (evaluations by the employer and employee) to
assess each employee’s progress and any further training needed. SECU offers increased
compensation for passing training tests. The training function within SECU is also
consistent with recruitment and selection in which they have an extensive training
program for newly selected tellers.
The performance management appraisal form to be completed by the employee
requires him or her to describe any training or education they have received since their
last evaluation. This helps the employer to assess the previous training as well as see any
further needs for training. The form also requires the employee to state their strengths
related to their duties and responsibilities. This is helpful to the employee because they
become aware of their strengths and hopefully continue to be aware and strive in those
areas. They are asked to identify areas of improvement to enhance their effectiveness
which helps the employer assess the needs for training. The employer asks them about
any changes they would like to see take place and suggestions or recommendations for
those changes. This area of the evaluation is important in regards to training because
they get all of the tellers input and can go from there in determining what types of
training or changes need to be made within the organization. The last few questions have
the employee explain their short- term or long-term career goals, and any goals they have
achieved since the last evaluation. This is a good assessment on how the employee is
performing pertaining to his or her goals and the ways he or she personally is achieving
those goals as well as the organization contributing to those goals. These contributions
could be through training the tellers by equipping them with more knowledge and skills
to be able to perform more effectively. Each of the questions in the performance
evaluation appraisal is very helpful in relation to training the tellers (performance
appraisal form).
Compensation has an important role in training tellers as well. According to
Katie Nelson, a current SECU employee, “SECU has a module training program to keep
the employees up to date with the company’s services/products and each module they
pass they receive a raise.” These modules are tests consisting of questions regarding the
company’s processes, duties, and services (Teller Training Workbook). Each employee
studies and trains to pass the modules, to receive a raise, which is their incentive to train.
Katie Nelson, an employee with SECU, stated “Trust me, I don’t enjoy studying and
taking the test, but I love the money and it makes me better at my job!” SECU has a
great program set up for training tellers by offering an incentive in compensation.
Once SECU has conducted interviews and compared applications and interviews
among the potential candidates, they select the best candidates based upon the need to fill
positions within their branch. Once the candidates have been chosen, they go through a
three week training process. This process requires the employees to take a test everyday
during the three week period and they must score a 90 or above. At the end of the three
week period, the manager fills out a progress report for each new employee and, “this
report evaluates the week’s performance in class, test scores, attendance and tardiness,
appearance and coherence with dress code, and overall improvement” (Susan Perdue,
personal communication, September 3, 2009). Once each employee is evaluated on these
areas, they are required to take a written test that includes all of the information included
in training and they must score a 90 or above. Once each employee has successfully
completed this part of training, they move on to the mentoring part of the training
program. During this part of the program, they receive a personal mentor for the first
week to answer any questions they may have. Then the next two weeks, they share
mentors with the other new tellers. The tellers are then evaluated by the mentors in
regards to their overall training, knowledge, and respect to members. Then it is
ultimately the decision of the Vice President of the branch to make a decision for them to
be released to begin work at their branch (Susan Perdue, personal communication,
September 3, 2009).
Evaluation of Training
The completion of training is not important if there are not expectations and goals
set by the organization to evaluate the training’s effectiveness. SECU sets strict
guidelines that are followed throughout their training programs, and before each new
training session, they review all training concepts to make sure they are still relevant
(Brandy Kuzenski, personal communication, September 15, 2009). SECU’s evaluation
of training occurs through summative evaluation by looking at test scores, progress
reports, attendance, coherence with a dress code, trainees’ overall improvement, and
mentor evaluation.
Summative evaluation looks at the extent by which trainees have changed due to
training. Specifically, have trainees acquired the knowledge, skills, attitudes, and
behaviors that were identified in the training objectives. Also, is the information that the
trainee learned being used properly on the job (Noe, 2008, p. 177).
SECU uses a series of tests to determine if the knowledge and skills need to
perform are being acquired in training. Susan Perdue, a SECU employee, stated,
“Everyday in the first three weeks of training there were tests. You were required to
score a 90 or above on all tests.” At the end of the first few weeks of training, a written
exam is administered that tests applicants’ knowledge of all the information covered in
training. A score of 90 or above is required on this test to move on to mentor guided
training (Susan Perdue, personal communication, September 3, 2009).
