Life of a Banker- Elizabeth Aluko

slow news week, but here is an intresting article i shared sometime back, read and have a wonderful weekend. #slowblogger #thisisnotanewssite #bloggingisnotmeantfornursingmothers


Having worked in the bank for few years as a marketing staff with huge and unrealistic target, I can just imagine what my ex colleagues and friends who works in the banks are currently facing this Monday morning.  

I don't for one day regret leaving the banking sector despite the fact that the pay was good but the life was hell, especially with the kind of boss I had when I first joined.

Reminiscing to my self on how bad the tension usually were during the year end with insults, bashing and threats from your boss on how poor you have performed and not meeting your "killer" target.

You become emotionally and psychologically disturbed, calling every dick and harry that you know, begging for fund with all kind of promises. You sleep with heavy heart with lot of scary nightmares, kai! That is why the weak ones end up doing unethical things to meet up and save their job. And most of the men end up developing high blood pressure.

So, on a Monday morning like this 2nd of Nov is a serious meeting day like MPR meetings, with your boss wearing a straight face and barely answering your greeting. This act  alone builds up more tension, with each staff trying to put up his/her best defence before and during the meeting.

Your boss who is the branch manager will often start the meeting with how much he is under pressure from his own bosses and how the branch has not met up to 50% of the total target and how little the time left before year end is.

Then with his not smiling face he start to ask each member of the team to narrate their achievement so far and how they intend to makeup and possibly exceed that unrealistic target before year end. He will remind you that your job is on the line. Some time he will even threaten the team that the names of laggers will be sent to the management for possible sack.

By the end of this morning meeting in most banks, the marketing team particularly will be so demoralised and be wishing they didn't have to work in the bank. At least that was how I felt most time during and after those meetings where you are been talked down at as if you are a total failure.

So business owner and HNI, if any banker is calling to schedule a meeting with you this morning or to remind you of your promise to release and deposit fund with his/her bank, please and please be nice and help out because these guys are really under a lot of pressure.

And to all marketing staff in the banking sector, I say pele for the bashing and insults, but you all need to voice out for there to be a change in the industry. Don't do anything unethical for the sake of meeting up with your targets, because it is not worth it.

Finally I hope the government and other regulatory bodies can come to the rescue of these corporate and modern day slavery by some kind of policies to check and control the banking industry on liability drive.

Written by

Elizabeth Aluko.