Bankers: Their importance and their neglect

When it comes to essential services what different services comes to your mind that are essential and among those which service is most neglected and ignored one despite being essential? Among essential services, we rightly acknowledge all services provided by all professionals except one, i.e. Banking. Yes, many may not know it, but the banking sector comes under essential services that is being provided at all times, the services were provided even during COVID-19 when most of other departments remained closed.

Despite the nature of this service many bankers face anger of a customer during arguments. There can be healthy arguments but what customers resort to is stooping low. The main cause being that banking profession is looked down upon here in this part of the world. Everybody wants to take advantage from this sector yet rarely somebody appreciates this sector.

Most of people think that bankers are not so bright people if not dumb, they have below average intellect and have not so good academic record, which makes people assume bankers as lower ones and inferior ones and they throw them their worst slurs, taunts and abuses during arguments.

When you go to a bank branch and see a young official on a desk what many assume is that this official has been recruited in the bank by any corrupt means and without any consideration to his/her academic and competitive examination achievements. Many people consider banking a free to join sector and think whosoever wants to join can be recruited in the bank at will.

A banker is selected by a country-wide competitive examination conducted by bank itself or by central-level professional body called IBPS. Some bankers I know are JRF scholars, some I know are great academicians, some have been good journalists and some, like me, have resigned from government posts and joined the bank.

Many people think bank officials can do anything with impunity. Given the nature of the work the banking sector has complete accountability, unlike all other organisations, including govt departments. It is in the banking sector where complete accountability is fixed against erring officers and officials in a time-bound manner giving relief to customers. Have you seen a mechanism put in place wherein every task done and every decision taken is recorded and can easily be traced to the person who has done the task or taken the decision? This efficient mechanism of this level is only in the banking sector and not in any other sector.

Most people get irritated when they are asked to submit documents required for any job assignment. They think these documents are unnecessary and these documents are asked only to make customers leave. People should bear in mind that how can an official demand something unnecessary from customers when he knows the grievance redressal framework is easily accessible to customers. The framework is swift, prompt and efficient. Grievance redressal is another reason why the banking officials are on their toes to complete the task of customers as per norms and guidelines because grievance redressal in banks is efficacious, easy and accessible, unlike all other govt organisations. Each and every bank has a separate grievance redressal policy. Moreover, there is also another mechanism put up by the RBI called banking ombudsman. The affected customer can easily raise a grievance using his phone in the comfort of his room.

Despite a banker possessing all that is required for this profession, he is still not getting the respect he deserves. He is being disrespected to such a level that it takes him years to recover. A banking official possess wit, ingenuity, sanity, financial knowledge and compassion among other traits which makes him much superior than most of other professions.

The nature of work in the banking sector is too risky, too delicate and too stressful. Adding to this environment is the impatient nature of customers, particularly in Kashmir. We Kashmiris have no concept of a queue system. Which gives rise to most arguments in bank branches. Customers expect officials to give them priority even if the official is already working on some assignment at that time. And official wants customer to understand that official is a bit busy and wants him wait and give him some time to respond. Consider an example wherein a bank official is opening a loan account, and we, as customers, are impatient and start to simply ask him about our queries. The least possible mistake on the part of the official is an error in feeding the data while opening a loan account or a cheque because of the diversion of focus from his work to the customer. The mistake can be, at least, punching the wrong amount, the wrong interest rate, the wrong EMIs set, etc. The implications are monitory, imminent, unavoidable and belated thus needing a complete focus of official. Bankers being busy when approached by customers tell them to wait few minutes, which is not taken well by customers. The customers take this as an insult, and then an altercation starts.

There may be instances where a banker has caused a situation to aggravate yet there are ways of showing dissent. I have seen such comments passed to bankers that malign the dignity of their profession, their meritorious academic record and their meritorious selection at least.

This side of banking profession has been ignored by the govt and their parent banks alike. Wherein the abuses, altercations, taunts and disrespect to bankers have been normalised to such an extent that disrespecting a banker seems bravery. Anyone comes and unloads their anger on banking officials and walks out with impunity. They know nobody is going to refrain them from doing so as bankers are lesser ones. The bankers work in a stressful environment wherein the altercations also take a heavy toll on their mental health. The current legal structure has rendered them defenceless. The parent bank also does not provide any protection of any sort to its employees. On the contrary on most occasions, the bank restricts its employees from even commenting or defending the taunts and abuses thrown by an angry customer.

The need of the hour is to protect the ignored warriors i.e., bankers whose work is as essential as medical professionals. Govt and administration must also come forward and put in a place some administrative protection for affected bankers. There is currently a huge public pressure mounting on the Maharashtra administration to provide legal protection for bankers after the recent wave of assaults on bankers. Moreover, we as customers should also be patient while approaching the bank officials. And if a customer feels he has not been attended to satisfactorily, he can explore the grievance redressal mechanism of the bank and the RBI ombudsman, but altercation bears no result of any sort and is the most immoral and unethical thing a person resorts to.

Imtiyaz Afzal Khan, Assistant Manager J&K Bank. Views are personal.