I HATE working for the bank!!!! :o(

karenthemummy79

I have been working for a major bank for 9yrs now and hate it!!! It is a Sales Role which involves face to face interviewing which I enjoy and very stretching targets which I dont!

The policies and procedures in the bank are just getting worse and worse and I just dont think I can do it anymore!!

While I have worked for the bank, I have gone from working full time to part time as I have had 2 children - I think this has kept me going because I have hated my job since before I had my daughter in 2005!

Quarter 4 I was the top seller in my area and got a bottle of champagne :T wippee doo - Quarter 1 and 2wks in I am put on a 'Coaching Plan' because I am behind target!!

At the beginning of March my boss thought I had left at the end of the day so I overheard him on the phone to another Branch Manager and here are some of the things that were said "She has 2 kids - 1 goes to nursery, the other to whoever will have her which can cause probs" (My work has never been affected by childcare probs unless one of them has been poorly) "She can never get into work on time" (yes I do struggle to get in at 9am sometimes but I dont always leave at 5pm either and I have suggested they change my starting time to 9.15am) "There is always something - 1st she was moving house, then changing her car and now she is bloody getting married so it's all wedding dresses!!" (yes facts are true but he implies that all I ever do is talk about these things which is untrue!! I am not overly friendly with anybody in the branch and do not talk about my personal life but that day I had passed comment that I had ordered my dress and that is as far as that conversation went!!) "I dont know what she wants on her Marriage Certificate - Personal Banking Manager or P45!!" ...

I have been off work since 15th March because I woke up on the Monday morning and couldnt move my neck at all!!! I went to the docs who put me on 6 Valium a day as my neck muscle had gone into spasm so I was obviously off that week. The following Monday I got ready to go to work but felt extremely sick, shaking and dizzy so went back to the docs and explained some of the probs I was having at work and he didnt think my neck was right so signed me off for the rest of that week. Last week I was off on hols with my little girl for Easter so am due back in on Thursday and am dreading it!!!

I have looked around for another job but am really struggling because my job is well paid and I would have to work full time to earn the same amount and I feel that with the way things are at the moment - people are offering minimum wage and because of the amount unemployed, somebody is willing to do it. Also, working for the bank for 9yrs has actually meant I am now trained in nothing except THAT bank!! they have their own computer systems so I have little experience now in things like Word and Excell etc.

I just dont know what to do to be honest!! I have been feeling ill again for the last week with a raging sore throat which is all ulcerated and I dont know if all of this is the cause.

Any advise would be great!

valos_mummy

I hear you; I worked at a bank for a year, then moved to another bank (still owned by the first one) for a year and that was enough for me, I quit when I couldn't take another minute. The targets drove me up the wall.

Maybe think about a home learning course (Open University etc) Word and Excel really aren't too hard to learn, and are easily something to do in the evenings or whenever you have a bit of free time.

The bosses comments are really out of order though - can you speak to your area manager about them? I don't know if you have a telephone hotline if you wanted to complain about something going on or wanted advice; I think my old bank had one. Going back is going to be hard enough by the sounds of it without comments like that going on, and it's going to make working with him uncomfortable.

karenthemummy79

Out of interest - what do you do now?!! Well done for getting out of banking!!

aaronm_2

Do what you like! Do those things where your interest lie in!

mummytotwo_3

I felt i just have to reply - op you could be me!!! I was working for a high street bank until last june, I was on maternity leave with my second. I fully understand your situation, even though i wasnt due to return to work until November, I gave it up anyway as i knew i would be unhappy going back.

Im currently pregnant with my 3rd, and working in a lesser paid job part time hours, but sooo much happier.

Im planning on retraining after this one is born as a social worker, as i think that will be more rewarding.

What im trying to say is, is money everything, yes we need to pay bills etc, but if you are really not happy, then its time to move on and find another job. They are plenty of evening courses etc you can use to update your skills.

Good luck xx

karenthemummy79

aaronm - if only it was so simple!!! I have looked at franchises etc. The other problem that we have is that my Fiance hasnt had a pay rise in 5yrs!! his boss completely takes the mick out of him - he has taken on loads of responsibility and done qualifications within those 5yrs and has nothing to show for it!! This then puts more pressure on me to carry on earning at the level I do!

