FOUR REASONS

1. It’s a FREE employee benefit

Along with competitive pay and a good working environment, employees consistently cite an attractive benefits package as an important factor in their decision of where to work.  While benefits like holiday allowance and flexible working cost money to employers, partnering with a reputable credit union won’t cost a penny – but adds lots of value for employees.

Credit unions provide a range of financial services, from easy access savings accounts, to low rate personal loans and mortgages – and through Employer Partner schemes, employees can access these services directly via their salary.

The process of setting up a partnership with a credit union is simple and as well as providing promotional material such as posters, newsletters, web content, and leaflets, credit unions can also offer free resources for employees such as financial education workshops, and budgeting literature.

2. They’re championed by the Scottish Government and Chartered Institute of Payroll Partners

It’s not just people within the credit union industry that are singing the praises of employer/credit union partnerships.

The Scottish Government also champion credit unions as an alternative to high street lenders and a way out of high cost credit for employees trapped in the cycle of payday loans. In 2016, they produced a publication entitled ‘Scotland’s Credit Unions: Investing in Our Future’, in which they encourage all employers to offer the services of a credit union as a standard workplace benefit.

The First Minister took the step of writing to Scottish employers, to highlight the benefits of credit union membership and to urge them to set up a partnership scheme with ‘a view to improve financial health and boost the productivity of Scotland’s businesses’.

The Chartered Institute of Payroll Professionals (CIPP) are also actively working to increase the number of partnerships throughout UK employers and have developed an Employer Engagement Standard.

3. Credit unions make employees more productive

In countries such as the USA, Canada, and Australia, where credit union employer partnerships are commonplace, it is widely recognised that there is a direct link between employees’ financial wellbeing and their productivity (source: The Filene Institute).

A financially stable workforce results in less absenteeism, less turnover in staff, and lower employer benefits costs. In other words – partnering with a credit union can have a positive impact for any company.

4. Credit unions can help meet your Corporate Social Responsibility objectives

Credit unions are social enterprises so their over-arching ethos is to improve their community through financial empowerment and education. By partnering with a credit union, employers are sharing and investing in this ethos. The services offered to employees help to increase their financial capability, but more than that, a portion of the profits generated by the credit union are invested back into their local community.

Credit unions are financial mutuals owned by their members, which creates a level of trust between the organisation and the member not found with other financial institutions. Employers can trust that their staff’s financial wellbeing will be put ahead of the credit union’s profit margin – again, helping to meet CSR objectives.