The "Go-To" Bank ....

[TheOstrich]

I've just received an annual letter from one of the big banks which I deal with. I'll not name it, but I'll lay out below one of the sections of the letter. The bank's name has been replaced by asterisks ...

"The ***** Transform Programme

Last year, we unveiled the ***** Transform Programme, the plan which will help ***** become the "Go-To" Bank. One year on, we have made progress on this journey of change.
Every employee, around the world, has now participated in a training programme to help them to understand the importance of our Purpose - helping people achieve their ambitions the right way - and our Values - respect, integrity, service, excellence, stewardship.
Our senior leaders have been formally assessed against the Values and Behaviours and from 2014, all employees will be assessed using the same criteria..
We recently published our Balanced Scorecard which lays our how we will ensure that ***** is meeting the needs ........ "

and so on ....

Firstly, this is a bank that is currently getting rid of large numbers of counter staff and replacing them with automated holes of different sorts in various walls. Holes in the wall trained to provide respect, integrity, service, excellence, stewardship, no doubt. Secondly, having spent my whole working career in a "profession" not too dissimilar from banking, these so-called Values and Purposes were de rigour, that went without saying, and we didn't need formal assessments or Balanced Scorecards to tell us the fundamental principles of our job.

Thirdly, how much did this programme cost, and who is paying for it? Me, I guess, the (very cynical) customer. The only people gaining from it are the management consultant wonks who came up with this project .....

[Workingman]

Managements who employ the 'wonks' will have got all this constant customer focused staff training, performance and monitoring during their own 'management training', probably delivered by the aforementioned 'wonks'. They will have been taught (brainwashed) that in-house training was no good and that the experts should always be called in - regularly.

The last thing I want is to visit a cash machine and have to go through the same rigmarole as I do with those damned self-service checkouts in supermarkets. I get into all sorts of arguments with the mid atlantic woman in the box about having my own bag and wanting to pay cash.