A sense of panic has gripped bank employees with no letup in COVID-19 cases, with some of them contracting the virus, and customers preferring branch banking to the safe and convenient digital alternatives.
It is scary, is how bankers sought to sum up the situation for the employees, particularly those in customer facing tasks. The estimated number of bank employees in Telangana who tested positive for COVID-19 has been put at two hundred, if not more.
This means strain on banks as branches whose employees contract the virus have to close down for 2-3 days and get the premises sanitised. Also, other staffers are tested and asked to remain under quarantine.
The State Bank of India, Hyderabad Circle, which on Thursday had appealed to customers to refrain from visiting bank branches unless necessary, decided to shut its Local Head Office in Koti on Friday and Saturday to sanitise the premises after a few employees tested positive. It had initiated similar measures at many of its branches, sources said, adding that a few employees had died of COVID-19.
SBI is not alone in this as other banks also are grappling with the issue. Sources in Punjab National Bank said at any point 2-3 branches of the bank were closed.
United Forum of Bank Unions (UFBU) convenor for Telangana R. Sriram, who is also general secretary of the SBI Staff Union, Hyderabad Circle, said this was the time when managements should address safety concerns of employees. Also, the banks should go by the Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) and, if needed, revisit the guidelines.
Some measures that could go a long way in addressing the situation are alternate day working for bank employees, limiting the working hours from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., and increasing customer service points. Sources in Andhra Pradesh Grameena Vikas Bank said ever since the lockdown was relaxed, people had started taking things lightly. In rural areas, managing the rush of customers was proving to be a challenge.
