COVID-19’s Impact on Credit Unions and Industry Professionals

The abrupt cancellation of in-person industry gatherings has resulted in “a year of lost connections,” says Natasha Chilingerian, Credit Union Times’ Executive Editor.

A self-proclaimed grammar nerd who deals with words daily, Natasha has managed the news site’s print magazine and website content for the past five years. Even though she’s worked remotely for seven years, there are plenty of new learning curves to navigate in light of COVID-19 — namely, the inability to connect with a community. 

While the number of virtual events this year has increased to simulate the connectedness of in-person learning and networking, Natasha says it’s not the same. The chance to travel and explore new places with others “creates bonding and builds relationships with different colleagues you work with.”

Without that, what connects us now is how much more human we allow each other to be. 

In this episode of the Digital Banking podcast, Natasha shares her thoughts on the sustainability of virtual events — plus, what we’ve learned about them since the onset of COVID-19. She provides insight on the post-pandemic future of remote work for credit unions, how we can balance schedules and availability (hint: flexibility is key!) and how to create boundaries between work and home. 

Hear Natasha’s thoughts on these topics and more, like the actual timeline of converting to digital banking and her take on the role of physical credit union branches in a digitized landscape.