CU West Gives All Employees a Holiday and Inflation Bonus

Provided by CU West

CU West, a not-for-profit financial cooperative in Arizona, announced it will be giving all 200 employees a holiday and inflation bonus, up to $1,000 combined. CU West has been recognized for 10 consecutive years as a ‘Top Company to Work For’ in Arizona. The organization has a strong focus on employee engagement and satisfaction, with a CEO and executive team that is passionate about creating a culture that attracts and retains top talent. In September 2021, the credit union made a bold move in raising the minimum wage to $20 per hour. In 2022, the company introduced anniversary time off (ATO) and volunteer time off (VTO), a paid day away from the office in honor of an employee’s anniversary and hours to give back through volunteer time in the community. Their latest move includes giving all employees up to $1,000 between their traditional $200 annual holiday bonus and a one-time inflation bonus of $800.

“Like many others in the industry, Credit Union West has faced the challenges caused by the pandemic including the war on talent,” said Karen Roch, CU West’s president/ CEO. “This is just one way we are saying thank you to our dedicated employees for their hard work and positive contributions that got us through another difficult year.”

Roch grew up in the industry as a Human Resources leader, a unique background normally not seen in credit union CEO’s. CU West employees reap the benefits as her experience in HR allows for a people-first mentality.

“People are our greatest assets,” said Roch. “With many economic factors including staffing challenges, rising rates, and inflation, our employees have remained committed to each other, our members, and the communities we serve. We couldn’t have accomplished all that we did this year without such an amazing group of people.”