Why Deseret First looks for any excuse to party at work

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Deseret First Credit Union’s “Fun Club” celebrates regular events like Halloween and Christmas, but the partying doesn’t stop there. “We like to celebrate those not-so-recognizable events like National Tortilla Chip Day or National Eat Ice Cream for Breakfast Day,” said Vice President of Human Resources Spencer Park. “We also like to recognize staff by giving them tickets to sporting events and movies.”

Recently, the Deseret First Leadership Institute was launched. This educational platform provides an opportunity for current managers, as well as employees who are interested in management, to go through six leadership modules.

“These modules have been developed to teach staff about various leadership principles, as well as give them experience on situations they may face as managers,” said Park. “Each employee is assigned a mentor who they can go to for advice as they progress through the program.”

Deseret First ranked No. 24 in the Best Credit Unions to Work For 2017 and was the No. 5 credit union in its asset category (CUs with assets above $500 million but under $1 billion).

Deseret First Credit Union management and staff posing during the beam signing ceremonies outside the construction of its new Operations Center.

Another executive initiative that has gained favor with employees is the job-shadowing program, which allows employees to visit a single department or multiple departments and learn the different ins and outs.

“We want our employees to have empathy for one another and the job-shadowing program is helping with that,” said Park. “Our employees have been able to see the good and the hard things that other departments have to do.”

Founded in 1955, the $601 million Deseret First, Salt Lake City, has 200 employees and 11 branches and serves more than 61,000 members.

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