G B SIVANANDAM
Last week I visited Vadavalli Branch of Canara Bank for depositing cash. I came out of the branch in less than 5 minutes and in another 5 minutes I received the mandatory SMS that my account has been credited with the amount I remitted. Fair enough. In the next few minutes I received another SMS requesting feedback on my experience in the branch with a link attached. The link took me to a page containing the name of the cashier and the passing officer asking me to rate their performance between 1 to 5 and there was also a column for special comments. Bank of Baroda goes one step ahead and calls the customers, asks for their experience, asks for the name/s of the staff members who were not performing their duties to the expectation of the customer.
Intimidation
The whole exercise, under the guise of customer service, is nothing but harassment of the staff members, hitherto unheard of in the Public Sector Banks. This amounts to intimidation and interference in the day to day affairs and performance of bank employees through micro-management by the bank’s top management. It is obvious that Unions were not consulted as no Trade Union would agree to such close monitoring of its members by the management. The bilateralism is almost given a go-bye by the Managements of Government banks, thanks to the BJP regime, the posts of workman and officer directors lie vacant since 2014.
Defeat the unhealthy practice
The Public Sector Banks’ indent for staff for recruitment through IBPS is the barest minimum. Quite recently only 260 vacancies were declared in the clerical cadre for the whole of Tamilnadu and the indent from banks like Bank of Baroda and Punjab National Bank were NIL. It is a similar story in the rest of India. Promotions and retirements result in dwindling clerical strength and the work pressure on the clerical staff is mounting on a daily basis with the pressure to canvass for third party products and for mobile/internet banking adding pressure to the already pressurised work culture amongst clerical staff. The plight of officers is even worse. They are forced to work upto late hours, attend calls during late nights and holidays. This being so, the present exercise of micro-managing the staff of a branch every minute is nothing but a weapon the managements are using to intimidate their staff and keep them always under tension.
This is an unhealthy practice which has to be resolutely fought against and defeated.
Worst than private banks. Can such enquiries be made with the loan borrowers on the attitude of executives?
Fair enough is opined, since staff strength is not in commensurate to mounting work
ஆம்… இது பல வருடங்களாகவே கனரா வங்கியில் நிர்வாகத்தால் (6 மாதத்திற்கு ஒரு முறை appraisal )செய்யப்படும்.
தற்போது வடிக்கையாளர் மூலம் appraisal….
பன்னாட்டு வணிக நிறுவனங்கள் பின்பற்றும் உடனடி சேவை குறித்த கருத்து கேட்பு முறை, இப்போது psb களிலும்..
ஊழியர்களே ஜாக்கிரதை!
காலத்தின் நிஜமான பதிவு…. சங்கங்களின் உடனடி கவனம் பெறட்டும்…..
It is to be noted that , each branch is have staff shortage . Even medium branches of 25cr business branches are running with single clerk , a officer and a manager. Staff are over burden with daily routine work and compliance required by the bank. Very horrible and hectic scenario is there .
Very difficult for the poor clerical staff as the strength in the branches is already not enough to handle daily work. And always there are many customers who want the service their way and beyond rules and possibility. How to believe on their ratings. Very harassing for the staff.
Competition is all right but the practice of horse raiding/ intension to earn maximum profit is unethical for any business entity. It’s not fair for society and staff as well.
There is need to be borne in mind that human resource is the most essential asset of any organisation. Hence, it must be taken due care.
Well written comrade.
The very essence of formation of Public sector banks is to provide service to all strata of society, but the top management of PSBs are going one step further to ask the government to decrease their stake in their banks a scenario unheard off. No surprises the management constantly instill fear about the dangers of privatisation to slowly change our mindset of the ground staff by keeping stiff unrealistic targets of all unwanted products to the customers at large. Officers union doesn’t question the management about the lack of quality time for them and their families. Bank management s are clearly moving in the wrong direction.
May be staff strength is little less, but computers can work in blink of a second earlier taking hour in book keeping.
Stress factor – Management policy not rewarding work horses. Eg if they put 2 excellent staff in a branch they will accommodate 3 more useless staff, either don’t work or dependent on health insurance or chow chow and get same emoluments of good staff. (Me VRS staff Canara Bank)
Every branch staff is too short. Even they achive with other staff such as
Day to day it’s increasing and many staff even committed suicide, still management ignores their lives.
Irritating and harassing steps of Bank managements are highly condemned !
முதலாளித்துவ உலகில் எல்லாமே ஒரு பண்டமாக உருவாக்கப்பட்டிருக்கிறது. தொழிலாளியின் ரத்தம் ருசித்து அதன் சுவைக்கு மதிப்பெண் போடும் காலம் இது. அரசியல் விழிப்புணர்வும்… போராட்ட உணர்வுமே நம்மை மீட்டெடுக்கும் தோழர்களே.
Nowadays, this is common practice in Banks. Instead of monitoring higher management of baseless decision, they are harrassing lower cader employees. And, no one is opposing or asking them.
I read fully. It is a tragedy. Why not this applicable to politicians and Government employees. One has to go several times to a Panchayat to get a small work done if they apply this appraisal even the computer system will go off due to heavy traffic. One clerk is managing the entire operations just like our Arun in Coimbatore branch.
On one hand it help to improve the approach of staff to customers. But basic required infrastructure support to be provided by management .
These things have to display before every branch to bring the knowledge of customers and public.We have to nibbed in the buds