member services representative

member experience specialist

teller

student representative

credit manager

FirstOntario Credit Union

Honestly very disappointed in the way things turned out at this company. Starting in 2017 it was an amazing place to work. There was so much opportunity and energy. The company has definitely lost its way. A company that once strived on member service, is now trying desperately to be like their competitors. They are losing who they are and what they started out as. Management is poor and the further up the ladder you go the more unsatisfactory it becomes. People are starting to jump ship from this company that once would have been considered a career advancement. There is no where to go to excel, it is all about who you know and what kind of mood that person is in, in order for you to “succeed.” There is an extreme amount of hierarchy, especially where the union is considered. If you can’t rely on management to help you forward you most certainly cannot rely on the union. You pay a disgusting amount to union dues every month, for your issues to never be addressed only to be gaslighted. The few “privileges” the union has to offer can be found at other companies, without unions, who actually value their employees. Through Covid-19 they really showed what they were about, and it most certainly was not their employees or their mental health. If you want an abundance of stress and no where to take your frustrations, this job is for you.

The new CEO is fantastic and has the right ideas about the future for the banking.  Senior leadership needs to be more involved at understaning what is happening at the lower levels. There is far too much of "THE TAIL WAGGING THE DOG".   

To increase overall efficiencies staff with no formal training / education should not be promoted into technical roles. Employing trained and educated professionals at market rates will result in work will being completed more efficiently, this will result in an optimization of head counts. This practice frustrates qualified people which results in higher turn over for a company with great potential.

To remain relevent:
Pay market rate salaries; remove old thinkers; cultivate new ideas & perspectives; stop promoting un-qualified long termers; Eliminate "Yes Men"

Making calls is what I do. I call people to let them know their loans are delinquent, and they need to make arrangements to pay their loans. I have learned a better way of communication with hard to handle people. And a wonderful teamwork quality. The management is very helpful and a great bunch of people to work for. My co-workers are incredibly easy going and its great to go to work. I love my job, but the hardest part of the job is chasing the same members over and over on a weekly basis until finally I have to repossess their security. Its not a nice part of the job, but it is a part that comes with my job. We do all we can to help you, but when you are not willing to help yourself, there is nothing left we can do for you. I have never felt so welcome, and appreciated at a job before.

The benefits provided are decent but this is only because it's a union environment and in the collective bargaining agreement.  The company is always trying to take benefits away each time a new contract is negotiated.  The management doesn't care much to help you advance your career and are mainly concerned with their own bonus.  Sales staff do not receive any incentive or bonuses whatsoever from the employer.  So, the earning potential and room for advancement beyond earning approximately $53 - $55 annually is very very limited.  Staff is consistently under supported by management and the tools and resources provided to staff are subpar.  Even when issues are pointed out to management they are not corrected.  It's a culture where it feels like it's every man for themselves, you are under appreciated and under supported. 

The company lacks directions from the Executive Leadership team.  The CEO loves baseball and hires people that play baseball.  It's sad but that's the real truth.  Promotions are given and never earned because their is no actual application process.  

Change is made for the sake of change.  The only benefit is that it's a local company.  If this was in a bigger market, people would hesitate to work here. Many of the individuals are very set in their ways as they have been their for decades in a management capacity.  They have a very big problem with the fact that their customers average age is 55 years old.  They are panicing about it but fail to realize their staff is also 55 years old plus generally.

Past 5 years have gone downhill. Board has been disconnected from reality or just had been misinformed. Executive hire and promote their friends. Skill and knowledge have little to do with job title. Front 'll e and middleanahers have no opportunity to move to higher positons as they do all the work fpr the upper management so they look good. Upper managemt enjoys an abundance of social activities at local venues. These venues provide access to upper management because of sponsorship money. These funds are actually member funds but little respect is given to that pary of the credit union concept.

Due to being a union, no opportunities for bonuses unless you're in management.  You can bring in a lot of revenue, have a much higher volume than your colleagues and get paid the same.  I love this career and my members but the only way to advance here is out of the union which then removes me from truly working with my members.  Investments and credit are handled by different roles which I find difficult if I'm trying to work on the picture with my member.  2 different unions and some non-union branches make it that much harder to transfer to other locations.   

A typical day changed depending on my role, but I would organize my appointments, research the members current patterns before meeting, speak in depth about their needs and goals, and discuss solutions with them as well as my superiors when needed.
I learned to manage and prioritize my time, meet deadlines while communicating with all necessary parties, and to make cold calls

Branch managers don’t do their jobs, no coaching provided, no performance feedback. 
Only part time positions available. Inefficient Union, not there to do anything but collect fees from part time employees to benefit full time employees. Union rep is a joke, she does nothing to benefit the employees. 
Impossible to find assistance to do your job right. Training is minimal and poor at best. 
The banking system is prone to error and requires frequent cutting and pasting of information. This allows for frequent errors and lack of customer service.

Highly mismanaged company that offers minimal subpar support to staff members.  Limited tools and resources to complete job duties. Constant technical issues.   Probably the most highly mismanaged company I have ever worked for.  I have been with the company for nearly 10 years and will not bring any of my own personal business because of how poorly managed it is.  The sales staff are bogged down with admin duties and constantly fielding member issues due to mismanagment or tech issues.  

Top Job Titles	Average salary
Member services representative 38 salaries reported	$23.11 per hour
Member experience specialist 6 salaries reported	$26.42 per hour
Teller 1 salary reported	$83,043 per year
Student representative 1 salary reported	$25.53 per hour
Credit manager 4 salaries reported	$76,696 per year

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