1. BONUS PROGRAM SURVEY REPORT
Conducted for Staley Credit Union
Fall 2012
Compiled and Prepared by
Kenneth C. Bator
President
Bator Training & Consulting, Inc.

2. BONUS PROGRAM SURVEY REPORT
Table of Contents
Executive Summary – Page 4
Results and Interpretations from Responses:
What is your credit union’s approximate asset size at the time of this
survey? – Page 4
What is your credit union’s approximate number of members at the time of
this survey? – Page 5
How many people do you currently employ? How many full-time? Part-
time? – Page 6
How would you characterize your credit union’s field of membership, i.e.
single sponsor, community, SEG-based, other? – Page 7
If single sponsor or SEG based, how would you characterize the industry
you serve, i.e. healthcare, law enforcement, union-based workers,
education, etc.? - Page 7
How would you describe your credit union’s geographical region, i.e. rural,
industrial, mid-tier city, major metro-area, other? – Page 8
What is your geographical region? – Page 9
How often is your bonus program reviewed, i.e. annually, every three years,
as needed, other? – Page 10
How involved is the board of directors in determining the bonus program?
– Page 11
Does your credit union have one inclusive program for all levels of the
organization or are there separate structures for management and non-
management employees? – Page 12
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3. BONUS PROGRAM SURVEY REPORT
Table of Contents - Continued
For management, our bonus program is based upon the following.
– Page 13
For non-management employees, our bonus/incentive programs are based
upon the following. – Page 14
Are there tiers to your bonus program? – Page 15
How often does your bonus program pay out? – Page 15
Is any portion of the bonus payout at the discretion of management or the
board or is the entire program set by specific and unchanging parameters?
– Page 15
Is your bonus program seen as a motivator to exceed goals among both
management and non-management employees? – Page 16
Does your bonus program serve as an instrument in retaining key and
high-performing staff? – Page 16
Are periodic updates on the status of components of the bonus program
communicated with staff? – Page 16
Is your bonus program truly aligned with your credit union’s culture and
brand or is it solely an extension of your strategic plan alone? – Page 16
How often is your credit union’s bonus program updated? – Page 17
When reviewing and updating your credit union’s bonus program do you
consider the following? – Page 17
Does your credit union employ multiple bonus/incentive programs for
different departments? – Page 18
Conclusions – Page 18
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4. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
The bonus program survey conducted during the latter half of 2012 by Bator Training &
Consulting, Inc. (BTC) was done for and commissioned by our client Staley Credit Union
(SCU) in Decatur, IL. As BTC facilitated SCU’s strategic planning project, some
questions arose concerning the institution’s bonus and incentive programs. Through
those conversations, a genuine interest developed in how other credit unions
implemented and managed these programs.
Thus, BTC and SCU worked jointly to develop a survey that was sent to nearly 1,000
credit unions ranging in asset size from $75 million to $250 million. A total of 65 credit
unions responded and participated giving us an approximate participation rate of 6.5%.
The finding from the survey can be considered in two ways: the first being an exercise in
obtaining information and possible validation among peers and the second as a research
project. In regards to the former, there is significant value in the report for community
credit unions under $250 million in assets with less than 25,000 members and fewer
than 60 employees headquartered in the Midwest as the data is clearly skewed toward
those demographics. As a market research study, these results are a good start but
further data would need to be gathered from a larger sample size in order to truly
determine trends and tendencies.
RESULTS AND INTERPRETATIONS FROM RESPONSES
What is your credit union’s approximate asset size at the time of this survey?
A total of 63 of the 65 credit unions that participated in the survey reported their asset
size. The average asset size was just under $141 million. The breakdown was as
follows:
13 – Larger than $200 million in assets
11 – Between $150 million
and $200 million in assets
18 – Between $100 million
and $150 million in assets
21 – Under $100 million in assets
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5. What is your credit union’s approximate number of members at the time of this
survey?
The average number of members among the 63 participating credit unions that reported
their member count was just over 15,500. The breakdown was as follows:
9 – Between 25,000 and 50,000 members. This group ranged in assets from $185 to
$239 million.
