The State Bank of India (SBI), Hyderabad Circle, began implementing from Wednesday a system of alternate day working for hundreds of employees at its Local Head Office (LHO) campus in Koti here.
A clutch of facilities, including specialised branches, besides the LHO, are located in the compound. The switch to alternate day working schedule comes in the backdrop of the death of an employee of its Commercial Branch, on campus, due to COVID-19 at Gandhi Hospital earlier this week. He had last visited the branch on May 12.
On receipt of information about the death on Monday morning, the nearly 1,000 employees were asked to leave and the entire campus sanitised. With the workforce, barring some handling essential tasks, advised not to report for duty, the sanitisation, including deep cleaning, continued on Tuesday, said sources.
Late on Tuesday evening, the bank management in a message to the employees announced its decision to implement an alternate day working schedule. “After the expiry of one of our colleagues in the Commercial branch due to Covid yesterday, we observe that there is anxiety in our employees working in the LHO and other establishments in the compound,” the message read.
Noting that the management appreciated the concern of employees, it said in view of their anxiety it has been decided to reintroduce the alternate day working of staff members in the LHO and other establishments in the compound. This will be implemented from Wednesday till further instructions.
The arrangement will be applicable up to Scale 5 grade employees. However, the Scale 5 officers should take prior approval from their respective controllers/departmental heads for working on alternate days.
General Secretary of SBI Staff Union, Hyderabad Circle, R.Sriram said it is a good move. He estimated around 750 employees and officers, up to the rank of AGM, at the LHO campus to be covered under the alternate day working system. The arrangement covering the workforce at all branches and facilities in red zones such as Hyderabad is one of the demands of employees as a safeguard measures in wake of COVID-19 pandemic, he said. This arrangement was implemented by some banks in the first phase of lockdown.
Bank branches in the State had been receiving more customer footfalls as a result of the COVID-19 relief package announced by the Centre and Telangana government. The footfalls as well as cash handling at the facilities, which soared with liquor shops reopening, is only bound to increase with relaxation of the lockdown norms gradually.