Guaranty Bank offers its 145 full-time and 35 part-time employees a benefits package including a 401(k) plan, stock options and a portion of health insurance premiums paid for all employees and their dependents. A flex spending plan including child care reimbursement, a health savings account and tuition reimbursement for work-related classes are also offered. Other perks include free flu shots and a health club membership.
Editor’s Note: Answers were provided by spokeswoman Melissa Carr.What do you find makes your business a desirable place to work?“The culture of employee involvement and input, combined with a professional work environment, friendly, helpful teammates, a spirit of community involvement and unique and rich benefits.”
To what extent does the company share its financials with the staff? “We hold regular town hall meetings with our employees. During these meetings, we review financials and strategic plan objectives, and open the floor to any questions the employees would like to ask.”
What is the average length of employment among staff, and what fosters such loyalty? “Six years is the average length of employment among our staff, but we actually have a wide range of longevity spanning from two weeks of employment to almost 41 years of employment.”
What methods does the company have in place to solicit employee input? “We solicit employee input via committee participation for many projects and events. Examples include our annual event planning committee, our annual United Way campaign planning committee, our 2013 centennial planning committee, our ongoing product development team and our as-needed software conversion task groups.
“We regularly survey our employees after meetings and events to get specific feedback about those events, and we have an ethics hotline that can be used by employees.”
What innovative ways have you developed to reward employees? “We have monthly employee anniversary luncheons for the employees that were hired within each given month. These luncheons are hosted by the management team and give employees the opportunity to interact with peers from various areas of the bank and with upper management. Employees that are celebrating milestone anniversaries are recognized in a special way with acknowledgment of their specific contribution to the bank in the form of a thoughtfully prepared statement by their supervisor.
“We have also launched a version of the Carrot Principle that encourages managers to develop their own specific recognition within their individual departments. The bank provides funds to each manager to assist them in their recognition efforts.”
Work vs. life – how does your company help employees strike a balance between the two? “We have a very generous paid-time off program that allows employees to choose how they use their time off. The PTO program became effective Jan. 1 and combines our previous vacation and sick benefits into one program. The program provides 15 to 30 days of paid time off to employees each year, based on employment category and years of service. Employees are able to utilize time off as needed based on their individual needs. The PTO program allows up to 30 days to accumulate and roll over from one year to the next.”
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