During the mentor guided training, each trainee is evaluated by a mentor who sits
with them and watches, listens, and verifies the trainee’s work. The mentor is able to
determine if the attitudes, behaviors, and performance needed are obtained through
training. If the trainee knows their job tasks they are then considered to be on their own.
Tellers are subject to have their calls listened in on or their job performance watched.
These random checks are evaluated and then each trainee meets with their mentor to
discuss their performance. For example, if all tasks are being followed correctly then the
meeting will discuss additional tasks or options the trainee could have taken. For the first
two years of employment, each employee meets twice a year for these evaluations (Katie
Nelson, personal communication, September 7, 2009).
The Vice President has ultimate say in determining if training was effective
(Susan Perdue, personal communication, September 3, 2009). If test scores, attendance,
the percentage of overall improvement, and the percentage of applicants that are coherent
with the dress code meet the set standards from the training objectives, then the
summative evaluation proves that training is effective.
Strengths
Over the years, SECU has tweaked their training programs to be more beneficial
for their tellers and the company. They have succeeded in doing so by having an on-the-
job method of training, by providing mentors for trainees, by having on-going training,
and by setting high standards for training tests.
On-the-job training (OJT) lets trainees observe peers and managers perform their
jobs, and allows the trainee to imitate the behaviors they have seen (Noe, 2008, p. 213).
There are many strengths and advantages to using OJT. OJT allows training to be
customized to the experiences and abilities of the trainees, and it allows for immediate
application to the trainees’ future job because the training occurs on the job using actual
tools and equipment (Noe, 2008, p. 213). OJT is beneficial because the training is highly
reality-based and practical. OJT also helps employees establish important relationships
with their supervisors and/or mentor (2002). Kasey Hatcher and Kim Reeves both said
that OJT was the most beneficial part of their training (personal communications, August
30, 2009 & September 9, 2009). Also, there is the benefit that the trainer and trainee are
able to perform work while training at the same time, so there a smaller loss in
productivity. Skills learned during OJT are more easily transferred to the job and this
type of training needs less investment time or money for materials, trainers’ salaries, or
instructional design (Noe, 2008, p. 213).
Having provided mentors proves to be another strength during the training
process of SECU. Mentors are experienced, productive senior employees that help
develop new and entry-level tellers (Noe, 2008, p. 303). Jeremy Johnson, a SECU
employee, said, “I believe the most beneficial part of training for me was the experience
of working with a senior teller who was able to give me advice and help resolve any
problems” (personal communication, September 14, 2009). Mentors are advantageous
because they allow the participants in training to know what is expected of them, and
they provide trainees with career and psychosocial support. Mentors are able to help
develop the new employee and at the same time develop their own interpersonal skills
and self-esteem (Noe, 2008, p. 305). Mentor training programs are used to socialize
trainees and they increase the likelihood of skill transfer from training to the work setting.
Also, mentoring provides not only a source of coaching during training, but also support
for employees in the months following their hiring (Noe, 2008, p. 306). Johnson
reinforces this point when he said, “After training, I felt like I was prepared to handle
normal day-to-day transactions that occurred and I knew I had a supportive environment
if I had questions” (personal communication, September 14, 2009). Mentoring also helps
the trainee get information regarding the company’s culture and organizational structure
and provides the trainee with immediate feedback (2002). By using mentors during
training, expectations are understood, skills are transferred more easily, support is
provided for trainees, mentors further develop themselves, and a continuous support
system is developed.
Having on-going training is another strength in SECU’s training process. “The
value of continuous learning translates into personal and professional growth
opportunities including a commitment to self-development, coaching, learning solutions
and training, management training, a vibrant internal job market, and performance
management” (Noe, 2008, p. 47). Continuous learning provides tellers with the
opportunity to further develop themselves. Perdue emphasized that training never stops
at SECU and because of this, tellers are fully equipped for their jobs (personal
communication, September 3, 2009). A continuous learning environment provides a
greater sense of belonging throughout the company (2006).
In 2002, President Bush said, “…if you have low standards, you’re going to get
low results. If you set the bar low, that’s exactly what you’re going to get” (2008).
