11/01/11 Bar Harbor Bank & Trust Named 2011 Best Places To Work in Maine

Left to right: Marsha Sawyer, SPHR, SVP/Human Resources at BHBT; (Dana Connors, President of Maine State Chamber of Commerce); Jacqueline Curtis, AVP/Human Resources at BHBT; (Kris Avery, Society of Human Resource Management, Maine State Council Director); Cheryl Mullen, SVP/Sales and Marketing at BHBT; and Joseph Murphy, President and CEO of Bar Harbor Bank & Trust receive their 2011 Best Places to Work in Maine award at the banquet held on October 11 in Lewiston, Maine.

Bar Harbor, Maine — Bar Harbor Bank & Trust was recently named one of the 2011 Best Places to Work in Maine. "This is the Bank’s first time participating in the process and we are pleased to be named one of the 28 Best Places to Work in Maine, in the small business category of companies employing 15-249 employees," said Joseph Murphy, President and CEO of Bar Harbor Bank & Trust. "We are very proud that our employees felt we were deserving of this recognition. This feedback let’s us know our employees appreciate working for a company where they are valued as individuals. We’ve been doing a lot of listening over the years to what our employees look for in a workplace. This is a very welcome recognition for the effort our entire team has made to build a better company together."

"Bar Harbor Bank & Trust chose to participate in this process because we value candid feedback from our employees regarding their job satisfaction and overall work environment," said Marsha Sawyer, SVP/Human Resources. "We have surveyed our employees before and use the feedback for self improvement purposes. The information received from this process will not only help us improve our workplace but also aid in our new employee recruitment and on-going retention efforts."

Bar Harbor Bank & Trust employees reported the highest scores in the following categories: Role Satisfaction, Work Environment, and Overall Engagement. Survey results show that employees like the type of work they do and feel they are able to maintain a reasonable balance between work life and personal life. Employees report that they have a clear understanding of their job role and feel performance expectations are realistic. Most of all, they understand how their job fits into the success of the Bank as a whole. Overall, Bar Harbor Bank & Trust employees expressed a willingness to give extra effort to help the Bank succeed. In addition they would recommend the Bank to a friend as a provider of financial services and as a great employer. "Engaged employees enjoy their jobs, like to come to work each day, and provide top-notch customer service with ease," remarked Mr. Murphy.

The Best Places to Work in Maine statewide survey and awards program is designed to identify, recognize and honor the best places of employment in Maine. Companies from across the state entered the two-part process to determine the Best Places to Work in Maine for 2011. The first part (25% weighting) consisted of evaluating workplace policies, practices, and demographics. The second part (75% weighting) consisted of a voluntary employee survey to measure the employee experience. The combined scores determined the top companies and the final ranking. The 2011 Best Places to Work in Maine list is made up of 40 companies in two size categories: small/medium (15-249 U.S. employees) and large (250+ U.S. employees). For more information on the Best Places to Work in Maine program, visit www.BestPlacestoWorkinME.com.

Founded in 1887, Bar Harbor Bank & Trust is a community bank with 12 locations along the coast of Maine. They offer a full range of financial services and products for families, businesses, and non-profit organizations. Bar Harbor Bank & Trust is a subsidiary of Bar Harbor Bankshares (AMEX:BHB) and is named as one of the 2011 Best Places to Work in Maine. For more information call 207-288-3314 or go to www.bhbt.com. Member FDIC, Equal Housing Lender.