We never want to see the headline, #CU #MeToo!

By Susan Mitchell, CEO of Mitchell, Stankovic & Assoc., Founder of the Underground

Credit unions are built upon the foundation of people helping people, with core values that represent a high ethical standard of inclusion, ownership and diversity of thought. I believe in the credit union movement and cherish the opportunity to work with the people who make our industry great – volunteers, executives and team members all over the world. Know the I am sharing this piece with you today to ensure our business practices reflect the current social environment, specifically, #MeToo.

A transition of leadership, and consequently a transition of culture, is taking place within the credit union community. Old ways of doing business may not be the best model for the future. Business language, male and female differences in interaction, entry-level employee “cuteness,” and partying at conferences have existed among credit unions for many years; it’s considered a part of doing business. That will or should abruptly change going forward.  Credit unions must be preemptive in their approach. Do not wait for a problem or a lawsuit! Credit union executives want to ensure a safe, effective and engaging work environment for everyone. We must position our organizations for the future. Encouraging diversity as harassment prevention is a good business practice, period.

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Credit unions require stronger educational opportunities on the expectations of good leadership, more emphasis on the harassment prevention training beyond the rote, and serious consideration must be given to diversity in the board room and in management positions. We need a variety of people at the table when considering new employees and volunteers. It’s 2018! Diversity awareness should be a strategic initiative! Get a baseline and track results to illustrate to your credit union team and membership your credit union’s approach to representation and strong commitment to equality at all levels.

Although lawsuits may compel leadership attention, doing the right thing is just plain good business and a credit union core value. We are driving an initiative with Mitchell, Stankovic clients to modernize board governance in many areas, including volunteer succession planning, diverse candidate profiles regarding technical skill, gender, ethnic and other representation, volunteer professional recruitment, elimination or modernization of obsolete business practices, and most importantly, greater collaboration based upon equality of opinion and not predisposed alliances. 

I have learned that some HR experts inform employers with less than 15 people that they cannot be sued for harassment. The fact that a credit union would state, “We don’t have to comply,” is a massive concern. I would hope that all HR experts are tuned into the human issues. 

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The reality of the stories of bullying, #MeToo, concern for job security, socioeconomic implications, ethnic discrimination, and sexual orientation bias are beyond disturbing. No matter the demographic, a person with power using their influence inappropriately has no place in business today – no matter the size of the organization. Attitudes, practices and policies must change, including immediate investigations and reporting of incidents with highly skilled HR business professionals. Let’s engage in dialogue that can truly change attitudes, not look for ways to circumvent the problem. Here are a few ideas to consider:

• Strategic Assessment of Organizational Culture – The board needs to govern at the highest level to set the standard and task the CEO to determine a baseline level of diversity awareness and business practices.
• Elevate HR’s strategic influence – HR professionals should receive legal updates and participate in strategic initiatives related to organizational culture. Emotional intelligence is a core skill required of high-performing leaders. The need is amplified by the current business environment. It requires situational leadership to listen, learn, research, in an understanding and professional manner, to develop a plan that is fair and representative of all the people involved.
• Provide Comprehensive Training for Leaders – Managers need comprehensive training to ensure their understanding of harassment, to help identify it in their department’s culture, communication style and professional conduct.
• Walk the talk– Build a culture that is inclusive, not exclusive. Have a no-tolerance policy and enforcement for inappropriate communication and employee behavior as a core tenet of the organization’s culture. This is a very personal issue that has significant professional impact. It’s not easy and needs to be taken very seriously with professional responsiveness.
• Ask tough questions– Is there accepted behavior that is overlooked or tolerated from some team members and not others? Equality of action and expected behavior must be consistently monitored and enforced by all managers.

Pro-active dialogue is needed to create a vision for diversity with pre-determined benchmarks and effective monitors to measure progress. That is the only way sustainable change can take place. It starts with the will of the board, the CEO and leadership philosophy.