5 Principals of a Member Conduct Program

In 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic created an unprecedented panic throughout the world. Billions of people felt fear and anxiety for the unknown road we prepared to trek. For some, unfortunately, this fear and anxiety morphed into anger, and we saw many instances of people threatening, verbally abusing and fighting over trivial matters.

As my colleagues love to say, “Money is emotional.” Leaders at my credit union, A+ Federal Credit Union, noticed employees reporting instances of member misconduct that made them feel unsafe and unappreciated, creating tension and a hostile work environment. To combat this, we created a Member Conduct Policy and corresponding member conduct program.

Our member conduct program had difficulties as we traversed the unknown terrain of enforcing member conduct. After two years, we have discovered five principles (Alignment, Autonomy, Training, Resource and Consistency) that work as a foundation to make our program successful, and I will go over each one and how it relates to member conduct below.

Alignment

If you have one takeaway from this article, let it be this: Alignment and organizational collaboration is critical for the success of any enterprise-wide program and especially a Member Conduct Program.

All staff at every level need to understand what the Member Conduct Program is and how it affects the organization. Once your formal program has been approved, socialize the member conduct program first with department leaders and work your way to the rest of the organization. This will allow you to receive critical feedback on the efficacy and sentiment of the program.

The purpose of a member conduct program is to ensure the safety and well-being of employees, members and visitors. It is critical that leaders and employees are aligned for this purpose, or conduct violations will be ignored, staff will feel isolated and the program is destined to fail.

Autonomy

As a manager of the member conduct program, a common question you will be asked is, “What constitutes a violation of the Member Conduct Policy?” The easy answer to give is to read the policy and find what specifically is mentioned as a violation. However, this question goes deeper.

For instance, if your Member Conduct Policy says verbally abusive behavior is a violation, then we must consider what verbally abusive behavior is. Yelling, swearing and threats are considered verbally abusive, but these come in degrees. One employee may find that they were verbally abused when a member muttered expletives under their breath while walking away while another employee may not believe a member aggressively pointing their finger and raising their voice is verbally abusive behavior.

We are not in control of the feelings of others, so staff must be given autonomy on how they perceive a violation of the Member Conduct Policy. One of the ways we champion this in my organization is when asked whether or not an employee should complete a member conduct form and report a violation, we respond with the tagline, “When in doubt, fill it out.” If an employee is questioning if behavior violated the Member Conduct Policy, it did and should be documented.

Training

The goal of a member conduct program is not to expel as many members as possible. The success of a member conduct program is determined by how staff improves at de-escalating hostile situations.

To do this, de-escalation training will need to be implemented and reviewed regularly. This training should focus on not just what is being said but also tone and body language, so the message is received in a positive manner. Part of this training needs to include having conversations with members who engage in verbally abusive behavior and practicing scenarios so that staff feel comfortable having those conversations in real time.

De-escalating a situation doesn’t mean a member’s behavior has been justified, however, it can be the difference between a situation becoming dangerous and a resolution and understanding being reached.

Resources

Building off training, staff will need to be provided with tools and resources for the program to be successful. Guidelines that are easy to find should be provided which inform staff how to report conduct violations and to whom.

Resources that are easy to digest such as short videos and handouts can also improve an employee’s ability to de-escalate. Holding a training session is great, but unless there are resources for team members to practice with their coaches, those lessons will atrophy.

Department leaders will need resources that guide them in having positive, critical conversations with members. Calling a member to confront them about their behavior is not an easy task, so leaders will need guidelines and examples for how to start these conversations and redirect common obstacles. For instance, my credit union developed a seven-step call model that leaders can utilize.

Consistency

Our final principle is consistency. As your member conduct program grows, you will find scenarios that create contradictions and inconsistencies with how you’ve managed similar situations in the past. This principle overlaps with the first and most crucial principle set: alignment. With your organization aligned, ensure the guidelines originally set are followed, and if you find yourself veering off the path, collaborate with relevant leadership to improve the program for the benefit and well-being of staff, visitors and members.

All places of employment strive to create safe, enjoyable environments for anyone who interacts with them. Member conduct is a new concept for most credit unions, and it’s anticipated that any member conduct program will grow and change over time. A member conduct program is not easy to run as an organization, but it is extremely rewarding and worth the investment.

Tyler Barela is Member Experience Officer III for the $2.5 billion, Austin, Texas-based A+ Federal Credit Union.