It is with deep sorrow that we share the news of the tragic death of Biju, the Senior Manager and Branch Head of Union Bank of India’s Kakabe Branch in the Hassan Region, Bangalore zone. Biju took his own life inside the bank branch, leaving behind grieving colleagues, family, and friends.
A Shocking Incident
While the exact reasons behind Biju’s decision remain unclear, it is known that he was battling severe depression. This incident has sent shockwaves through the banking community and raised important questions about the mental health challenges faced by bank employees.
Pressures and Challenges Faced by Bank Officers
Biju’s death brings to light the immense pressure many bank employees face on a daily basis. Unrealistic performance targets, toxic work environments, and threats of transfers contribute to the heavy mental and emotional burdens on officers. Biju and his wife were both subjected to lateral transfers, which added to their stress and anxiety. The policy of transferring employees without considering their personal situations has drawn criticism for ignoring the mental well-being of officers.
Many officers like Biju carry the weight of these pressures in silence, struggling to balance the demands of their jobs with their mental health. The tragic outcome in this case serves as a sobering reminder of the need for greater awareness, compassion, and support within the banking industry.
A Call for Change
As we mourn the loss of Biju, we must also take this moment to reflect on the state of our work culture. This tragedy should serve as a wake-up call to both the management and the banking community. It is essential that we advocate for a more supportive and compassionate work environment, one that prioritizes mental health and well-being over unrealistic expectations and rigid policies.
In Biju’s memory, let us unite and work together to ensure that no other colleague feels so overwhelmed or unsupported that they feel they have no way out. This is a time for the bank to take responsibility and ensure that such a devastating loss never happens again.
Big tragedy. This should never happen to a young banker. The management needs to be vary vigilant and cautious when a prized staff is having extreme stress and signs of depression. Management should understand grooming ann officer and making him a BANKs HUMAN ASSET is not a small thing. If a tragedy happens like this it is a colossal erosion of Banks HUMAN ASSET WEALTH which is much more important than all other assets. There is need to. E contact 2ith spous or family by the management representative trained by HR dept for doing this job and systematically counsel and help him or her out of the crisis. UBI or any bank may not realise the hidden loss of reputation of the Bank by such a death. The shock will make the bank paralysed which may not be visible. Apparently I will say the management has a role in it and they cannot run away from this responsibility. The same responsibility is there with the Union or Association in which he or she is a member. COLLATERAL DAMAGE which cannot be rectified overnight. I was an top executive in a PSB and GRAMIN BANK. So I am speaking from my experience and vision about this.
Sir head office or circle office se staff kam karo mail Kerna wala ek hi Jonathan cgahiye. Aaj head office then zonal office phir circle office ,branch me staff hi nahi. Monday less people are sitting on top management.
Unrealistic targets for deposit,advances,shortage of staff,continuous pestering by higher ups,forcing officers to work on holidays,non grantingof leave,and threat of transfers at inconvinient place forces lots of anguish and mental pressure.
This culminates into taking drastic steps such as suicide thereby destroying entire family.Those responsible for creating such situations should be hanged.
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In Banks Human Resources Dept.is so weak and the Dept is just another arm of Regional Head or Circle/Zonal Head. Instead of standing up for staff welfare they threaten or force staffs to bend to the whims of Higher Managements/ Operational Heads. The reporting heirarchy of operations and HRs should be separated.
Sabhi ro mein baithe order karte hai bus koi kaam karne wala he nahi
HR Dept in banks is not weak. They are strong undoubtedly. Only thing is the officers working in HR are not humane in their approach. They think they are bosses and others are their servants. That approach was driven in to their brains for over decades. This approach needs to be corrected. No person shall be allowed to work in HR Dept for more than a decade. This shall be implemented in all banks.
