đź“° Is It All Bizarre at Bank of Baroda?

A Study of the Patterns Emerging from a Trail of Representations

Over the past few years, Bank of Baroda (BoB) has been the stage for an unusual and growing wave of representations — letters, appeals, and memoranda written by its own officers and unions. These communications, addressed variously to the top management, the Department of Financial Services (DFS), the Chief Labour Commissioner (CLC), and sometimes even the press, capture something far deeper than isolated grievances. The themes span from policy anomalies and toxic work culture to HR irregularities and governance concerns.They document an institution in conversation with itself — or perhaps, an institution where conversation has broken down so severely that employees have turned to written appeals as their last refuge.

1. A Timeline of Growing Disquiet from Policy Grievances to Pleas for Humanity

From 2021 onwards, the tone and intensity of these representations began to shift.
 Initially, the letters focused on procedural issues — clarity on transfer norms, transparency in promotion marks, and fair HR application across zones.
 By 2023, however, the subjects had taken on a darker tone: toxic culture, staff deaths linked to stress, arbitrary transfers, overreach in social media policies, and even pleas for mental health support. The representations made in 2024-25 bring out the blatant violations of DFS guidelines in transfer matters and absence of basic humanity in the transfer matters and grievance redressal.

The representations became more frequent and emotional — reflecting not just dissatisfaction with policies, but a sense of alienation from the institution itself.

What stands out is the emotional tone — these are not mere procedural complaints but appeals laced with hurt, frustration, and exhaustion.

Words like “harassment,” “pressure,” “inhuman targets,” and “systemic neglect” began appearing more often, signalling that something deeper than administrative discontent was brewing.

2. A Pattern of Unrest and Strained HR Governance- The Themes Beneath the Noise

If read individually, each letter appears to deal with an isolated issue. But when studied together, a pattern clearly emerges — a pattern of unrest, disconnection, and moral exhaustion.

This corpus of letters collectively indicates a workforce under strain, where managerial practices appear disconnected from ground realities.


3. The Governance Question

Beyond individual grievances, a subset of letters — addressed to DFS, RBI, and the Economic Times — points to concerns over governance and accountability as follows:

1. Human Displacement Through Transfers

A recurring grievance has been indiscriminate or insensitive transfers, often during academic sessions or without considering medical or family grounds.  Despite DFS guidelines advocating humane and reasoned transfers, officers allege that discretion has turned into arbitrariness.  Behind every representation lies a personal story — of uprooted families, emotional strain, and the quiet erosion of faith in fair process.

2. Opaque Promotions and Recognition Gaps

Officers repeatedly question how promotions are decided and why marks or merit criteria are kept undisclosed.
 Calls for “PNB-style transparency” and score publication show a longing for a system where effort is seen and rewarded — not buried under bureaucracy. This opacity, over time, corrodes morale and weakens the meritocratic spirit that banks depend on.

3. Toxic Culture and the Cost of Silence

Perhaps the most distressing cluster of letters deals with toxic work culture and burnout.
 References to deaths of officers — notably Com. Shiv Shankar Mitra — have transformed isolated HR complaints into moral indictments of an institution.
 Officers speak of a culture that confuses performance with pressure and compliance with fear.
 When death, illness, or despair enter the vocabulary of official representations, it is no longer a union matter — it becomes a human one.

4. Governance and Accountability

Beyond HR, the letters also probe the bank’s governance architecture.
 Concerns about RBI penalties, high-cost consultants, and questionable oversight suggest a growing perception that accountability is being selectively applied.
 The question underlying many of these representations is simple yet piercing: If responsibility can be fixed on junior officers, why not on top executives when failures occur?

5. A Cry for Dignity and Balance

Alongside the anger and anguish, there is also hope.
 Many representations carry thoughtful reform proposals — from rational transfer systems to “Right to Disconnect” provisions, from better welfare measures to the inclusion of retired officers as defence representatives in departmental enquiries.
 This constructive tone is crucial: it shows that the movement is not anti-institution, but pro-justice and pro-reform.

6. Bank’s Board Constitution

Administrative decision making and administrative oversight queries, even seeking government intervention.

These issues transcend HR and touch upon institutional credibility, suggesting a bank wrestling not just with HR turbulence but with questions of ethical governance and transparency in decision-making.

4. Shifting the Blame or Seeking Reform? - What These Representations Reveal

To an outsider, this flurry of correspondence might appear chaotic — a “bizarre” avalanche of complaints. But within the context of a large public sector bank, it’s actually a language of survival.
 When dialogue within breaks down, representation becomes resistance.
 These letters are not random; they are institutional diagnostics, identifying cracks in policy, culture, and leadership.

The tone across these letters oscillates between critique and constructive suggestion. Many representations enclose detailed blueprints for reform. This shows that the movement is not just oppositional but solution-oriented, grounded in institutional loyalty rather than hostility.

They expose:

·       Policy inconsistency: frequent changes without adequate communication.

·       HR imbalance: target obsession overshadowing welfare and empathy.

·       Weak grievance redressal: forcing employees to appeal externally.

·       Cultural dissonance: the growing gap between “official values” and lived experience.


5.  Is It All Bizarre — or Perfectly Predictable?

To call it “bizarre” may be overstating the symptom. What emerges instead is a loud, well-documented cry for balance — between business pressure and humane administration, between targets and trust.

If the management views these representations merely as union activism, it risks missing their real message: that institutional fatigue is setting in, and without introspection, this fatigue could become structural inertia

When studied as a collective dataset, these representations paint a consistent picture:


Officers feel unheard, processes appear arbitrary, and morale seems fragile. The frequency and diversity of these communications — cutting across transfers, promotions, penalties, wellness, and ethics — point to a systemic malaise rather than isolated anomalies.

This isn’t rebellion — it’s reflection.

A workforce that still believes reform is possible continues to write, appeal, and hope. The real tragedy would be the day they stop writing.

Conclusion: The Mirror Effect

The long list of letters isn’t chaos — it’s a mirror. It reflects the contradictions of a modernising public sector bank grappling with legacy systems, aggressive KPIs, and an overstretched workforce.

Whether Bank of Baroda sees these representations as an irritant or as an opportunity will determine whether the coming years bring reform or further unrest.

These letters are not just grievances; they are a mirror held up to management.
 They reflect loyalty, disillusionment, and endurance — the traits of officers who still care enough to speak.
 If the leadership chooses to look into that mirror with honesty, it might see not defiance but a chance for institutional renewal.

By: Arunraj M
 Date: 26 October 2025
 Source: Based on representations and communications from officers and unions, compiled in AIBOBOU- Affiliated to AIBOA - AAP KI AWAAZ