34 – Between 10,000 and 25,000 members. This group ranged in assets from $75 to
$250 million.
20 – Under 10,000 members and ranging in asset size from $77 to $193 million.
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6. How many people do you currently employ? How many full-time? Part-time?
All but one of the respondents reported their employee totals. The average number of
employees among the participant group was 46. The largest number of employees, 140,
was reported from the sixth largest credit union to participate at approximately $230
million in assets. Not surprisingly, this credit union also reported the largest number of
members at 50,000.
The fewest number of employees reported was 13. This was reported by two credit
unions. One a $95 million credit union with 6,000 members where all employees are full-
time. The other an $80 million credit union with just over 9,000 members reporting 11
full-time workers and two part-time.
The breakdown of total employees among the participants was as follows:
6 – Over 90 employees. With the
exception of the credit union with the
largest number of employees
mentioned above, the number of
members range from 25,000 to just
under 40,000. With the exception of
one credit union with an asset size of
$174 million, the other five institutions
in this sector ranged between $210
million and $240 million. Not
surprisingly the $174 million credit
union had the highest percentage of
part-time workers at 24%. The other
five institutions had a percentage of full-time workers at 84% or higher with the highest
percentage being 97%.
8 – Between 60 and 90 employees. All but one credit union in this group ranged
between $185 million and $250 million in assets. The exception was the smallest credit
union of the eight at $145 million in assets. Unlike above, this credit union although the
smallest in the range, had a high-percentage of full-time employees at 96%. With the
exception of one $240 million credit union which had 26% of their employees listed as
part-time, the percentage of full-time employees ranged between 90% and 100%. The
total number of members varied between 20,000 and 30,000 for this group.
32 – Between 30 and 60 employees. There was a wide disparity within this sector in
asset size, number of members, and percentage of full-time employees: from $75 million
to $234 million, from 8,300 to 25,000, and from 57% to 98% respectively.
19 – Less than 30 employees. With the exception of one credit union, asset size ranged
between $75 million and $140 million. The exception, a $193 million institution, had the
fewest number of members (5,000) and one of the lowest totals of employees (14)
among all survey participants. The remainder of this group ranged from 6,000 to 14,300
members with a relatively wide range in percentage of full-time employees from 67% to
100%.
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7. How would you characterize your credit union’s field of membership, i.e. single
sponsor, community, SEG-based, other? If other, please explain.
Of the 65 participants, the vast
majority characterized their
institution as a community credit
union – 45 (69%) to be exact. The
next highest category was SEG
based credit unions at 23% (15).
The remaining five credit unions
characterized their organization as
a single sponsor.
Of the five single sponsor credit
unions, there were no distinct
similarities except for the
percentage of full-time employees. Each were between 90% to 100% in the full-time
employment category.
There were no distinct similarities among the 45 community credit unions or the 15 SEG-
based credit unions. There was a wide disparity among asset size, number of members,
number of employees, and percentage of full-time staff.
If single sponsor or SEG based, how would you characterize the industry you
serve, i.e. healthcare, law enforcement, union-based workers, education, etc.?
Of the five single sponsor credit unions, two serve educational professionals. The largest
of the five is a healthcare credit union. Meanwhile the other two described the industries
they served as “other”: one as financial/agriculture and the other as insurance.
The industries served by SEG based credit unions varied widely. Only two groups of two
within labeled their institution as serving the same industry with one being manufacturing
and the other being union. One credit union serves healthcare professionals while
another serves the educational community. The remaining nine credit unions
characterized the industries they serve under the following written categories: life
science, multiple, municipal, government, postal, agriculture, chemical/government,
municipal/government, and N/A.
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8. How would you describe your credit union’s geographical region, i.e. rural,
industrial, mid-tier city, major metro-area, other? If other, please explain.
Of the 65 total participants, 61
credit unions chose to answer this
question with the largest
percentage, 24 credit unions
(39%), categorizing their location
as a mid-tier city. The next two
most chosen categories were
rural and major metro area each
representing 25% (15) of this 61
credit union group. Of the
remainders, six chose “other”
while one chose the industrial
category.
