Promotion or No Promotion

I have been employed in a public sector bank since 2012 and these are my personal views on further promotion in the bank. These are purely personal views and should not be considered in any other manner.

Promotion in 8 years vs. Promotion in 3 Years:

Earlier the promotion from one post to the next used to be after 8 or 10 years. During this period, the employee used to get sufficiently experienced and he had the ability to Say NO in unfavourable situations against the diktat of the higher authorities. Only what was right as per our consciousness needed to be done at work place. 

Now, the promotions have been fast forwarded and the minimum eligibility criteria is 3 years of service. The strategy as advised by some high level or consultancy to the bank management was that, decision making by younger minds would be faster than senior people who took slow decisions. What earlier used to take twenty five years of service to reach the position of Chief Manager, employees can scale the height in 10 years now for those who are in the good books of management. 

The main draw back of fast track promotion in my opinion is that, the promotees are not in a position to tell NO under any circumstances. They would tell YES and only YES to whatever decision taken/ imposed by the management. Be it unreasonable business targets, Shortage of staff in their work places, Sacrificing of Work Life Balance or working on holidays, the answer is always YES by the new gen employees. Those who are making life miserable for us presently would have enjoyed their parenthood and younger days in a much more fruitful manner as they were at lower cadres during their youth days and business/ target  pressure never used to be this much severe. The present generation is not at all able to enjoy the family life or spend any fruitful time with their family and children.

Today's pathetic Work Life Balance:

We leave our homes by 9 in the morning and reach back by around 8 in the night. In metro cities, the timings are more severe taking into account the travel time and traffic blocks involved. On holidays also, very often we are called to office for work. Resistance or Denials would be met with threats and transfers. Due to severe staff shortage in all the work places, even asking for a single day leave would be met with strong opposition from the reporting manager. Asking for single day alone is a sin, leave alone asking for a week's leave for a family vacation. There is hardly any meaningful time spend with our family. 

Role of staff unions:

The main role played by the staff union is during wage negotiation with the management. Also, when the employee faces any enquiry regarding credit related matters or others, the unions would support to a certain extent. Apart from this, there's very limited support from the staff union. Top management is pressurizing the employees like anything for achieving their ends. The union office bearers are posted in comfortable offices (mostly in Risk Management Section or Staff loan section where the risk is minimal). The union people can very rarely be seen in any section related to MSME or Corporate Advances. Regarding transfer also, the close confidantes of union leaders will be working in same place but different offices for more than 10 years at a stretch. The criteria is different for normal employees. The staff union leaders will not open their mouth in front of the top management against the difficulties faced by their members, but will only garland and give bouquet to top management during their visits. 

My personal experience with staff unions:

Certainly it was not good. I faced a minor enquiry during my tenure at an earlier branch. During the enquiry, the higher authority of the branch was an earlier active union leader and their close friend. Instead of supporting my cause, the unions drafted a reply in which I was apologizing for all the accusations against me without giving any justification from my side. 

Next time, I faced a credit related enquiry involving the same higher official. I was 100% sure in my mind that, there was no wrong doing on my part. I took the help of my father for drafting and submitting the reply. He prepared a perfect reply citing the fact that, there was no lapse from my side and the my higher official had sanctioned the loan justifying my reservations from his side without exercising any caution. The fact that, I had been transferred out of the branch within 2 months due to my non- cooperation was also very clearly mentioned. The enquiry is still going on. However, I feel confident that, I would remain unscathed thanks to my father. Had I approached the union for the reply, things would have been different.

I completed the basic requirement of three years in Mumbai and requested for assistance in transfer to my native place when the top union leader visited our Mumbai office. The reply from his side was that, since you are a specialist officer, you are directly coming under management and we have very limited role to play. Next year, fortunately I went to native place without the help of unions.

Three years had been completed in native place. I was heading a branch for one year. The union district secretary was working in regional office and assured me that, as I am performing well I will not be disturbed from the branch. 