IN REALITY the banks ZO AND RO having sufficient no of officer employees mire than the required. But Branches are provided with lesser employees.This affects the whole branch.In some branches They have two officers including B.M.For deposit S canvassing ,Loan Recovery,Attending Courts etc.falls in the head of the B.M.This leads to tension,depression etc.In one branch at CHENNAI we were two CLERKS, one AM.and B.M.One day the B..M.went on casual leave.On that day R.B.I.inspectors came fir inspection. One of them.asked me where is the staff fir manning Help Desk/Service counter. Then I told him there is no staff for manning the Desk.Then he told me that it will be recorded. I told him what ever you want you can do it.I was annoyed because on that heavy rush was there as We have don’t have time to reply their Questions. These are all happening in the banks.
Yes bro…
Ab government sponsored scheme k liye roj presure bnaya jata hai, jo kabhi banking ka part tha hi nhi, agr kisi branch kisi din nhi kr ska to us staff ki khair nhi.
Higher authority I.e. management should resolve the feoud levels issue. Management thrests to staff for do unrealistic work and pressure in other way like they do false complaint of brsnch level staff by other staff , ex staff and customer . It should be stopped. Transparency ai the need of the hour from group level to higher level. Politics should not be done in banking sector. There should be endless strike if we all bankers want a better work life .
Instead of giving priority and importance to Deposit and Advances, all other non- business aspects are given priority like Insurance business, unreachable targets (Eg.Bringing 5 Vehicle Loan proposals per day / 5 Housing Loan proposals per day), etc., etc. A strong doubt is that whether those higher ups who are putting lot of pressure on staff have done same achievements earlier…? when they have also passed the same stage/ status/position.
The situation is getting worse day by day. Ppl who have the knowledge of credit are being forced to do operations that too as a DBM, which creates risk for them and the bank and ppl who have never worked in credit are being posted as credit officers wherein they also lack support and knowledge. And god forbid if a mistake will happen, no one will understand or support. Daily targets are uncountable now. Threats are given almost on a daily basis by the staff of RO in case a target is not met. What a pity. There is a shortage of staff in branch, in case one person has to take leave, it becomes very difficult to function the branch smoothly. But nothing will happen, no change will happen, suicides are common for bankers now. Management doesn’t care. This is just another news, will vanish in thin air.
A very sad & tragic commentary on today’s Banking culture or rather Branch banking. The Entire Pressure is thrust on the Ground level without sufficient manpower. This needs to be rectified. Roles need to be reassessed,redefined & specified with sharing of Risk, Responsibility & Targets at all levels. Sympathetic approach may yield better results than dictatorial approach.
Life of PSB Bank officers are miserable,there is no support from any corners of society be it management,public or media.
But for this pitiable situation bankers are themselves responsible they bend before undue pressure of management thereby violating laid down policy for a simple reason that promotion and posting.
Follow the rules,it was a banker’s own choice they opted for bank job knowing fully that their services are transferrable any where there is a branch or office of the bank,then why to fear for transfer?
As regards to promotion,the career progression policy in the bank is one of the hopeless one,in government there is guarantee of three promotion at intervals of 10, 20and 30years,in bank if one join as scale 1he/she will remain in scale I till the time of retirement.
In the name of merit they adopted the policy of pick and choose leaving seniority at backfoot.
So if bankers are stick to rules without bothering for promotion and posting things will change and professional life will be peaceful.
I had joined as an officer Trainee in a nationalised bank way back in 1975 due to the compulsion of my father who was a business. I worked for 26 years in different branches and in different places. The workmen union used to be very strong and officers were helpless and we were harassed both by the workmen and the management. Staff was always excess and we officers were at their mercy. Pressure used to mount from the top for reaching targets and those days salary used to very less. We used to work for 10 to12 hours everyday including holidays and Sundays. I was never happy and there was no job satisfaction. Transfer policy was misused by the management. To my good fortune in 2001 a one time VRS under golden handshake was announced and I grabbed the opportunity. After quitting my bank job, I pursued my passion of learning to play several musical instruments and calligraphy. I started teaching music and calligraphy and I am leading a happy life. I had eleven years of service left when I quick. I was just 49.i have no regrets. I am 72 hale and healthy. I would have probably not survived if I had continued in bank job. If you ask me the clerical job in a bank is much better than that of the offiers’. I was also a sportsman and I could not pursue my passion as long as I served the bank. Money and status is nit important in life.
