Pros
I have worked at SPIRE for 4 years. During that 4 year period, I have had the opportunity to do more things hands on than I did in 10 years at a for-profit bank prior to joining SPIRE. SPIRE has been growing rapidly and we have added a lot of new positions so there is a lot of opportunity for career advancement. Many places say they have the best service or they are customer focused but I can say that you can really feel that here. There is just a different level of accountability to the members because they are our owners. SPIRE has been a great place for families too. In the past, if a child or myself has been ill or has a school event, I haven't had the understanding and flexibility that I have received from management here. It makes you feel valued and like you aren't just a production machine to the company, but a SPIRE family member. We are treated like humans. There are some pretty cool recognition programs in place to encourage people to go beyond their expectations. I like that we are a strengths based company. Those strengths are really used in our personal development and career placement so you feel successful. They focus on what we are good at and not our shortcomings.
Cons
We are a small financial so that means we are not working with the limitless resources and budgets some of our competitors have. Sometimes that is hard because we have to say no to things we want to do. However, I have learned to get creative because of this. We have been opening a lot of new branches but we still have holes in the twin cities and this is a challenge to overcome with members.