Among the largest segment of this
group, credit unions located in a
mid-tier city, 11 are community credit unions. Seven of these mid-tier city institutions are
SEG based and two are single sponsor. Asset sizes, number of employees, and
percentage of full-time staff varied widely among this sector. The only obvious
commonality, which would be expected among institutions located in a small to medium
populated city, is number of members. All but one credit union fell into one of the two
smaller categories of members listed above with 25,000 or less. The single organization
which was above is just slightly over that total with 25,900.
All of the 15 institutions in rural areas are community credit unions. Similar to the
category discussed above, there was no distinction in asset-size or number of
employees but, again as would be expected in this type of region, the number of
members for each CU was 25,000 or under. There was only a mild distinction in
percentage of full-time employees with 10 of the 15 employing less than 15% of the staff
as part-time.
Among the 15 credit unions located in a major-metro area, the group was split almost
evenly with eight community credit unions and seven that are SEG based. These
institutions have a relatively high percentage of full-time workers. All but one that
reported number of staff have 84% or more of their employees at full-time. Over a third
of this group have 10% or less of their staff listed as part-time. The total number of
employees, number of members, and asset-sizes varied widely.
There were no distinct patterns or similarities among the remaining seven credit unions
that reported a geographical area.
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9. What is your geographical region? (Please circle)
Nearly half of the credit unions participating in the survey are located in the Midwest
(42%). Given that this survey was commissioned by a credit union in the Midwest, it
would be expected that many of this institutions peers would want to participate. The
region with the second largest number of participants is the East Coast with 14
(21%).The next two regions represented were the South and Mountain with seven (10%)
and six (9%) credit unions respectively.
Among the largest group, Midwest credit unions, there were no clear similarities in asset
size, employees, or members. There was a large number of community credit unions
located in mid-tier cities among this group but that is to be expected from the data
discussed above.
All of the East Coast credit unions participating were either SEG based (eight) or
community (six). All but two of these institutions have a relatively high percentage of full-
time staff of 85% or more. All have 25,000 or less in total members. No other clear
similarities were found.
All of the Southern credit unions have less than 25,000 members, less than 66 total
employees, and a percentage of full-time staff higher than 85%. All but one are
community credit unions. Four are located in a mid-tier city, while another two are in
major metro-areas. There was a large range in asset size from $75 million to $220
million.
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10. How often is your bonus program reviewed, i.e. annually, every three years, as
needed, other? If other, please explain.
Among the 65 participants,
62 credit unions answered
this question with nearly 60%
(37) stating that their bonus
programs were reviewed
annually. The next largest
group representing 14
institutions (23%) answered
“as needed” while another
nine responded with “other”.
The remaining two credit
unions review their bonus
programs every three years.
None of the respondents review their bonus programs every two years.
Of the 37 credit unions that review their bonus programs annually there were no specific
similarities in any of the categories discussed above. This suggests that of those
institutions that offer a bonus program it tends to be the norm that it will be reviewed
annually.
Of the 14 credit unions that simply stated that the bonus program was reviewed on an
“as needed” basis there were no distinct similarities with the possible exception of
number of employees. All of these institutions employ less than 100 staff members. On
the surface this might suggest that credit unions with a smaller staff size would be more
apt to review their bonus structure less frequently. However, 12 of the 37 participants
that evaluate their program annually have less than 30 employees. Therefore, the
frequency of review based on staff size would not seem to be a reliable trend.
Among the nine credit unions answering “other” one stated that the program has been
the same for years and three others simply answered N/A. However, five institutions
answered that they did not have a bonus program. Two of these five participants did
state that they did offer incentives though. Somewhat surprisingly four of the institutions
that do not have a bonus program are community credit unions and one is SEG based.
