Employee retention

Life is “ruff.” Pets can make it easier. Here is how some of the Best Banks to Work For accommodate their employees’ furry pals.

A few years after co-founding Level One Bank, CEO Patrick Fehring decided to survey his employees. It turned into a wake-up call.

The Detroit lender developed rotational training programs in auto finance, accounting and technology to help attract and keep promising employees, especially millennials, who had a tendency to bolt.

“You can’t serve the public if your employees are shell-shocked,” said one executive, comments echoed by other institutions dealing with the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey.

“You can’t serve the public if your employees are shellshocked,” said one top banker, comments echoed by other institutions dealing with the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey.

The days of having an employee who happily works at the drive-through window for 30 years are over. So what’s a bank to do about its branch staff now? Bank of Tennessee has some ideas that it expects will appeal to millennials.

The new owner of this Miami bank might be from Chile, but it sure knew how to create warm feelings with the employees it acquired. Instead of cutting back on benefits, it added some new ones — including a cash bonus paid for life events like having a child.

Union Bankshares in Virginia lost several key lending officers after it bought StellarOne. Management as a result has made changes to minimize employee flight from its latest M&A target, Xenith Bankshares.

Teresa Tanner designed a unique program to help keep new moms from leaving Fifth Third. Monica Coles of Wells Fargo has a surprising perspective on diversity initiatives. Plus, Abby Johnson talks up bitcoin.

New mothers were bailing out from the Cincinnati bank at twice the rate of other women employees, so it decided to offer a maternity concierge service that would help them with stressful chores.

The more vocal millennial generation is pushing companies like Bank of America to redefine diversity in the workplace to include more freedom of expression.

JPMorgan Chase is shaking up the way it evaluates employees, introducing a mobile tool that lets workers across the sprawling organization send or receive instant critiques of their colleagues.

CoastHills chairman earns military honor and other awards, promotions and new hires at credit unions across the country.

From preparing Generations X and Y to replace baby boomers in leadership positions and enticing more demanding millennials to finding compliance talent and integrating divergent staffs post-merger, HR executives cited a variety of issues they expect to be tackling this year.

The embattled company's new incentive pay plan appears to resemble those used by other banks, which suggests that regulators are unlikely to demand big changes throughout the sector.

Some might question the payoff for lavish parties, fitness centers and even career-development programs. But a growing body of academic evidence suggests that there is a link between employee happiness and bottom-line results.