But it was not to be. Transfer orders had come for another specialist officer who was having medical issues and the person had completed 7 or 8 years in home state at that time. I was the scape goat identified for head office posting and for not sending the originally identified person. I went and requested everyone including union leaders and top management. With tears I came back from the Circle Office. On the professional side, I put all the hard work and developed the customer base of the branch. There was notable improvement in the branch performance. From 52nd rank in our regional office during December 2018 quarter, my branch improved to 2nd rank during June 2019. 

I wanted this success very badly as this was the first time I was heading a branch and being successful at work place would have given a world of confidence for my future career. But it was not to be. Bank has denied me this opportunity and crushed all my ambitions. From this point onwards, my thirst for success at professional level was on the decline. I had been sincere through out my career, but the urge to excel and take more and more promotions has declined. 

On the personal side also I suffered on account of my unexpected transfer from my native place. My wife was carrying our second child at the time of this transfer. I had to proceed alone to the next work place leaving my wife and son behind with my parents. Then covid 19 pandemic broke out and severe restrictions were placed for interstate travel. My second child was born post 4 days after expiry of my father in law. I couldn't come to native place for both. The loneliness and helplessness I felt at my new work place was beyond description. Thanks to the majority union for all these wonderful experiences.

Continuous Resignations all around me

Many of my batchmates, seniors and even juniors took promotions and became chief managers within this short span of 10 years. However, not many were able to withstand the professional pressure. Some of my seniors from Mumbai who were good performers were also not able to withstand the pressure and resigned as AGMs and CMs with 10 years of service remaining. If bank doesn't want staff at the higher levels, why are they promoting in such large numbers?? The most targeted category for resigning is the Chief Manager category is what I feel. 

There is no difference between Manager and Senior Manager:

This is something which I have been hearing from so many people. Some of the people who joined the bank after me and worked in junior cadres have also become Senior Managers whereas I have remained Manager since 2016. I have been granted only one promotion so far, and that was from Mumbai. 

At some point of time, I also felt that there is no difference between the responsibilities of a manager and senior manager. I also felt like taking promotion. However, when I felt like taking promotion, bank didn't grant me. I appeared twice for promotion from manager to senior manager. Both times I was rejected. 

I was not able to impress the top management the fact that, I was also putting in lots of efforts and hard work for the institution though in a silent and effective manner. Anyways, I have no regrets for remaining in my current designation. I am happy with my present situation and will not regret even if I retire in the same designation.I have certainly done justice to my job during my entire career. I have not favoured any customer in an undue manner. I have always kept bank's interest the highest priority. More than anything, I have survived and I am still existing in the bank.

Conclusion

Considering the present scenario, going up the ladder under the would require lot of further compromises at personal level, mainly reduction of family time. If something goes wrong professionally at a later point of time even if done with a good intention will not be tolerated by the institution. The inspection department of the bank is going to come very very hard at you in case the account turns to non performing asset. There would be no mercy on anybody. Whether we have followed the Bank guidelines in toto would be critically analysed. There would be new interpretations of the guidelines which we would never have thought about while the account was in standard condition. Once the account turns NPA, all concerned staff would by default be treated as guilty unless proved innocent. 

Under the above circumstances, I feel I have contributed sufficiently to the organizational growth from this manager level. There is no incentive to go further in the promotion ladder for the time being and sacrifice so many things knowingly or unknowingly. Happy to be the way I am.

ICC Men's Cricket World Cup 2023

India certainly stormed into the finals. They didn't loose even one match in the league stage and defeated New Zealand in the semi finals to enter the finals. It's even more painful to note that, Indian team defeated Australia in the league match, that too in a very convincing manner. After the match with Australia, many of the Indian batters and bowlers performed exceptionally well, scoring centuries and 5 wicket hauls. Fielding and catching was also satisfactory though not extraordinary. The team gave the entire Indian population sky high hopes. Also, the Narendra Modi stadium in Ahmedabad, Gujarat had 130,000 capacity and was ready for the big event. 