SECU realizes the importance of this statement and excels at not setting the bar low, but
at setting high standards for their trainees and tellers. Upfront, trainees realize the
importance of successful performance through the implementation of having to score
90% or better on training tests (Susan Perdue, personal communication, September 3,
2009). This is a strength because this process ensures that tellers are very competent of
the information they are provided during training. These high standards allow only the
best trainees to filter through the training system and into the workforce (2008). Susan
Martin, who is responsible for contacting tellers’ supervisors a few months after training,
said that the trainees that score at least 90% on their assessments perform above their
supervisors’ expectations of job performance (personal communication, September 15,
2009). By having the 90% passing rate, trainees realize the level of importance of the
information they are learning and the quality of tellers SECU are seeking. This is a win-
win situation for the tellers and the company because tellers are forced to learn all
material necessary for the job and the company gets the most competent tellers.
Weaknesses
Although the SECU has implemented many successful and beneficial training
programs in the past they have also displayed a few training weaknesses. Some of these
training weaknesses are not having uniform training time frames, not training
immediately when hired, training time is not being used wisely, and there is inconsistent
mentoring during on-the-job training. The information presented is from interviewing
seven different employees from three different SECU locations around the greater
Raleigh area.
Tellers are at a disadvantage when their training time frames are not uniform
across the company. During the course of several employee interviews conducted it was
discovered that each employee went through a different length of training with varying
content. Kasey Hatcher went through a four week training program which consisted of
two weeks in a classroom and two weeks of on the job training (personal
communication). Kasey’s training in the class room went over procedural tasks and rules
to follow. She was tested on these regularly where she had to pass with 90%. Her
training then shifted to on-the-job training where she shadowed a senior teller (personal
communication). However, Crystal only underwent three days of training where SECU
history, goals, and benefits were discussed (personal communication). A certain degree
of reliability and consistency is needed across the SECU’s training programs to ensure all
tellers are getting the same knowledge, skills, and abilities taught to them.
Also, we encountered an employee who went through training two and a half
months after being hired. Kasey Hatcher stated, “I actually had my classroom training
about two and half months after I began employment. It would have been more
beneficial to me if I could have had this training earlier. The class went over basic
procedures that would have been very helpful to know before I was put out on my own”
(personal communication, September 9, 2009). Kasey’s productivity could suffer as a
result of being placed in a job without training. According to a recent study of more than
3,100 U.S. workplaces, the National Center on the Educational Quality of the Workforce
(EQW) found that on average, a 10 percent increase in workforce education level led to
an 8.6 percent gain in total productivity (Smith). Also, other tellers' productivity could be
affected because Kasey would have to interrupt other tellers to ask questions. All tellers
need to be on the same training schedule to be more efficient.
Furthermore, tellers reported that classroom training included non-beneficial
information being taught. The SECU needs to develop or revise their current training
program design to eliminate information that is not useful to employee’s jobs. With the
creation or revision of the training programs new objectives and lessons need to be
carefully laid out that explain the desired behaviors, knowledge, skills, and abilities
needed to perform the job.
SECU employee, Kim Reeves, also reported inconsistencies in their mentors.
Kim reported that she had two different mentors during her training and it was very
confusing (personal communication, September 9, 2009). Kim explained that both
mentors had different opinions and styles of how tasks and duties should be performed
and she struggled with learning and switching between the two different methods. There
are several disadvantages to this unstructured approach of OJT. Tellers may pass on bad
habits and can lead to poorly trained tellers resulting in the use of ineffective job
techniques ultimately resulting in poor service when helping customers of the bank (Noe,
2008, p. 239). Ed Frauenheim, of Workforce.com, states: “Corporations are ramping up
formal programs that pair seasoned managers with up-and-comers, experts in the field
say. Such programs are among the tools companies are using as they strengthen
succession-planning efforts and transform them into broader talent development
programs (Frauenheim, 2006).” There mentoring programs have great potential if
implemented correctly because it ultimately helps retain tellers by establishing a strong
connection with employees. Studies show that employees’ sense of connection to the
organization makes them more likely to stay at the organization (Foong, 2009)
Recommendations
In order to combat SECU’s weaknesses, several recommendations were
developed to strengthen the organization’s teller training program. These include
implementing a uniform training time, teaching only relevant information during training
and providing consistent mentors for tellers.