One would assume that these credit unions would be focused upon growth and would
utilize a bonus program to motivate certain behaviors in their staff. However, the SEG
based organization and one of the community credit unions do offer incentives. The
three credit unions offering no bonus or incentives are organizations under $120 million
in assets that have fewer than 30 employees and 12,000 members or less. The two
credit unions offering only an incentive program are $75 million institutions with less than
60 employees and 14,000 members. No other distinct trends were noticed. It could be
surmised from the data that small credit unions are more apt to not offer a bonus
program or to simply offer incentives but a sample of only five credit unions would seem
to be too insignificant to make that statement.
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11. How involved is the board of directors in determining the bonus program, i.e. they
determine the program, they collaborate with management, they approve
management’s proposal, they are not involved, other? If other, please explain.
Six credit unions did not answer this question. Meanwhile, 17 participants gave multiple
answers. Nearly half (48%) of those answering the question stated that the board
approves management’s proposal of the bonus program. A board and management
collaboration was chosen by 30%. Of the remaining respondents 10% answered “other”,
8% stated that the board determines the bonus program, and only 4% claim that the
board has no involvement in determining the program.
Among the 48% group, there were no discernible similarities or trends based upon the
data discussed above. This would simply suggest that it is a norm among credit unions
that management would present a proposal to their board of directors for approval or
further review. While 27 of the credit unions participating chose only this answer, seven
chose “collaborate with management” suggesting that the board would do more than
simply say “yes” or “no”. In other words, the proposal would not merely be “rubber
stamped”.
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12. The next largest section of respondents of 30% also showed no discernible similarities
or trends based upon the data above. One possible minor correlation among these 21
credit unions comes in the area of size of staff as all of these institutions have less than
100 employees. This could suggest that there is more of a family style culture, rather
than a corporate style culture, among credit unions with a smaller staff that lends itself to
a higher level of collaboration with the board. However, other factors within this group
such as region, asset size, number of members, etc. vary widely. An additional
correlation would lead to a stronger conclusion of this theory. Of these 21 credit unions,
13 solely chose this answer while seven also chose “approves management’s proposal”.
One credit union chose three answers, the two aforementioned choices and that the
board determines the bonus program.
As over 75% of the respondents chose either solely or a combination of the two answers
of “collaborate with management” and the board “approves management’s proposal” it is
reasonable to assume that credit unions between $75 million and $250 million in assets
will generally have a high level of management involvement in the determination of the
bonus program. This may not be a significant revelation as sound business practice
would have management play a leadership role with the board in place for “big picture”
oversight.
There were no clear similarities among the six credit unions that solely or partially stated
that the board of directors determines the program. One possible exception lies in that
three of the four credit unions that answered 100% that the board determines the
program are located in rural areas. However, that is much too small of a sample to make
any assumptions with any certainty.
There were no obvious trends among the remaining respondents. Of the remaining 10
credit unions seven answered a version of “other” while three stated the board was not
involved at all in determining the bonus program.
Does your credit union have one inclusive program for all levels of the
organization or are there separate structures for management and non-
management employees?
A total of 55 credit unions answered this question with the result being almost an even
split: 29 institutions stated that their bonus programs were all inclusive while 26
answered that they have separate programs for management and non-management
employees. There were no discernible trends based on the data above for either group.
One possible exception may be that 23 of the 29 institutions with one inclusive program
for the entire organization have less than 60 employees. On the surface this could lend
some credence to the theory of the “family” culture among credit unions with less staff in
that an all-inclusive bonus program creates a sense of “we are all in this together”.
However, given that nearly 80% of all respondents to this survey employ less than 60
people, this finding is difficult to substantiate. Furthermore, seven of the 26 credit unions
that stated they implement separate bonus programs for management and staff have
fewer than 30 employees.
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13. For management, our bonus program is based upon the following: (Circle all that
apply)
Earnings, Loan Growth, Membership Growth, Corporate Goals, Individual
Performance, Other
As expected, the majority of respondents answered with a combination of the choices
given. A composite of the answers show the following overall basis for a management
bonus program:
23% - Earnings
20% - Corporate Goals
19% - Loan Growth
14% - Membership Growth
14% - Individual Performance
10% - Other
Not surprisingly more than
75% of management bonus
programs are based upon key
factors of financial health
such as earnings, loan
growth, and membership
growth. It is assumed that corporate goals will include most if not all three of these
factors. While individual performance is a component in management’s bonus among
the respondents it is not only a low percentage but also only one credit union responded
that individual performance is the only factor in determining the bonus.