We have talked about setting up our own business because he is more than capable of doing an excellent job but, again, the risk is very high when we have a mortgage and 2 young children!!

We feel like we are just plodding along and I am feeling SO stressed out about everything that it is affecting things at home.

Today I feel sick, have upset stomach etc and I know it is all because Thursday is looming!

karenthemummy79

thanks mummytotwo - what do you do now then? I just dont even know what to start looking into! All I know is Bank and Sales and so dont know what I would actually enjoy doing! I know money isnt everything but I just dont think we could take a reduction in income. My Fiance tries to do extra work whenever he can and has loads lined up at the moment but it isnt extra income that can be relied upon if that makes sense as it could fizzle out.

I dont want to NOT work as that would drive me crazy but I just dont want to do banking anymore!! My little girl is in school and my little boy goes to nursery 2.5 days a week, which by the way is costing me £80wk!!

DVardysShadow

You need to work out a plan for the 2 of you. I have moved on from a job where I loved the work and hated the organisation. Believe me, having a plan makes no end of a difference - you can just laugh at the limited individuals who play the games like the phone call you overheard.

On the phone call, is it possible you were intended to hear it? Myself I would go to the boss and tell him what I heard and ask if I was intended to hear it.

As for your plan, perhaps OH should consider moving on for more money and you should arrange your finances so that when he gets his job you can start on your enterprise. Work hard on your plan - we worked hard on ours - there were many setbacks - but a lot has worked out well for us and we still have a plan.

mummytotwo_3

Im currently working in the accounts department for a local family run nursing home, i love it, i know though its only a stop gap.

Iv wanted to retrain as a social worker for a while, as i already have a law degree. This 3rd pregnancy has given me the push i needed.

hth xx

karenthemummy79

DVardysShadow wrote: »

On the phone call, is it possible you were intended to hear it? Myself I would go to the boss and tell him what I heard and ask if I was intended to hear it.

When I left work that night, I cried all the way home and alsorts was going through my head!! The job that I do, I find has become very 'pot luck' whether you achieve or dont. I am in a relatively small branch and have the same target as somebody in a busier branch, I have to book myself appts but also the cashiers book appts for me. I am finding that I am going in to a full diary so am not getting chance to phone for my own (decent) appts and am spending the day really busy but getting no business because the quality of the appts is so poor!

Because of this it has made me start to wonder whether they are trying to get rid of me! My boss could quite easily make sure I DONT hit my target and the bank have disciplinary procedure for those that dont resulting in loss of job. Starting with the coaching plan I am on then a Personal Development Plan etc etc.

I am going to have a word with my Fiance tonight - he is being very supportive and everybody that I speak to seems to understand how I feel and agrees that at the moment they cant think of a worse place to work than in a bank but unfortunately nobody has a solution!

I am hoping that he will speak to his boss about a payrise. He spoke to him before Christmas and his boss told him to go back to him after Christmas but he never has and his boss will certainly not go and offer!! Every payrise he has ever had has been when he has asked!

Thanks for your advise.

valos_mummy

I was in the cashiers position - the pressure was on to get referrals, so you just booked anyone who said yes, even if all you could do for them was set up a basic savings account because it meant you could hit your referral target. So I can understand when you say you're fully booked in with appointments but they aren't very good ones. So probably not the bosses fault for that per se. I found my old bank didn't care how carp the appointments were, they just wanted bums on seats so quantity over quality!

When I left I didn't actually have another job to go to - very risky but I really couldn't take another second! After about a month I got an office temp job then thankfully managed to find a permanent financial admin role which I did for 2 years before relocating. Now, in spite of taking my ICB exams last year I'm struggling to get another financial admin role, and am stuck in a basic admin temp job. Musn't grumble though - it is a long term temp role so at least I have a job for now.

But they all want experience; or involve a pay cut I can't afford to take. It'll happen someday I'm sure.....payrise for your OH sounds like a plan, 5 years and qualifications sounds like it's overdue. But recession seems to be a good reason for most to deny rises. In cases for the smaller business it can be valid - but I know my mate has been denied a payrise because she should be "grateful to have a job", despite the company in question being a big supermarket player taking in the hundred thousands each week.....