Same Bank, Separate Lives: Spousal Transfers in Public Sector Banks Still a Distant Dream

Two cases, one from India’s largest public sector bank, the State Bank of India (SBI) and another from a leading nationalised bank, Bank of Baroda (BOB), highlight the continued emotional, logistical, and professional challenges that many dual-employee couples face due to internal transfer policies. Despite working in the same institutions, these couples remain separated by distance, administrative boundaries, and inflexible human resource systems.

A Marriage Divided by Policy
In one case, an officer posted in a metropolitan center and his spouse, an associate working in a rural district remain separated despite being married for over a year. The officer shared that his wife joined the bank in 2020, after which the institution implemented a policy restricting inter-circle transfers for newly joined associates.

“We’ve been requesting a transfer to the same city since our marriage in 2023. But the bank says it can’t process it. Even though it has over 22,500 branches, it claims it has no room for us in the same zone,” he explained to Kanal.

In this bank, metropolitan areas and the surrounding state are managed under separate administrative circles, meaning transfers between the two, even within the same state are treated as inter-circle, and therefore restricted under the policy introduced in 2020.

A Spousal Policy That Doesn’t Unite
In another case, a couple working in a public sector bank faced transfer orders placing them nearly 70 kilometers apart. The husband received a posting in a remote area, while the wife, who applied under spousal transfer grounds, was assigned a branch far enough to require 2 to 3 hours of travel one way.

“What’s the option? Travel 5 to 6 hours daily? Or live apart?” he asked.

“There are 10 to15 branches closer to my location. Why was none of those considered?” he added.

Faced with ongoing family responsibilities, including the care of two ailing parents and no local support network, the couple found it increasingly difficult to manage day-to-day life. Eventually, one of them resigned from their role in the bank.

“We had no choice. My wife resigned. It wasn’t just unfair, it felt deliberate.”

“Either they enjoy doing this, or they just don’t care. Or maybe it's about power, because they can, they will. What else can explain it?”

Why Work-Life Balance Matters
While spousal transfer provisions exist in most public sector banks, their implementation can vary widely depending on hierarchy, cadre, date of joining, and circle structure.

Work-life balance is considered a vital element in human resource management across sectors. It supports employee mental health, productivity, and retention. In workplaces where couples are denied postings within proximity, even when both are employees of the same organisation, the strain often extends beyond personal inconvenience. It can impact long-term career decisions, family stability, and overall morale.

Numerous HR frameworks, both in the private and public sector suggest that proximity postings for married employees, especially when both work in the same institution, can contribute significantly to employee satisfaction and organisational loyalty.

Yet, as these two cases illustrate, the policy frameworks currently in place may not fully align with these principles, often leaving couples to make difficult personal and professional choices.