Of the 53 credit unions responding to this question, 16 participants responded that they
base their management bonus program on one specific criterion. The highest number,
five, base their program on corporate goals. This is aligned with the findings above. Four
credit unions responded that they base management’s bonus purely on earnings. One
uses only loan growth as the basis while another is on individual performance. The
remaining four replied “other”.
13

14. For non-management employees, our bonus/incentive programs are based upon
the following: (Circle all that apply)
Earnings, Loan Growth, Membership Growth, Corporate Goals, Product Growth,
Individual Performance, Referrals, Satisfaction Ratings, Job Responsibilities, Other
Also as expected, in terms of non-management bonus and incentive programs, the
majority of respondents answered with a combination of the choices given. A slightly
higher percentage of those responding to this question chose a combination of factors
rather than a sole criterion. A composite of the answers show the following overall basis
for an employee bonus program:
19% - Individual Performance
14% - Loan Growth
13% - Earnings
11% - Corporate Goals
10% - Membership Growth
8% - Product Growth
7% - Satisfaction Ratings
6% - Referrals
6% - Other
5% - Job Responsibilities
Unlike management bonus
programs, incentives for
employees are weighted more
toward individual performance.
Not surprisingly, the second highest category is loan growth as that is one of the primary
drivers of financial health. Earnings, corporate goals, and membership growth round out
the top five factors. There seems to be some alignment between employee and
management bonus programs in that the top five criteria are the same. However, they
are in a different order of importance suggesting that employee rewards are weighted
more toward individual performance and management bonuses are based more on
corporate or team success.
Of the 52 credit unions responding to this question, 13 participants responded that they
base their employee bonus program on one factor only. Three stated that the bonus is
based on individual performance alone. However, three also base their program on
corporate goals while another three answered “other”. Among the remaining four, two
answered product growth, one answered earnings, and one answered loan growth.
14

15. Are there tiers to your bonus program - for example threshold, goal, and stretch?
A total of 47 respondents answered this question with 31 stating that they do offer a
tiered bonus structure. There seemed to be only one discernible trend in that 12 of the
16 credit unions that did not implement a tiered structure have an all-inclusive program
for employees and management. Meanwhile only 10 institutions with a tiered structure
were all-inclusive.
How often does your bonus program pay out, i.e. annually, semi-annually,
quarterly, other?
Of the 58 participants responding
to this question 40 (69%) pay out
a bonus annually. The only other
significant category was just that
“other” with 22% answering in
this manner. Of the remaining
credit unions, three pay out
quarterly, one pays out monthly,
and one pays out weekly.
Among the 13 credit unions that
answered other, the commentary
given was related to different pay
out timing for the separate
management and employee
bonuses. Nine of these respondents stated that the management bonus is paid out
annually while employee rewards are paid out on a quarterly or monthly basis.
Is any portion of the bonus payout at the discretion of management or the board
or is the entire program set by specific and unchanging parameters? (Circle one)
YES NO
Of the 53 respondents to this question, only 17 responded that neither the board nor
management had any discretion to change the program. This suggests that the majority
of credit unions have some flexibility to change the bonus throughout the year given
certain circumstances. However, 11 of the 17 do review the program on an annual basis
and 12 have all-inclusive programs.
15

16. Is your bonus program seen as a motivator to exceed goals among both
management and non-management employees? (Circle one) YES NO
Of the 56 respondents to this question all but 10 feel that their bonus program acts as a
motivator. One credit union stated that their program is a motivator for employees but
not for management. This credit union does have separate programs for the two groups
with tiers.
The expectation would certainly be that a bonus program if implemented properly would
be a motivational tool. Eight of the ten credit unions stating that it is not are community
credit unions. This is also surprising as these institutions are generally focused on
growth. Fortunately, all but two of these credit unions review their programs annually and
can possibly retool the program to create a higher incentive.
Does your bonus program serve as an instrument in retaining key and high-
performing staff? (Circle one) YES NO
A lower percentage stated that their bonus program served as an instrument for
retention. Only 36 of the 58 respondents claim that the bonus is a factor in keeping key
and high-performing staff. This leads to a question of whether the incentives are
insufficient or if other factors such as salary or culture serve as a better instrument
among the other 22 credit unions for retention.
Are periodic updates on the status of components of the bonus program
communicated with staff, i.e. posted on the intranet or bulletin board, discussed
during all staff meetings, reported during one-on-one meetings, etc.? (Circle one)
YES NO
All but 11 of the 54 respondents stated that the status of bonus components are
communicated to staff on a periodic basis. All of the 11 credit unions that do not
communicate progress on factors related to the bonus pay out annually or more
frequently. One would assume that this group would also have a negative response to
the motivator and retention questions but that is not the case as the percentages of “no”
answers for each are 45% and 55% respectively.
Is your bonus program truly aligned with your credit union’s culture and brand or
is it solely an extension of your strategic plan alone? Please explain.
Ten credit unions answered this question in the optimum fashion in that their bonus
program is aligned with the brand, culture, and strategy. Another 22 respondents stated
that bonuses are aligned with the strategic plan which is a common and acceptable
practice. Twelve feel their incentives are tied properly to the credit union culture and
brand.
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17. How often is your credit union’s bonus program updated, i.e. annually, every three
years, after every strategic planning session, other? If other, please explain.
The majority (71%) of respondents update their bonus programs annually. Given the
answers to the earlier question of “How often is your bonus program reviewed,” it would
be expected that 42 out of 59 credit unions would answer in this manner. It is somewhat
surprising that only one credit union stated that bonus structures are updated in
conjunction with their strategic plan.
When reviewing and updating your credit union’s bonus program do you consider
the following? (Check all that apply)
Success of the program in conjunction with exceeding corporate goals, Management
feedback, Employee feedback, Financial health of the organization, Other
Only five of the respondents stated that one lone factor provided the basis for updating
the bonus program. Three stated that updates were solely made based upon the
financial health. One said that the success of the program in conjunction with exceeding
the corporate goals is the determining factor while the other attributes updates to
management feedback.
The majority of the participants, as expected, explore a number of factors when updating
their bonus programs. The following is the overall breakdown of the factors:
30% - Financial health of the organization
25% - Success of the program in conjunction with exceeding corporate goals
22% - Management feedback
17% - Employee feedback
6% - Other
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18. Does your credit union employ multiple bonus/incentive programs for different
departments, i.e. lending, business development, frontline, etc.? YES NO
Of the 57 respondents to this question, slightly more than half answered that they do not
employ multiple programs for different departments. Not surprisingly all 30 credit unions
that answered “no” have fewer than 100 employees suggesting that the smaller the staff
the less likely the need or desire for multiple programs. Fifteen of this group of 30 have
all-inclusive structures. All 30 pay out their bonuses annually or more frequently.
CONCLUSIONS
As inferred in the summary and comments on the responses, the small sample size and
the slant towards a certain set of demographics make it difficult to determine trends and
tendencies with great confidence. While the data provides a good beginning from a
market-research perspective, further information from a larger and more diverse sample
would be necessary. However, for credit unions that fall squarely within the sample – i.e.
Midwest financial cooperatives with less than 25,000 members and fewer than 25
employees – some valuable information and validation can be gained.
From a validation perspective, there were few surprises in the responses. The practice
of conducting an annual review of bonus structures by more than half of the respondents
was to be expected. The vast majority, over 70%, also update their structure on an
annual basis. Reviewing bonus programs “as needed” by nearly a quarter of the survey
participants was also anticipated as it was assumed that smaller institutions would stay
with a program that is perceived to be working. However, based on this sample, there
was no reliable correlation in that the fewer employees resulted in a lesser need to
review a bonus program on an annual basis.
