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Utkal Grameen Bank Employees Struggle Under Pressure to Sell Accidental Insurance
An employee, speaking anonymously to Kanal, described the situation as dire, noting that the pressure to cross-sell SBI PAI is exceptionally high, exacerbating the already challenging working conditions. “With staff shortages, early logins, and late working hours, our hardships are only worsening,” the employee shared.
Author: Saurav Kumar
Published: August 16, 2024
Employees of Utkal Grameen Bank (UGB) are reportedly under immense pressure to meet targets for selling Third Party Products (TPP), specifically Personal Accidental Insurance (PAI). The PAI, offered by SBI General Insurance, the sponsor bank of UGB, is being pushed with stringent sales targets, both in terms of time and amount, under the “August Kranti 2.0” campaign initiated by SBI General.
The campaign has set ambitious goals across UGB’s eight regional offices, encouraging employees to achieve the “General Manager Club” and “Chairman Club” budgets. According to promotional materials, employees who meet these targets will be awarded “Appreciation Certificates” from higher authorities.
Bank Denies Target-based PAI Sales
Despite growing concerns, UGB management has denied any target-based sales of SBI PAI. In response to a recent Right to Information (RTI) query, the bank categorically stated that there are no fixed monthly targets for selling PAI, contradicting the experiences of many employees.
Mounting Pressure of the Sponsor Bank Insurance Product
UGB employees are increasingly distressed by the mounting pressure to sell SBI PAI to customers. An employee, speaking anonymously to Kanal, described the situation as dire, noting that the pressure to cross-sell SBI PAI is exceptionally high, exacerbating the already challenging working conditions. “With staff shortages, early logins, and late working hours, our hardships are only worsening,” the employee shared.
In the recent past, sponsor banks of various RRBs were found unleashing a high hand over RRB employees to push the cross-selling of the third party products like life insurance.
In many UGB branches, operations are running with minimal staff—often just one official and a clerical staff member, further complicating efforts to meet sales targets. This strain is echoed in a tweet by an X user, “RRB Banker Voice Raiser,” which highlights the dilemma: “Utkal Grameen Bank, SBI sponsored in Odisha... Staff—will they provide customer service or meet targets, and how many staff... only 2.”
The tweet also sheds light on target-based recovery efforts for Non-Performing Assets (NPA) within branches and regions, with successful staff being recognized by the Chairman and General Manager.
The push to cross-sell SBI PAI within UGB highlights the increasing endorsement of third-party products in RRBs, a sector already grappling with staff shortages and deteriorating work-life balance.