Viral video: Karnataka bank manager locks staff inside office to demand work beyond office hours

An incident of workplace harassment at Karnataka Grameen Bank was caught on camera which is doing rounds on social media. The viral video shows bank manager locks junior employee inside office in Hassan to demand overtime work beyond office hours.

This incident reportedly occurred at Arkalgud branch in Hassan district on 18 July where the senior employee can be seen explicitly locking his subordinate staff members inside the branch after office hours to make them stay back and complete additional work, Kanal reported. In the video the junior employee can be seen protesting and asking for permission to leave after extending his shift by an hour from the prescribed 5:00 PM to 6:00 PM.

"Nahi jana hai toh nahi jana hai" ("If you are not allowed to leave, then you are not leaving"), the bank manager can be heard saying before asserting that "overtime is compulsory."

Watch viral video here

The Customer Service Associate (CSA) employee agitating against the workplace harassment quoted the employment contract and the timings underlined in it while he emphasized that he had completed the assigned work. Unperturbed, the manager closes the gate and locks him inside while filmed the daunting behaviour. This arbitrary mistreatment highlights a severe rise in toxic workplace pressure which directly violates RBI's employee welfare policies.

The CSA employee then proceeds to ask the reason for locking him with other employees in the office to which the manager refuses to answer. This arbitrary mistreatment highlights severe rise in toxic banking work culture and workplace pressure which directly violates RBI's employee welfare policies. This incident brings to focus bonded labour like treatment and how stressful work environment pushes seniors to carelessly thrust overwhelming targets onto subordinates.

Social media reaction

A user wrote, “Working in Banks is nightmare these days, especially if you are an officer….. You will be given target to sell shit insurance schemes, if not met you will be humiliated, threatened for transfer. Holidays r very less. In SBI, your life will be ruined.”

Another user remarked, “People like him are the reason why bankers' life is like a living hell. If you wanna lick the boots of management that's fine but don't force everyone else to be like you.”

A third user stated, “India is a so called independent country. Indians are yet to get independent.”

A fourth comment read, “Manager definitely can not lock employee like a prisoner. This is illegal and criminal act. What manager should do is to ask to RBO that he needs more staff.”

A fifth user stated, “Resign as soon as possible and look for another job.”

A sixth user said, “This happens when too much target is there and staff shortage. Because in banking work never ends. But treating own employees in this way not justified.”