Page 127 - A Banker Down the Rabbit Hole

38. A deemed errant staff

An Assistant not doing some of his tasks -Episode 1
It was a very busy day at the branch. One of my officers approached me
and complained against one Assistant who was not doing some of the
tasks assigned to him as per office-order and was leaving office early
regularly to catch a train for his home town around 4 pm without
completing the remaining tasks.

The officer was newly posted at this branch. I asked him, "Who was
completing his left over work before you joined?". He told that the earlier
officer only was completing the left over tasks. I simply asked him to tell
the guy to finish all the tasks and then leave office to go home. He told
me that he was scared of the assistant as he was a Branch Secretary of
Workers' Union, very short tempered and ill behaved. He did not want
to be humiliated by asking him to complete the work. I asked, "Why do
you want me to be humiliated by that guy if I confront him in your place?"
He responded, "Sir, you are a very senior person and the assistant would
not misbehave with you."

I wanted to speak to the Assistant and find out myself how he behaved
without solely going by his officer's impression or experience with him.
I wanted to know what could be the reason for all this. I called the guy
and told him. "When we issue an office order, as per standard practice,
we write the major tasks of duty for that seat like "Handling Remittances
- DD/MT/TT issued" without detailing out all the tasks to be completed
in this duty. It is reported that you are not completing some of the tasks
like preparing the telegraphic transfer messages, entering them in
telegraph register, getting them double coded by the appropriate

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