Westerra Moves to Hybrid Work Model

Denver, CO – March 9, 2022 – Westerra Credit Union announces their move to a hybrid work model for their employees. This recently adopted model is a part of Westerra’s strategy to enhance employee experience and align with the credit union’s priority of being ‘Digital First.’

“Westerra is no longer talking about ‘going back’ to pre-pandemic times but, rather, focusing on moving forward.’ In that spirit, we have chosen to move forward with a hybrid model, which has shown to be best for our people - both employees and members - and our culture,” said Ellie Fordyce, Chief People Officer at Westerra.

The new hybrid design provides many benefits for Westerra employees, including greater personal flexibility, reduced environmental impact, enhancing staff’s ability to react quickly, reducing overall stress and improving capabilities to attract and retain a high-performing workforce. Prior to launching this hybrid model, Westerra conducted a pilot program with a test group of employees to gather feedback and also conducted external research. The result is understanding the definition of hybrid work varies between organizations and isn’t one-size-fits-all.

For Westerra, the hybrid work arrangement is different for each team and employee based on their role, business need, and preference. The result is 44% of staff will work a combination of on-site and remotely, 32% are fully remote and 24% are exclusively office-based.

“As a financial institution, our practice is to make data-based decisions, and in this instance, our decision to embrace a hybrid work model was grounded in what our employees said was important to them,” continued Fordyce. “Overall, feedback regarding Westerra’s hybrid work model has been very positive, with employees expressing they appreciate the flexibility. We know how important it is to meet employees ‘where they’re at’ in their individual situations and putting trust in our employees has paid off in a big way.”

While now a hybrid organization, Westerra ensures employees have purposeful opportunities to connect with colleagues on-site or in-person, participate in professional development opportunities, and serve our communities. Westerra is also committed to providing the highest level of technology services to support all employees regardless of where they conduct their work.

“Being able to work from home enables me to eliminate a long commute so I can allocate work hours more effectively, save money on vehicle maintenance, fuel, and food, and my overall stress level has significantly decreased,” said Johnathan Hodges, Contact Center Representative at Westerra. “This change is one of the many reasons why I enjoy working at Westerra.”

For information regarding careers at Westerra, go to WesterraCU.com and click on ‘careers’ under the ‘about’ button.