Is Distance a Policy? Couples in SBI Torn Apart by Inflexible Transfer Norms

In India’s largest public sector bank, married employees are finding themselves trapped not by distance of their own choosing, but by policies that refuse to bend. Two employees shared their stories on condition of anonymity, fearing professional backlash but their pain is universal.

Case 1: Promotion, But at What Cost?
“Every day I think of quitting only because of this transfer policy,” said the employee to Kanal.

One employee joined the bank shortly after the COVID pandemic. At the time of recruitment, the official notification made it clear: no inter-circle transfer provision for junior associates. Accepting that, the employee committed to serving the required duration before becoming eligible for a transfer.

After getting married, the spouse, a public sector officer in a different state, was posted hundreds of kilometers away. Every request for mutual or spouse-ground transfer was denied.

“There was no hope. I got a promotion. But now, I fall under a new policy that resets the clock. Suddenly, the required duration has increased again.”

Despite now being a scale officer, past service doesn’t count toward eligibility. The distance from the spouse and the emotional toll is overwhelming.

“My partner is independent and comes from a marginalised background. I cannot, in good conscience, ask them to resign. But this bank has left me with no options.”

Case 2: One Employer, Two Circles, Zero Relief
“We work in the same bank, and yet we live in different worlds,” said another employee to Kanal.

Another couple, one an officer, the other an associate, has been pleading with the bank to be posted in the same region after their marriage. But technicalities over transfer circles have crushed that hope.

Even though the physical distance between them is manageable and within the same state, the bank considers them part of different administrative circles. The associate, who joined after a certain policy change, is now permanently restricted from inter-circle transfer.

“It feels insulting. Despite serving the bank diligently, despite being legally married, the system just doesn’t care.”

Systemic Flaws Hurting People
According to the employees these are not isolated grievances, they reflect deeper policy contradictions: