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Utkal Grameen Bank Employee Express Dismay Over Excessive Work Pressure and Holiday Duties
An anonymous Utkal Grameen Bank employee criticises excessive work pressure, unrealistic targets, holiday duties, and staff shortages. The employee urges management to address these issues to prevent further burnout and resignations.
Author: Saurav Kumar
Published: October 11, 2024
In a strongly worded letter addressed to the Chairman of Utkal Grameen Bank (UGB), an anonymous employee has raised serious concerns about growing work pressure, staff shortages, and the expectation to work on holidays. The letter, which reflects widespread resentment within the workforce, criticises the management’s policies since the Chairman assumed office.
Unrealistic Targets and Holiday Workload
According to the letter, employees have been burdened with unrealistic targets, particularly in terms of selling insurance policies. The complainant points out that branches that previously struggled to meet targets of ₹25,000 for SBI Life Insurance have now been tasked with achieving ₹1 lakh, a fourfold to fivefold increase. This escalation in expectations has left employees overwhelmed, especially in light of the staff shortages plaguing 99% of the bank’s branches.
The letter also questions the ethics of making employees work on public holidays. Referring to a circular issued by the management, which moved the deadline for KCC claim submissions from October 31 to October 15, the employee accuses the leadership of deliberately forcing staff to work during holidays. “Is working on holidays the only way to satisfy you?” the letter asks, underlining the demoralisation among employees.
In the past week, Utkal Grameen Bank Employees Association lamented the work pressure exerted by the Regional Managers and urged the Chairman to take immediate action.
Staff Shortages and Workload Concerns Rise
The letter further highlights the severe staff shortage across UGB branches, emphasising that little has been done to address this issue. The employee suggests that outsourcing certain tasks, a practice adopted by other banks, could help ease the burden on existing staff, but alleges that UGB has chosen to ignore this solution, instead opting to increase pressure on its workforce.
The complainant also refers to minor operational concerns that compound the frustration of staff members. One such issue involves the paltry spending limit of ₹200 given to Branch Managers for office supplies, such as banners or LED lights. Purchases exceeding this amount must be referred to the Regional Office for approval, a bureaucratic process that the employee deems unnecessary and time-consuming.
Pressure Cooker Kind of Work Environment
Summing up the grievances, the letter accuses the UGB management of turning the workplace into a “pressure cooker”, adding that many employees are contemplating resignation despite having over a decade of experience. The employee acknowledges some positive measures implemented by the bank, but attributes these to external factors such as the 12th Bipartite Settlement (BPS) rather than internal management initiatives.
UGB employees in the recent past have expressed discontent due to the unrelenting work pressure.