If SECU were to take on a uniform training time, employee productivity would
increase considering that they would learn the pertinent material during one period thus
enabling them to better retain information, as opposed to inconsistent training for two
months straight. In doing so, when it is time for tellers to work on their own, they will be
able to assist members fully and not simply help them with fragments of information.
After all, to SECU, the member comes first. Taking into consideration the tellers’
experiences from their interviews and the need to establish a standard time to train, a
practical recommendation for the company lies in a shorter training period. Uniform
training time would be cost-effective and yield the most productivity if kept short yet
sufficient, specifically in the duration of two weeks. Furthermore, along with a rise in
productivity, a span of two weeks in training would also mean reasonable costs.
According to an article developed by the Society for Human Resource Management, the
different costs that must be taken into consideration during training are development
costs (e.g., salaries and benefits of personnel, equipment), direct implementation costs
(e.g., training materials, technology costs, facilities, travel, equipment, instructor’s salary
and benefits), indirect implementation costs (e.g., overhead, general and administrative),
compensation for participants, and lost productivity or costs of “backfilling” positions
during training (2006, December 1). Cost of training is something that managers must
carefully evaluate. If training time remained uniform at two weeks as opposed to three
days or four weeks or even sporadically within a two-month period as expressed by the
interviews, costs would remain constant, and the organization would not have to engage
in unnecessary spending for loss of productivity or instructor compensation apart from
the two weeks.
The increase in productivity as well as the cost-effectiveness of a two-week
training period is what would attract managers to the recommendation. Tellers on the
other hand would most value the shorter time period. As managers who would be
implementing these recommendations, they would be required to explain to potential
tellers during interview phase that they will be required to commit to a two-week training
period.
A very important quality in training is to have a detailed, organized, and
structured plan in order to achieve the company’s goals. SECU had some problems
regarding relevant information being taught during their training sessions. Several
employees we interviewed felt they would have liked to spend less time on certain
subjects that were not as helpful to learn during training. Specifically Crystal stated the
irrelevant part of training was spent with, “too much time discussing options for
employee benefits and retirement.” A specific implementation regarding this issue would
be to evaluate which information is most important and relevant to focus on, and have the
trainer intentionally spend more time on this information during training than some of the
other information that is not as important.
Managers would respond well to this change for several different reasons. First,
they would save money and time because training would be more efficient; less time
spent on unimportant information and training would potentially be shorter. Second, they
would be well trained on the important skills, and abilities related to the job. This
training would entail more hands-on experience during training. Tellers would also
respond positively to this change because they would be learning the most important and
relevant information related to the skills and abilities needed to perform the job.
The mentoring section of training is a very beneficial and practical attribute of
SECU’s training program. As mentioned earlier a weakness that was encountered by the
tellers was inconsistency with the mentors. What SECU can specifically do in order to
strengthen this section of training would be to provide each employee with their personal
mentor to be the same throughout the entire length of training. In addition to this change,
each employee would also receive direct training by their mentor daily for two weeks,
then periodically throughout the two months following the training.
The response to this change from managers may initially be negative because this
would cut down on production. The mentors would be training the new tellers for a
longer period and not be able to return to their specified jobs until the mentor process was
done. On the other side, the tellers would be better trained for their new position and
would be more confident. Overall, it appears that these changes would be positive for the
company as a whole; managers, tellers, other employees, and members.
Works Cited
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(2008). Maintaining high standards. Retrieved from
http://www.salesteamtools.com/archives/maintaining-high-standards/
(2009). Credit union access. Retrieved from
http://creditunionaccess.com/top50creditunions.htm
(2009). State employees credit union. Retrieved from http://www.ncsecu.org
Foong, K. (2009). Mentoring: More Critical Than You Think. Training Mag,
Retrieved from www.trainingmag.com
Frauenheim, E. (2006). Mentoring Matter. Workforce Management, Retrieved
from www.workforce.com
Noe, R. A. (2008). Employee training and development. New York, NY: Mcgraw-
Hill/Irwin.
Smith, G. (n.d.). Training and Development Leads to Higher Productivity and
Retention. Business Know-How, Retrieved from
http://www.businessknowhow.com/manage/higherprod.htm
State Employees Credit Union. (2009). Teller training manual 2009 [Workbook].
State Employees Credit Union. (2009). Employee evaluation form 2009 [Document].