Ohio Savings Bank
The Wisdom to Focus on Top Talent

Ohio Savings Bank understands how to maintain systems and a culture to help them identify, attract, develop, and retain top performers.

A 7-time winner of the NorthCoast 99 Award, this 2,500-person bank is no stranger to recognition for having a great workplace. Yet, year after year, it continues to adjust and modify approaches to attracting and retaining top people.

No Absence of Trust
In accordance with the bank’s philosophy and an effort to increase employee satisfaction and morale, the bank instituted a new absence day policy in 2005. This policy has eliminated absence days and allowed full-time regular employees to have paid absence time without an annual limitation. The trust that the bank puts into its employees is also reflected in the positive discipline policy where employees are encouraged to increase the level of responsibility for self-governance.

The Value of Ideas
Ohio Savings Bank also values the suggestions and opinions of its Top Performers and has continued the “My Ideas” Program, which gives employees the chance to submit thoughts that are then read by the President of the company. To date, the bank reports that nearly 40 “My Ideas” have been implemented. Other programs that allow Ohio Savings Bank’s employees to give feedback to the company include, “Ask Jackie” – a column on the company’s intranet giving employees the chance to make anonymous submissions in form of questions, comments, complaints, suggestions and peer recognitions; Afternoon Information Meetings – open forum sessions with bank owners and members of executive management; Executive Breakfast Club – breakfasts between employees, bank owners and executive management; One-on-One meetings with bank owners and an Ethics Hotline.

Developing New Ideas
Similarly, the bank is passionate about employee development and ensuring that opportunities are available for employees in any field of study from communication and presentation skills, to cultural awareness, customer service and leadership development. A few notable courses that are offered within the Ohio Savings/AmTrust University (OSAU) include: Fundamentals of Grammar and Writing, Getting You Message Across, English for Speakers of Other Languages, Cooling the Hot Customer, Business Ethics, Dealing with Difficult People, Being a Respected Leader in the Corporation, Managing Priorities, Socratic Selling, and Team Dynamics. Moreover, each training and development program is evaluated by the bank to ensure its relevance to the job, the level of challenge it presents, the amount of new information acquired from the course and the influence on employee satisfaction.

Management Training
In an effort to accurately gauge the performance of their employees, managers are provided courses to assist them in the formal evaluation of performance. The classes include Evaluating Performance (where managers learn the value of the performance evaluation process), Manager Facilitated Training (where assistance is provided to managers in designing effective and efficient interventions around departmental needs), Coaching and Developing Others, and Manager Orientation, providing new managers direction on the processes and procedures related to human resources aspects of the organization. Finally, the managers are given access to The Development Center, a tool housed on the bank’s intranet allowing them to increase their effectiveness, identify performance improvements and establish goals for their own and their employees’ career development.

In 2006, Ohio Savings Bank launched “The Talent Profile”; a new management tool designed to help the bank better define and manage top talent. By examining performance results and leadership competencies, the program helps the bank establish shared management expectations within business units, rank talent, identify talent gaps that exist or will exist within the next 12 months, and determine development activity that should take place over that same period. This profile allows the bank to compare managers to one another, rather than against a set of goals to answer the question, “How am I doing?”

Ohio Savings has a plan to reward and recognize the managers that are in the top twenty percent, construct a strength development plan for individuals in the vital seventy percent of the management population, and determine on a case-by-case basis the appropriate steps to taken with the bottom ten percent.

Healthy Minds, Healthy Bodies
In addition to developing the employees’ minds – with a mission to be one of the healthiest companies in the nation and teach and facilitate work/life balance – Ohio Savings Bank also wants to concentrate on its Top Performers’ health and wellness. In 2006, alone, the company has offered more than ten programs to improve employee health and health behavior patterns, reduce health-related costs, and increase employee retention. Health Risk Assessments, Weight Loss Programs, On-line Emotional Screenings, Annual Health Fair and an On-site Fitness Center are some of the programs that Ohio Savings Bank offers.

Metrics and Measures
Most impressive, however, is that this organization is not just satisfied with implementing new programs – it tracks the effectiveness of those programs, re-evaluates, and adjusts when necessary to drive the best results. For example, to measure the effectiveness of their health and wellness initiatives, Ohio Savings Bank tracked the percent increase of their medical insurance premium – and noticed that it was almost half the national average increase. Similarly, the Bank was able to aid many at-risk employees, by conducting annual skin cancer, cholesterol, blood pressure and other screenings. Most notable, due to the Bank’s on-site mammography service, out of 73 female participants, 12 were recommended for follow-up, two were recommended for biopsies, and one employee was diagnosed with breast cancer.

Ohio Savings Bank conducts frequent employee surveys to understand how new employee initiatives are effecting employee engagement and satisfaction; and based on recent results, they know they are on the right track.

Most employees expect to be working for the bank at least two years from now, if not for the rest of their career. Employees feel a strong sense of belongingness to the company, managers acknowledge their effort and results, and they feel that leaving would be tough because it is a great place to work and the company is committed to them. In addition, over 26% of all new hires in 2005 resulted from employee referrals, the bank’s most effective source used to advertise and promote open positions – demonstrating how the bank’s magnetic culture, development opportunities, and wise approach to building a great workplace has continued to make it an employer of choice.

As one Ohio Savings Bank management employee explains, “I look for how the company empowers their employees, believes in their employees, shows support and provides tools for their employees to succeed. It is also important to me that they provide opportunity for career growth and guidance.” Luckily, this organization is passionate about doing just that, skillfully focusing on their Top Performers.