Irrational collection targets put bankers on edge: study
Bank employees feel stressed while performing their duties due to the irrational targets for deposit collection and loan disbursement set by the top management, according to a research.
Logical target should be set for employees given the size of the country’s economy, it said.
This will also help banks make their business sustainable, according to the research paper unveiled by the Bangladesh Institute of Bank Management (BIBM) at its office in the capital yesterday.
Mohammad Tazul Islam, associate professor of the BIBM, presented the paper titled “‘Occupational stress and job performance of employees in banks: Bangladesh perspective”.
According to the study, the pressure of meeting the high target is one of the major reasons for the occupational stress of bank employees.
The monumental target for recovery of disbursed loans is another burden, it said.
The target should be rational and set based on the economic growth in the country.
The top management should turn their attitude from target fulfilment to business sustainability, the study said.
SM Moniruzzaman, a deputy governor of the central bank, said the Bangladesh Bank has always been playing proactive roles in reducing stress of employees in the entire banking sector.
As part of the move, the banking regulator has already taken different initiatives, including introduction of a six-month maternity leave for women employees and offering facilities for day care centres, he said.
“As per my understanding, the main reason of employee stress is that they don’t talk about their problems or share issues with others,” he said.
This hesitation can be removed if a counsellor can be appointed in every bank with whom the employees can share their feelings, he said.
The counsellor will then guide them to overcome the issues they are facing in their professional or personal life, said Moniruzzaman, also chairman of BIBM’s executive committee. Irrational target should not be imposed on bank employees, said Helal Ahmed Chowdhury, a supernumerary professor of the BIBM.
Lenders should arrange workshop on a regular basis to hone their workplace skills, he said.
Banks should frame policy and guidelines relating to promotion and incentive, said Chowdhury, also a former managing director of Pubali Bank.
A tremendous competition is prevailing among banks, creating stress on their employees, said Md Anwarul Azim Arif, chairman of Social Islami Bank.
“Illogical pressure should not be imposed on anyone to fulfil the targets. And such burden does not bring good result,” said Arif, also a former vice chancellor of Chittagong University.
Md Obayed Ullah Al Masud, managing director of Rupali Bank, said the target for deposit collection should not be mandatory for all employees.
“Such decision is not good at all. And banks should create dedicated teams to collect deposits. Time-befitting plans for human resource management can reduce stress on employees.”
