PARIS OLYMPIC GAMES
In a bid to escape being attacked by enraged and frustrated members of the public amid current shortage of new naira notes, some banks particularly Access Bank have introduced a new non-banking dress code for their staff.
The banks have sent out memos to their branches across the country to protect themselves against possible attacks by livid customers, who have been massing at the ATMs and banks for several days in vain to collect the new notes by dressing down.
Persecondnews gathered that by dressing down, the staff are not to put on tie, jackets over trousers but to don only casual outfits — T-shirts, jeans and other unofficial wears.
Specifically, Access Bank had wired an email to all its employees, advising them on mode of dressing if and when they can make it to work this week.
A copy of the email stumbled on by Persecondnews reads: “In view of the ongoing nationwide Naira Redesign and cash swap, it has become imperative that we design an appropriate response to manage the situation within and around our branches effectively.
“Considering the potential upsurge in the number of customers who will visit our branches and channels for cash withdrawals and other ancillary businesses, Exco hereby directs that: “All Regional Bank Heads, Branch Leaders and all Relationship Officers are to resume in their banking halls by 8am Monday to personally manage this crisis.
“All Sales Staff are to join the Operations Team to contain this situation by attending to customers who visit our branches very politely to keep tempers down. All non-essential relationship calls outside the branch should be suspended throughout this week “Branch Leaders should provide strong leadership by showing empathy and calmly engaging the customers.
“Allbranchesaretoensure there are canopies and chairs for customers around our ATMs in addition to orderly queue management. “Relationship Officers are to take turns in supervising ATMs at their locations. Customers are to make a single withdrawal limited to one debit card only.
“Tally numbers should be given as the customers at the gate. Only five customers for small branches and 10 for big branches should be let into the banking hall at a time.”
Meanwhile, the Association of Senior Staff of Banks, Insurance and Financial Institutions (ASSBIFI) has called on the security agencies to ensure the safety and security of their members at their workplaces nationwide.
The association’s President, Mr Olusoji Oluwole, who made the call, condemned recent attacks on some financial institutions, destruction of equipment, and damage to their buildings by some bank customers.
He said: “We strongly condemn this act which is borne out of the propaganda against banks as the sole cause of the inability of the public to have access to cash across the country.
“We have seen a few videos of bank branches allegedly hoarding cash in their vaults.
“While we do not hold brief for these isolated cases or condone any verified bad behaviour, we expect that the same sources of these videos to also project the many locations that have continued to provide cash to customers or have empty vaults due to the unavailability of cash.
“Unfortunately, we do not deem it security conscious for us to share videos or pictures of our vaults with the public as professionals.”
According to Oluwole, bank staff had in the past few weeks “worked tirelessly, everyday for long hours against the prescribed work hours.”
Such sacrifices, he said, were made to ensure that bank customers are able to deposit their old currency notes and make new notes available for withdrawals at ATMs.
“This exercise has taken its toll on their health, work life balance, and families while being faced daily with the fear of physical assaults by irate customers.
“While we assure the public of our commitment to ensure their pain is ameliorated, we appeal for calm and understanding at this time as we call on the security agencies to ensure the safety and security of our lives and bank property,”‘ he said.
“We are not saboteurs, but are professionals who follow and implement policies of regulators and will never be engaged in any act that will bring our institutions or persons to disrepute.”
Leave a comment