It’s just your ability to handle stress
I can empathise with you because I joined as a clerk and retired as a senior manager after having put in 37 plus years of service.
Yes I did have my share of brickbats but I knew I was right and I superannuated with my head held high!
Women employees in Banks are a luckier lot in Banks, always!
What the unions are doing. They are all selfish people who don’t to work but only enjoy attending meetings and travel allover india at the cost of employees. Let management press union proples to do bank work also. They enjoying traveling here and there.
Banks irrespective of nationised and private banks are pressurising their staff especially the managers to achieve unrealistic targets to achieve. Leading nationalised banks ask their managers to open 10 current accounts and 20 savings account daily. When it is not possible in village branch were all people are having account s the managers are helpless and Regional officers are not allowing them to do Day end and make the managers to sit upto 10 o clock in the branch.making them to suffer like bonded labourers. This should be condemned and unions should protest and try to change.
After much struggle bankers got second and fourth Saturday as holiday but the regional heads invariably conduct the so-called special meeting on that holidays and prevent the managers to forego the holidays and spent all day in meeting and suffer. This should be addressed by the officer’s unions
In my opinion empowering the branch manager through further devolution of powers is one way to enhance work satisfaction. Fixing of targets must be on mutually agreeable levels. As an auditor of public sector banks I can tell you the branch infrastructure is pathetic. The toilets are so filthy and need total renovation. The branch archives is poor. There is no place for branch staff to have lunch. Provide longer duration in each branch, have empathy during transfers, help branch staff children to get school admissions, above all make the branch a pleasant place to work like the multinational banks. Reduce RO, ZO and HO staff which can be done by delegating more powers to the branch manager. Improve system controls and simplify procedures. Have a committee of banking experts to review conditions. Include international bankers in the committee
Nowadays extortion and threatening are done wearing suits in ac chambers. Time has changed and so as the goons.
One of the worst job one can do is the bank job
If your horoscope has issue u are definitely a banker
It is very painful to know the tragic incident. Main reason for the mental agony and depression is the way the managements handling the ground staff. They never recognise the personal life or well being of branch officers. Branch heads are handled like machine tools without any need for smooth handling. Targets are given beyond once capacity to achieve and without recognising specific branch locational limitations. Regional/Circle Managers are treating branch heads very badly in most cases. There is all round frustration in all banks today among branch level functionaries. It high time that top management and government swing into action., for corrective action.
The Management should realise that not all are equipped with the capabilities of handling tough situations.
Each person is suited for a particular task and it is responsibility of the HR to tap these resources and use them effectively.
Sitting in Administrative Offices these people are barely sensitive to the intricacies involved in Branch Management.
Unlike vehicles, the human shock absorbers get stronger with experience but sadly you are saddled with responsibilities much much before you are ready to take them on.
Remember there was a huge gap in the recruitment process in the 90s? We are paying for it now!
Smart youngsters wriggle their way out from the branches to perch themselves in Administrative Offices and stay put for donkey years! They go up the ladder without any hassles (not to mention the route they take) and stay away from handling posts. It is the ambitious but not so smart youngsters who get lured by the BM tag and fall prey at the hands of the Management. You need to realise that you have to take one step at a time!
Well you cannot blame the Management too….after all they also need scapegoats like our friend.
All these drastic measures are being taken by people who are in the age group of 35-45 and it is an outcome of sheer lack of courage coupled with inexperience…and not an iota of support from the organisation!
These people, even for a moment have not thought of their families who have to suffer for no fault of theirs… other than the biological connect.
Hr should be separated from operations (circle ,zonel, regional offices) like inspection. While posting native language speakers should be given more preferences in branches. Try to minimize unnecessary outof state posting if they can be accommodated in same state.