Story 002-Part 1
Banking Job Targets Reality | Pressure | Life of a Banker in India
Ye koi accusation nahi hai.
Ye sirf ek observation hai.
Indian banks mein targets ko officially business goals kaha jaata hai. Paper par wo sirf numbers hote hain—measurable, achievable (in dreams), professional. Lekin banking job reality mein, ye numbers dheere-dheere apni nature badal lete hain. Wo numbers nahi rehte. Wo deadlines ban jaate hain. Expectations ban jaate hain, aur kabhi-kabhi, silent threats, aur aaj kal open threats.
Ek Scale I ya Scale II officer and above ke liye targets branch tak limited nahi rehte. Wo ghar tak aate hain. Dinner table par chup chaap baith jaate hain. Alarm se pehle neend khol dete hain. Dimaag ka wo hissa occupy kar lete hain jo ideally family, rest aur body ke recovery ke liye hota hai.
Ye kahani kisi ek bank, kisi ek zone ya kisi ek banker ki nahi hai. CASA ho, insurance ho, cross-sell ho, recovery ho ya credit growth—labels badal sakte hain, lekin banker life stress ka pattern almost har jagah same rehta hai.
Aspirants ko jo nahi bataya jaata, aur jo banking recruitment ke glossy brochures mein nahi dikhta, wo ye hai ki banking job targets ka impact sirf office hours tak simit nahi hota.
Ek banking officer shaam ko branch band karke “kaam se nikal” nahi jaata. Branch band hoti hai, stress in banking job nahi, target nahi. Target phone ke saath chalta rehta hai—messages, dashboards, review calls, google sheets daily reports aur performance trackers ke through. Kabhi-kabhi seniors ki taraf se silence bhi pressure ban jaata hai, kyunki silence ka matlab hota hai: numbers abhi kaafi nahi hain.
Bahut si branches mein officer ka assessment effort, area ki complexity, customer behavior ya market conditions par nahi hota. Dheere-dheere evaluation ek hi sawaal par aa jaata hai:
“Target hua ya nahi?”
Is ek sawaal ka jawab decide karta hai tone, treatment, banker life stress aur future expectations.
Yahin se banking job stress apna shape badalne lagta hai. Banking job targets reality dikhane lagta hai.
Targets weekends ko affect karne lagte hain. Paper par jo Saturday off dikhta hai, wo andar hi andar “follow-up day” mark ho chuka hota hai. Sunday ko branch aana officially overtime nahi hota—usse sirf commitment kaha jaata hai. Time ke saath, officers ye poochna bhi band kar dete hain ki ye normal hai ya nahi. Banking job targets reality ye hi hoti hai.
Ek aur cheez quietly hoti hai—psychological shift.
Customers ke saath baatcheet baatcheet nahi rehti. Wo calculations ban jaati hai. Banking job targets reality ye hoti hai ki, customer ke account me jo paisa hai, use kese nikalwaya jaaye, kese insurance, extra savings account, etc purchase karwaya jaaye. Har interaction ke peeche ek silent thought hoti hai:
“Isse kuch niklega ya nahi?”
Chahe wo costly 50,000, 1 lakh, 2 lakh per annum wala bank assurance ho, ya Rs. 20 aur 400 wala govt. social security scheme, banking job targets reality ye hai ki customer ko kisi bhi tarah bas chipkana hai. Bank assurance ka toh fir bhi limited target customers hote hain, par Rs 20 aur 400 wale schemes toh kabhi KYC update ke form ke saath, kabhi ATM card form ke saath, toh kabhi account opening form ke saath, attached kar ke target poora kiya jata hai zabardasti. Banking job targets reality yahi hai ki concent form toh hota hai par forcefully.
Ye isliye nahi hota kyunki officer aisa banna chahta hai, balki isliye hota hai kyunki system sirf ek hi outcome ko reward karta hai.
Yahan ek important observation hai: koi openly bankers ko unethical kaam karne ke liye nahi bolta. Aisa direct instruction rarely hota hai. Instead, targets badha diye jaate hain, timelines chhoti kar di jaati hain, aur comparisons introduce kar diye jaate hain. Baaki sab interpretation par chhod diya jaata hai. Banking job targets reality ab bas game theory ban chuki hai, kabhi ye match, abhi wo premier league, kabhi iss zone ka uss zone se, kabhi iss branch ka uss branch se. Zonal, regional and head office bas matches khelwata hai, ek savings account ka 1 run, 1 current account ka 2 run, ek mudra loan ka 4 run, ek home loan ka 6 run, but grass root level pe banking job targets reality pressure toh branch hi jhel raha hota hai.
Pahle kabhi kabhi, monthly ya quarterly matches and targets hote the, ab toh daily kisi cheez ka competition and kisi cheez ka log-in day hota hai. Month me 5 bar casa login day hota hai, 4 bar bank assurance log-in day and so on. Pooch lo kisi bhi banker se ye baat sach hai ya nahi, banking job targets reality tumhe bhi pata chal jayegi.
Review discussions mein targets ko rarely context ke saath dekha jaata hai. Rural limitations, market saturation, customer fatigue—ye sab exist karte hain, lekin number ko reduce nahi karte. Number wahi rehta hai. Flexibility sirf insaan ke hisse aati hai, banker ke hisse aati hai.
Dheere-dheere ek internal conflict create hota hai. Officers apni worth ko performance charts ke saath measure karne lagte hain. Achha month relief deta hai, satisfaction nahi. Bura month anxiety deta hai—kabhi-kabhi zarurat se zyada.
Aur ye sirf shuruaat hoti hai. Banking job targets reality sab hi banker jaante hain lakin sab se zada asar dikhai deta hai Branch heads aur assistant branch heads par.
Kyunki jab targets dimaag ke andar enter kar jaate hain, wo easily bahar nahi nikalte. Wo khud ko stress ke naam se introduce nahi karte. Wo responsibility ke naam se aate hain. Professionalism ke naam se. “Ye toh job ka part hai” ke naam se.
Jab tak ek officer ye samajhta hai ki targets ne uski neend, mood aur self-worth ko shape karna shuru kar diya hai, tab tak system ke liye ye sab normal banking life ban chuki hoti hai.
Ye kahani numbers ki nahi hai.
Ye kahani un logon ki hai jo un numbers ko roz utha ke chal rahe hain.
To be continued.
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