Australia wins the toss and sends India for batting. So far so good. India looses opener Shubhman Gill for 4 runs. That was also manageable and can happen in any game. Rohith Sharma, Captain continues his great touch and punishes the bowlers scoring more than run a ball. This gives us hope. Incoming batsman, Virat Kohli is also in good form and scores two or three boundaries. So far, so good.

Now the things started turning around in favour of the Australians. Instead of playing a responsible innings, captain plays an irresponsible shot and gets out. Rohith Sharma had already scored scored 10 runs in the over including a 6 and a 4. However, his carelessness becomes the turning point of the match. India scores a disappointing 240 runs in the 50 overs. From here onwards, India accepted the inevitable and body language became weak and eventually Australia received their sixth world cup from the Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

The commitment of the Australians on the field was something really appreciable. The turning point of the match, where Head runs backwards to take an astonishing catch reminds us of the climax scene in IQBAL movie where a well thought out plan has been executed. Also, 37 year old, David Warner shows his on field commitment by diving and stopping a certain boundary. This is an age old strategy by the Australians. They will dry up the boundaries and Indians will start getting out one by one. The same was successfully implemented against Sachin and Sehwag by McGrath, Gillespie and Brett Lee in earlier World Cups. History repeats. Compared to Australian on field commitment, fielding performance of the Indian team was lacklustre. They didn't dive even once to stop boundaries unlike the Australians who dried up the boundaries for Indian batsman. Boundary was not scored for 10 long overs when Kohli and Rahul were batting. 

May be, we can console ourselves telling that, this is only a game and winning and loosing is a part of it. But the most important take away is that, Australians executed a strategy, which has been time tested.

It's here we miss our dear Captain Cool Mahendra Singh Dhoni, for whom ICC cup victory was the ultimate objective, rather than personal milestones and rash shots. In the 2011 world cup, he motivated the entire team to achieve this objective. Personally, he also ensured that, he scored the winning runs without getting out to careless shots. When will India get such a captain once again?? Only then, can we hope to lift the World Cup again, if at all the 50 over match exists till then. The fate of our Indian Prime Minister was even worse. In his home country, In a stadium named after him, In a tournament where the Indian team didn't loose even a single match till the final, he had to hand over the cup to a different nation with a wry smile.

This team was not able to fulfil the hopes and aspiration of an entire nation due to carelessness and lack of commitment. The next generation will continue to have only Kapil Dev and MS Dhoni to get inspired. Rohith Sharma 36 years and Virat Kohli 35 years should immediately retire from all forms of the game owning up moral responsibility rather than waiting to achieve personal records and milestones. As a team, they didn't lift the ICC World Cup 2023 trophy missing it between the lip and the saucer.

Miss you badly Captain Cool!!!!

Gangubhai Kathiawadi

This is a wonderdul movie starring Alia Bhat telling the story of red street and prostitutes in Mumbai. Like all other girls, she also gets cheated by her lover and is drawn into the profession.

A rowdy fellow comes to her work place and attacks her left and right and she gets hospitalized. After discharge, she takes the help of Ajay Devgan, Rahim Lala to fight him. Next time, when he comes, Lala comes and thrashes him.

Slowly she becomes the mistress of the brothel and later she becomes the president of entire Kamathipura by beating incumbent Razia Bhai. She makes this possible by playing a movie in her lane for all the ladies. The second thing she does is carrying out a marriage for the daughter of her fellow worker with the nephew of the tailor. Both had not happened earlier in Kamathipura.

The third part is when, misionary school people want to evacuate Kamathipura citing moral issues. She fights against this by admitting the children of fellow workers to the school. Kamathipura people face discrimination in school, hospital and all other public places. She goes for a speach in Azad maidan where she talks about all these rights.

Subsequently, she meets Jawaharlal Nehru, prime minister of India and requests for legalisation of prostitution, non evacuation of her fellow workers from Kamathipura and social rights among others. PM agrees to all these requests and hands over the rose in his dress to her.

She returns home a heroine admired and accepted by all.

A very emotional movie where a weekling converts to a strong person with a very strong social message. I enjoyed watching the movie on Netflix.