Somewhat surprising was that five of the 65 credit unions participating did not offer a
bonus program. That may seem like a small number on the surface but that still
represents 8% of the total sample. If implemented properly, bonus programs can be one
of the key drivers in proliferating the brand, enhancing the culture, and executing the
strategy. While two of these five institutions do provide incentives to frontline employees,
even eliminating them represents 5% of the sample that do not offer any type of variable
pay.
Over 75% of respondents reported a high level of management involvement in the
determination of the bonus and incentive structures. This was to be expected as it is the
board’s responsibility to provide guidance and oversight while it is management’s job to
lead the institution. Only 8% stated that the board of directors controls the process of
determining the bonus structure. From the data, one could assume that boards of rural
credit unions would be more apt to control the process. However, the sample size is too
small to state this assumption with any confidence.
18

19. There was no true distinction in a preference for an all-inclusive program for
management and staff versus two separate structures as the sample was split almost
evenly down the middle. While at first the data seemed to suggest that the fewer
employees the more apt an institution would be to have an all-inclusive structure. Given
the characteristics of the sample and upon further examination, this assumption could
not be substantiated. Over 25% of the participants with less than 30 employees
implement separate structures for management and staff. There was some mild
correlation in that credit unions with fewer employees were less likely to implement
multiple programs for different departments, i.e. a separate program for business
development, lending, frontline staff, etc.
Not surprisingly more than 75% of respondents base their bonus program on key factors
of financial health such as earnings, loan growth, and membership growth. Most also
implement a tiered structure. Tiers are generally a wise practice as it allows the team to
divide goals into stages rather than viewing them as one large and audacious whole.
Also as expected, in terms of non-management bonus and incentive programs, the
majority of participants base their structures on a combination of factors rather than a
sole criterion.
While there could have been some confusion in the question as to how often bonuses
are paid, it would seem safe to assume that the majority of credit unions will pay out a
bonus on an annual basis while incentives will be paid more frequently. It is a commonly
accepted practice that individual incentives, such as sales commissions, will be provided
on a weekly or monthly basis. This is based on the axiom that providing the
compensation as close in timing to the completion of the rewardable action creates
greater motivation.
As expected the vast majority of respondents felt that their programs served as a
motivator for staff. Although still a majority, a lesser number reported that the bonus
and/or incentives served as a tool for retaining key staff. More data would need to be
obtained to determine why there wasn’t a better correlation between motivation and
retention. An assumption could be made that other factors, such as salary or upward
mobility, play a greater role in retention but that cannot be fully determined from this
data.
It was assumed that most survey participants that offer bonuses and incentives would
report on a regular basis key financial data and accomplishments that provide the
foundation for these programs. This was the case but still 11 out of 54 (20%) stated they
did not provide this information to staff. This is rather surprising as a key component to
employee engagement is involvement and communication.
Employee engagement is also critical in creating alignment among the brand, culture,
and strategy of an organization. To that end only ten respondents stated that their
programs were based on all three aspects. Aside from the sample size of this project,
this seems to be the norm as the interconnectivity of the brand, culture, and strategy isn’t
commonly discussed during planning sessions or board and management meetings.
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20. Finally, as expected, when reviewing and updating bonuses and incentives for the
coming year, the respondents take multiple factors into account. The leading factors of
course being the financial health of the credit union and the success in exceeding goals.
Although lesser percentages, management and employee feedback do come into play
as well.
Again, while the sample size of this survey project may not lend itself to determine key
trends among the industry, the data does provide some validation in regards to the
implementation of bonus programs among credit unions employing less than 60
employees. Here are some key takeaways from the report for credit unions that match
the demographics of this study:
1. Most credit unions do implement a bonus program. Therefore, it is a wise
practice to have one and to update the structure on an annual basis.
2. Management should be the driver in the process of implementing bonus and
incentive programs. The board may provide some guidance as well as ensure
that the structure is aligned with the brand, culture, and strategy.
3. Whether an all-inclusive program or separate structures are implemented is not
determined by the size of the institution. It is more important that the programs,
whether single or multiple, are properly aligned with the unique brand, culture,
and strategy of the institution.
Bator Training & Consulting, Inc. and Staley
Credit Union sincerely thank all survey
participants for their feedback and
participation.
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