HOUSTON, Texas -What defines a great place to work? Attractive benefits? Training opportunities? Esprit de corps? For Members Choice Credit Union, the answer is all of the above. . . and then some! Recently named one of Houston's "Best Places to Work" by the Houston Business Journal, Members Choice lures employees with a generous benefits plan, a bonus program, sales incentives, a Mystery Shopper program, and more than 70 training opportunities each year. The bonus program, called CU Excel, has a maximum payout of 12% of base compensation when individual and corporate performance goals are achieved. But it doesn't stop there. The credit union's senior leadership team is committed to making Members Choice a "fun" place to work also. Employee activities scheduled throughout the year include: a Super Bowl Party, a Valentine's Day contest, a St. Patrick's Day contest, an Easter egg hunt, an annual barbecue at the CEO's house, a Tacky Tourist contest in conjunction with a Summer Cash loan promotion, a July 4th celebration, an extravagant Halloween costume contest, a Thanksgiving pot luck, and a December holiday party. Another regular event is called "Turn the Org Chart Upside Down." On this day, the senior leadership team swaps jobs with another department. Employees look forward to the switch, because leaders get to see the challenges subordinates face on a daily basis. The HBJ Best Places To Work selection committee compared Members Choice to other local businesses with 1-100 employees. Rankings were based on responses to two surveys: one on company policies and benefits, and one on employee opinions. The company survey focused on benefits provided in categories such as: financial, vacation, compensation, well-being/family and work environment. A value was assigned to each benefit, with some benefits given higher values than others. Operating on the idea that employee opinion is a better gauge of work satisfaction than the number of benefits offered by a company, employee opinions were weighted more heavily. Members Choice employees qualified for 303 points out of a possible 337.5 on the employee opinion survey. Comments included, "I have made many suggestions that were implemented and worked! If you make a suggestion and it works, you are rewarded and recognized – which is unusual!" and "Employees at MCCU are given chances and opportunities to apply knowledge and skills. Managers encourage the good work done by their subordinates, and compensate them through bonuses and raises. Part of the company's mission statement is employees should have fun. Based on my observations, the vast majority do, and this positively affects morale." Barbara Sheffield, MCCU president and chief executive officer, says it's no accident that the credit union is a great place to work. "We recognize that enthusiastic, satisfied employees are also loyal and hard-working employees, leading to success in all areas of the business. If you treat your employees like dogs, they're going to bite the customer. If you treat your employees well, it's reflected in the way they treat the customer. Our motto is to provide outrageous service. I'm proud to say we follow that for members as well as employees." [email protected]