Bank of Baroda Chief Manager’s Suicide Raises Concerns Over Work Pressure

A tragic incident in the Pune Zone of Bank of Bank of Baroda has raised very serious concerns after a chief manager, who is 52 years old died by suicide inside the branch due to unbearable work pressure in his note. He mentioned that he was in a clear state of mind and asked the management to reduce the pressure on branch heads to avoid similar incidents.

This event shocked the fellow officers and showed the growing stress in bank branches. Officers and executives are under severe pressure because of overlapping and unplanned campaigns. On one day, more than 22 campaigns were running without proper coordination. Previous requests for better planning have not been addressed.

Branch heads also deal with constant follow-ups through meetings and calls from regional offices. This takes up almost 40% of their time, which impacts the customer service and daily operations. Staff shortages make the situation worse with many new officers yet to join their assigned branches.

Also, the unprofessional behaviour from some senior officials including pressure to meet targets at any cost have also been reported. Officers are sometimes pressured to open accounts or to give out loans before the set deadlines, even if it means not following the correct rules and steps.

While business growth is important, constant pressure during the day is turning out to be counterproductive. Given this significant problem, the bank’s top management needs to review workload, staff behaviour and challenges at the branch level. This will help create a healthier and more respectful work environment.