Building Award-Winning Culture w. Shawn Premer

When your organization wins Best and Brightest Company to Work For ten consecutive years, you're doing something right. Shawn Premer, CHRO of Consumers Credit Union, shares how she's maintained award-winning culture through pandemic uncertainty, financial stress, and the mental health crisis while driving 38 consecutive years of double-digit organic growth. In this conversation, Shawn reveals how Consumers Credit Union approaches employee wellbeing in high-stress, member-facing roles. She discusses their partnership with Be Nice for suicide prevention, the decision to bring employees back five days a week, and how they balance deep care for people with high performance accountability. Timestamps:  [00:00] Introduction and Shawn's background  [02:11] Journey from 110 to 500 employees while maintaining culture  [04:30] What keeps Shawn engaged after 15 years  [06:20] How credit union membership shapes culture and purpose  [08:15] Real stories of helping members through financial struggles  [10:20] Partnership with Be Nice for suicide prevention  [13:05] Removing stigma around mental health conversations  [15:10] Starting mental health support in your organization  [17:30] Leading member-facing teams through emotional moments  [20:20] Decompression strategies for high-stress roles  [22:10] Bringing employees back five days a week  [24:15] Culture challenge: Balancing care with accountability  [27:15] What strategic HR really means  [28:25] Lightning round: Best advice, recommended books, and HR trends Follow Chester and Shawn: Connect with Chester:  LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chesterelton/ Website: https://chesterelton.com/ Connect with Shawn:  LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/shawnpremer/ Website: https://www.consumerscu.org/