My first thirty days at First Business Bank confirmed what I believed when I accepted the position of Office Manager at the Kansas City Metro bank location. First, I have met wonderful individuals throughout various departments, including people from the bank’s Madison, Wis., headquarters as well as here in the Kansas City Metro. Everyone has been very accepting and patient as I started to learn and identify individuals. They have also been kind to include me in their “Fun Committee” events such as the Souper Bowl, National Popcorn Day, the cocoa cart, and a unique Mardi Gras celebration. I was also impressed with the Go Red for Women event to support the American Heart Association.
However, I experienced the real proof of the culture first-hand during a business trip.
During my third week here at First Business Bank, I had a scheduled trip to Madison to meet with HR and other individuals as part of learning the responsibilities of my position. Of course, the day I was to leave was the same day the weather decided to drop eight inches of snow on Milwaukee. My flight was cancelled, so I was rerouted through Detroit and spent most of the day at the airport.
As I was waiting to leave Kansas City for my new flight to Detroit, I received a call from my mother. My father, who has congestive heart failure, had fallen while they were at the V.A. Hospital for an appointment. After talking with my mom, I went ahead and caught my flight to Detroit. Once I landed in Detroit, I received frantic phone calls from my mother and daughter explaining that my dad had actually fractured his hip and that they were going to try to do a high-risk surgery that week.
I kept asking myself, “What do I do?” I just started a new career and needed to make sure I followed through with commitments, but I also felt a strong need to see my dad and be there for my mom.
I made it through about half of the next day. Everyone was supportive and telling me to go home to be with my family, but it finally took a gentle “push” to convince me to go home and see my dad before his surgery the next day.
It was a rough couple of weeks; Dad was in ICU for a week and half with various complications and now has to receive dialysis for kidney failure three times a week.
I am very thankful that I decided to go home, as time with my dad is very precious. I want to say thank you to First Business Bank for showing me what I felt when I first interviewed — not only do they put their clients first, they also put their employees first.
