Spare a thought for your stressed-out, overworked banker too

PUNE: The wife of a banker woke him up from sleep to meet some visiting relatives. The sleepy banker mumbled that they should stand in a queue to be attended one at a time, or he would not exchange their currency notes.
This is one of the jokes circulating on WhatsApp after the demonetisation-induced cash crisis. The jest is not too far from the reality that bank employees are facing these days — suddenly thrown into the deep waters to manage crores of demonetised money being deposited every day.
Bank branches, where average daily footfall has steadily declined after online transactions became a norm in urban areas, are suddenly witnessing a sea of people.The bank staffers — forced to work long hours on weekends and holidays — are not only duty-bound to go through the rigour with smiles, but also accountable for every rupee exchanging hands in front of them.
The shortage of acceptable currency notes is the biggest reason for our stress, admitted B J Nibandhe, deputy branch manager of a nationalised bank. “Workload is much higher, so much so that one of our cashiers actually took leave for a couple of days to get over the added stress. The main concern for us, apart from the longer working hours, is that we have to be extremely cautious about fake notes while accepting the demonetised currency. Irrespective of the employee’s role in the branch, every one has been contributing to ease the cash crisis,” he said.

The other problem is of handling impatient customers, said another branch manager who did not wish to be named. “While the situation has improved now, the initial week was stressful as most of the crowd turned up to exchange currency. Some irate people raised their voices or picked fights, but we could not say much. So we took it upon ourselves to ensure quick settlement of every transaction so that the lines don’t become too long. That meant working fast, sometimes even without a break,” the official said. The sheer volume of work and the associated pressure is sure to take a toll on the bankers, believe city-based psychologists.
Symptoms of the burn-out can exhibit in multiple ways, said developmental and educational psychologist Yajyoti Singh. “The burn-out is as much social and physical as it is emotional, even more so because they are dealing with large audiences, and are expected to exhibit calm and control. The bank’s administration can play a critical role in boosting the morale of the staffers not only by periodically appreciating the work they are doing, but also by prepping them with ideas about handling the situation. Refreshments, energy juices, stress-relieving sweets and chocolates may also be organised for the staff, particularly those handling the crunch tasks,” she said.
Group-cohesiveness and cooperation could go a long way to alleviate their tension, said consultant psychologist Himani Chaphekar. “All the staffers are facing the same stress. So, they can talk and share their anxieties with each other to relieve this stress. Even changing their perspective about the exercise — treating it as their contribution to a larger good rather than a tedious workload — can do wonders in reducing the stress they feel because of this excessive physical work,” she said.