Transcript Number 1

Transcript Version of Audio interview with Mr. Ram Suresh Sahagal, Branch Manager, Dena Bank,
Boring Road Branch, Patna
Year of service 13 years

Joined bank in 1999 as P.O.

Worked in Mumbai main and

rural branch in capacity of
branch head, assistant branch
head and officer

Taloza, Mumbai main branch,

kalamboli, boring road

Native place: Patna, Bihar

Date of interview: 14th October,

2012 at 06.30 p.m.
Tran scripted on 14th Nov, 12,
10.50 p.m. (Milano, Italy)

People Practices
Question 1: Employees morale:
What is level of employees morale in branches? On scale of 100, where do you rate employees morale?
Can you suggest some measures to boost employees morale?
Response 1: Officers and managers are good, but top management is not good. For example to increase
business branch people may make mistake, then top management view it differently, they try to harass
employees. They are not interested to see the intention of the person and also do not follow the circular,
but doubt the intention the person. And ultimately transfer the person. So, in such situation what happens,
the problem that could have been rectified is not rectified and the new person is replaced by the person
who made mistake. Now what happens, new person instead of rectifying the mistakes, tries to increase his
or her business in order to impress the management that he is better than previous manager. Management
should think seriously and positively to save non performing assent and increase efficiency. They should
take the positive view instead of just removing the person to different location. To understand this,
management has to put in its shoes into the branch level employee and then think. For example many
officers do not know about credit procedure. They should provide sufficient training to the people. And
management should also provide support in case of sanctioning credit to customers.
Question 2: Equality and Justice:
What is your opinion and feeling about promoting equality and justice by top management? Does
management encourage it?
Response 2: Equality and justice: they do not understand the situation at the branch level. They should
understand that they get salary from the profit of the branch. Whether scale I or scale 5. People sitting in
the head office do not have knowledge of branch level. They have passed 10-20 years but do not know

anything about branch operation and situation. They do not realize situation. When they are sent to
branches, they cant control and again sent to head office or regional office. Since bank cant remove the
person, bank tries to adjust the person. That is why head office people should be rotated from time to
time. They should be aware about branch operation, training should be simple, process and procedure
should be simple and good. India in agriculture based country and if you ask for agricultural form, you
will not find it; people will say it is not there. Term loan, tractor loan is not up to the mark, or not format.
They should be standardized form everywhere. Proposal note should be uniform. People in dealing room
are given priority to keep in dealing room and that is why he does not get expose to other field.
Question 3: Where do you rate Management & HR department on accountability scale? Are they fair in
their dealings? Do they follow polices?
Response 3: Middle level attrition: harassment! Where people get more salary, they go there. Top
management should improve them, bank is like a family and they should not prejudice with people on
different scale. They should understand the weakness of employees and should take care to improve it.
Management should take care of the people since people are like family member. Why management does
this we have to understand it. They have to understand the context and circumstances of the branch level.
Everyone is trying to save his duty and nothing to concern about other things.

Question 4: Whistle blower policy:

Does bank have whistleblower policies into practices? Does bank encourage whistle blowing?
Response 4: Management does not protect the whistle blower. Instead they start torturing from the top by
giving and explaining negative consequences. They try to send strong signal and intimation that your
family will suffer. They do not see the protective measure or do not try to see how fraud happened but try
to victimize the person who exposed it. Employee is threatened by different ways. Management does not
try to find out the reason of frauds. For example- Experienced driver makes mistake. The person who will
not drive will not make accident. So, management should think this. Actually speaking blame culture
exists everywhere.
Question 5: Late sitting in the branches
What is opinion about late sitting in the branches? Is it desired by management or really a business need?
Response 5: Late sitting, sometimes it required but daily it is not required after branch have been
computerized and with finacle ( software for banking operation). There are people who try to work slowly
to show that they are working hard. Whole day they are passing time and in the evening they start
spreading the work and showing that they are working hard just to impress the management. They should
be concerned about work completion rather than late sitting per se. late sitting for sitting late should not
be done.
Question 6: prevalent politics into the system
What is the level of politics and what happened to those who do not take part in politics?

Response 6: There is politics in the bank. Those who do not take into politics, they are not aware where
to go, which side they will get protection, they are confused.
Question 7: Personal good or bad experience:
Do you have any example where you have felt extremely happy or unhappy? Do you have any example
of any employees?
Response 7: When I serve my country this felt me good by helping genuine and needy people by giving
agriculture loan and housing loan. In the present branch, we gave the profit of 1.2 crore, a record profit
that was not earned before. When I was branch head of Taloja branch, in Mumbai, there I collected 57 lac
in LIC. It is possible only in the bank. Now, my experience with the management is that- when top mgt is
good, people at lower level will be good. There are many problems at regional office level. They could
not understand my problem and some people start giving letter. They did not try to understand my
problem. Experience depends upon the person in Head office. Either I could not understand them or
they could not understand me.

Business Practices:
Question 8: Mission Statement
Mission awareness: Are employees aware about mission and do they understand what does mean? How
does employees awareness help increasing business?
Response 8: Head office provides pamphlet set at the branch level. They understand by reading it. Branch
managers also spread message.
Question 09: Target setting:
Are targets set for branches are realistic and scientific? Are the allocations of target based on branch
potential? Are target too easy to achieve or too difficult to achieve?
Response 09: Target achieving is based on capability of branch manager. There are no guidelines. There
could be guidelines for Regional office but for branch there are no guidelines. Possibility to achieve target
is based on click. If employees are not pressured for target, I think the entire targets are possible, but they
create lot of pressure to achieve it.
Question 10: Management support in achieving target
What management support employees get to achieve targets? Are they accountable for not providing
support to branch level employees? What happens in case of achievement or non achievement?
Response 10: Management does not provide any support to achieve the target. Branch manager does his
self support. I have never seen any management supporting branch manager in achieving target. Whatever
you want to do, you do at your own level. This happens because management does not believe whatever
manager is going to do is right or wrong, so management just tries to keep it safe.

Question 11: Linkage between Performance and promotion:

Does performance & promotion closely linked? Is the promotion based on tenure or relationship and
connection with top boss?
Response 11: Regional manager gives number in APA (Annual performance appraisal). There is some
calculation. But no one can see how much he has got. Promotion has more connected with relations with
the management.
Question 12: Deviation in achieving target:
How does management view deviation in increasing business? Are they really concerned about right
means or just want to fulfil the targets?
Response 12: Management does not concern about anything, they are concerned about their promotion,
so, whatever mistake branch managers do, they have to suffer the consequences and due to this, many
branch managers do not want to work. Here, I do not want to name the person. There are branch
managers, you give any deposit or target, and they are not going to do it. They keep their eye closed and
will do nothing. They know that if they do anything, and something goes wrong, they have to face lot of
problems. That is why they do not want to work.
Question 13: Emerged from question 12: Management creates fear into the System:
Do you think that management has created a kind of fear among employees in the system and why are
they doing so?
Response 13: Management has created fear among employees and employees have family and that is
why they do not want to work. So, management has to take out fear from the employees. Management
should create confidence among employees that it is going to help in case of any difficulty, and in case of
information. They should promise that they will keep on sending the detail from time to time. They
should promise employee to help and create a culture of trust. Employees need help in achieving target.
So, who will help them? So, regional manger should help them.
Question 14: Practices of promotion and transfer:
Is the promotion based on tenure or relationship and connection with top boss?
Response 14 Yes, it is, based on relations and connections approach rather than based on merit and
performance. Transfer and promotion for branch level is different from regional office and head office
level.

Relationship Practices
Question 15: Nurturing and strengthening relationship
How management nurture & strengthen relationship. Does it sensitive towards building relationship?
Response 15: Management is not concerned about crating relationship with employees. I do not have any
knowledge about it whether it creates any relationship with the employees.

Question 16: Management visibility to employees at branch level

Response 16: Management is not concerned about meeting employees. They come to branch to meeting
branch manager and if they find time sometimes; they try to meet other employees. There are lot of
employees who do not know management, so they are told that who is who whenever management visit
the branch.
Question 17: Promoting and encouraging values, honesty and ethics Does management promote
honesty, values and ethics?
Response 17: Management keeps distance from the person who is honest, believes in fairness and right
behaviour. Management thinks to create distance from the person. Management behave like step sons,
they do not encourage honesty and transparency.

Admin Practices
Question 18: Difficulty in getting leave sanctioned
What is the level of difficulty in getting leave? How many times do you need to change your plan? How
do you feel about management?
Response 18: They do not send sanctioned letter for leave. On the exact date even you do not get
confirmation, at the last moment when you remind them, they say that cancel it. But after repeated request
that say that go without sending any written information. And when you come back after leave, then you
get sanction letter. Reason is nothing but management fault.
Question 19: Difficulty in getting reimbursement
Do you get reimbursement without reminding? How many times do you need to remind and what is the
level of difficulty?
Response 19: Many times when you have to remind them. It is seen that many times your reimbursement
is lost in transit somewhere. Actually they should provide on declaration basis. This is better because
when there is provision to get reimbursement, they should provide on declaration basis. I think more than
90 percent of the people submit fake bills. I will give you example, when you go to Mumbai branches,
officers are working in the branch from morning to evening. And they claim petrol bills. The question iswhen do they use their vehicle. So, when the all 07 days you are in the branch, do you burn all petrol in
one day or what. And bank provides 5 liter mobile oil. Tell me which vehicle consumes 5 liter of mobile
oil in one month. So management itself says, make forgery and theft.
Question 20: Role of Union
Is unions/association effectively contributed towards development of the bank? What is their role?
Response 20: Union is good at Calcutta region. If union has a good relation with the management, than it
is good otherwise not. For example what is the practice of union- if your work is done, gen secretary,

union will come in between and will say that I have done it. But the fact is that union has not done
anything. And if it is not done due to any reason, union says that management not ready. So, it depends
upon the management, what union does it. So, union is concerned about its own safety and security. They
are not worried about others. They want to save their necks. Sometimes some genuine union people keep
problems with the management, where some problem is listened and some are not. Union is concerned
about self serving and saving.

Suggestions to improve Employees morale in the system:

Question 21: Suggestions and opinions
What are your views on improving morale? Could you suggest some steps?
Response 21:

Bank is like family, treat employees like a family.

No biasness should be there. Nobody is big, nobody is small.

Everyone should be authorized to keep his problems with the management.

Management should not keep aside the problem of employees.

Training should be provided once in a year: it will increase business and skill, target will be
achieved.

As long as lower level employees are not good, business cant be increased.

Thank you and will keep you updating about result and keep u updating about
recommendation about the suggestions. Thank you very much.