posted @ 08:40...

I'm tired of studying algebra. It's been about nine years since I last took any sort of algebraic class. And I flunked that one. But in order to be prepared for the ASVAB, I need to know some. I'm convinced that the only real-life reason to learn algebra is so we can do well on tests.

This test I'm taking tonight is pretty important. For those who don't know, the ASVAB is the test you take as you enter the military, so you (and the military) can find out what type of job you might be good at. I take the test tonight, have a physical evaluation tomorrow morning, talk to a career counselor, and then sign my contract that locks me into the U.S.Army for a period of time.

The timing has never been more right. I'm 28 years old. I just lost my job at the bank (thank God!), I need to go to school, and a year after 9/11, I'm still disturbingly patriotic. So, after working at a bank, (and before that, designing websites for banks, and before that, doing graphic design for a state agency) it's about damn time to do something that actually matters.

Okay, about the job at the bank. I'm done. It turns out that if your cash drawer is out of balance over 40% percent of the time, then you get in trouble. Well, the limit recently changed to 20%. So just 12 hours after I made the final decision to join the Army, I walked into work and was terminated. I've never felt so "okay" with losing a job. Not only do I have a future that will provide for my family, but I'll be doing something that I believe isn't a waste of time. My job at the bank was not work that mattered. What I've been so frustrated about is that nothing I did all day actually helped anyone. I tried to make my job more help-oriented, by going out of my way to provide excellent customer service and to train new employees when no one else cared. But I feel that the day-to-day banking business is incredibly insignificant.

Especially insignificant is the whole idea of getting "referrals." Each teller (as if they don't have enough to do) is expected to get a certain number of referrals. This means the teller asks the customer if they'd like to upgrade their account, open a new one, apply for a credit card, apply for a business check/ATM card, etc, etc. My philosophical issue with this is twofold: A) The vast majority of bank customers are there to do their business and leave. B) There are few (if any) products at the bank that customers actually *need*. And it's hard to convince someone to sign up for something that they don't really need - especially when they're in a hurry, and there is a line of impatient customers behind them.

I considered it good customer service when I could get someone out the door and on their way as quickly as possible. No, I didn't offer them a credit card (which they most likely have too many of anyway), but I did make their banking experience quick and convenient. That's something that my superiors just couldn't comprehend. The customer will be happiest when you do their transaction and send them on their way. If you don't offer them a product, you've just saved that customer some time.

What it boils down to is the well-dressed gentlemen downtown. If our branch had good numbers, it made them happy, and it made our branch manager look good. Seems like everyone there wants to look good to their superiors -- even when the customer suffers. I've seen so many customers (and employees) end up with more accounts than they needed, and higher upgraded accounts than they needed, just because our award-winning personal banker made it common practice to upgrade accounts and open new ones. Two weeks ago, we had one customer who didn't realize that she had over six different bank accounts until a teller pointed it out. One new employee started working at the bank, and wanted to open up a basic checking account. The personal banker set her up with a PMA Checking, PMA savings, and a Gold Visa ATM/check card (which are all top-of-the-line products). The personal banker made over $250 profit by opening those accounts, whereas she would have only made about $18 profit by opening the one the employee actually wanted. This is called gaming, and it's severely frowned upon by upper management. Yet, those directly superior to this PB continue to look the other way, and even applaud the "sales success." Why? Because it makes them all look good. They've found a way to justify (and get away with) gaming, and there's no conscience in their heads to tell them that it's wrong.

Also unfortunate is the former PB at the same branch who tried to be the conscience. Her numbers weren't as good, but she didn't scam people either. And she was a whistle-blower. She called the "employee ethics hotline" to report the above mentioned items. All callers are supposed to remain anonymous, but before she knew it, she was being labeled as jealous of the other PB's numbers, and was transferred downtown, and eventually fired. How sad.

So, while I won't refer to the bank by name, it's easy to see why I'm glad to be out of that corporation. I'll probably still keep my account there though. They've got so many branches in convenient locations; the nearest one is less than a day's STAGECOACH ride away.