Don't recognize BECU - SVP BECU Employee Review

1.0
9 Mar 2025
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Pension plan, employee gift match, remote work

Cons

Barely recognize the BECU I came to. Two years into new leadership, with tons of change, and most of it negative. Strategy is changing - hired a banker who ran credit cards for Wells, and now BECU aspires to be a national issuer. Rapidly losing community focus, with employees and new leaders spread out all over the country, compounded by a fully optional remote work model. Prior exec leaders saw this coming and most of them left / retired. Replaced by remote execs with no CU background or connection to the community. New perspectives are always good, but there is infighting among them and passive aggressive behavior that the prior team didn't demonstrate. Happy to get on the train, but I am still waiting. Bottom line focused, and deposit rates are suppressed because ROA is so low, yet we continue to add to an excess capital position. National aspiration but no solution for memership restrictions except through association, which will attract single-product, expense and non-loyal members. Expenses are way up, deposits and assets are flat for two years, and membership growth is slowing. Aside from some new branches, there have been very few meaningful member enhancements in two years.

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BECU Response
1y
Thank you for sharing your detailed and thoughtful feedback. We appreciate the time you’ve taken to outline both the positive aspects of your experience and the challenges you’ve observed. We’re glad to hear you value the pension plan, employee gift match, and the flexibility of remote work. These benefits are part of our effort to support our team members and foster a positive workplace environment. However, we recognize the concerns you’ve raised about changes in leadership, strategic direction, and the shifting connection to our community focus. Change is inherently complex and can sometimes feel like a departure from what made an organization special. We also understand how challenging it can be to navigate changes in leadership dynamics and the shift to a more national and remote model. We hear your concerns about strategy, deposit rates, and membership growth and acknowledge the impact these have on employees’ confidence in the organization’s direction. Your advice about listening and learning from employees is invaluable. We agree that an honest and open dialogue between leadership and team members is critical for creating a shared vision and addressing the concerns of our workforce. Thank you again for your feedback. We are committed to reflecting on these insights and working towards balance that honors both our community roots and the perspectives of our dedicated employees and desired growth and outreach to help even more members with success in their financial lives.

Explore other reviews about BECU

5.0
18 Mar 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Self manage, managers don’t micro manage. Remote work. Great benefits. Good culture. Competitive pay.

Cons

There can be lots of changes when you’re hired.

1
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BECU Response
3mo
Thank you for sharing your feedback. It’s great to hear that you value the autonomy in your role, the trust from managers, and the flexibility of remote work. It’s also encouraging to see benefits, culture, and pay recognized as positives — those are important parts of the overall experience. We also understand your point about the pace of change, especially early on. Starting a new role can already be an adjustment, and navigating changes at the same time can add complexity. While change is often part of growth and improvement, your perspective is a helpful reminder of the importance of clear communication and support during those transitions. Thank you again for taking the time to share your experience.
1.0
19 May 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

There are many employees who care about the mission, values, each other, and members.

Cons

Within the Technology organization, there is growing concern regarding the consistency and transparency of hiring and promotion practices following the 2023 CTO transition. Over a relatively short period, the composition of senior leadership changed significantly, with a large percentage of new hires and promotions appearing to originate from overlapping professional networks, referral pipelines, or ethnic background. There is perception that advancement opportunities increasingly favored candidates connected to existing leadership circles, raising concerns about whether hiring standards and evaluation processes are being applied consistently across Tech. As these leadership changes cascaded through reporting structures, teams became increasingly homogeneous in background and prior affiliations. This contributed to employee concerns about reduced diversity, diminished internal mobility, and the potential for affinity bias in hiring and promotion decisions. The resulting leadership composition also became noticeably less diverse over time, which contributed to perceptions of affinity bias and employees outside the dominant leadership network can appear sidelined in promotions, influence, and career growth opportunities, contributing to a perception of favoritism and inconsistent standards. As leadership composition became noticeably less diverse, the corresponding teams become less diverse as well.

2
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BECU Response
1mo
Thank you for taking the time to share your feedback. We appreciate your recognition of the many employees who remain deeply committed to our mission, values, members, and one another. Those connections are an important part of what makes the organization special. We also understand the concerns you've raised regarding hiring, promotion practices, and career growth opportunities within Technology. Perceptions of fairness, transparency, and equal opportunity can have a significant impact on trust and engagement. When employees question whether processes are being applied consistently, it’s important that those concerns are heard and thoughtfully considered. We will ensure this feedback is shared. Your advice around transparency, accountability, and independent review is noted. Building confidence in hiring and advancement processes requires ongoing attention and a commitment to ensuring employees feel opportunities are accessible, merit-based, and clearly communicated. Thank you again for sharing your perspective. Feedback like yours helps inform important conversations about culture, trust, and employee experience.
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