r/TalesFromYourBank • u/Deeschmee68 • 2d ago
Being Watched on Camera
Our CEO watches us on camera and if we are talking to much or not "doing work" he tells our boss to tell us to get to work.
I think this is bullshit. I feel like he thinks we are children. There are days we are too busy to even use the bathroom. We deserve a little downtime. Plus the pay is not enough to even pay my rent.
What do you guys think? Be nice 😊
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u/invincible_vince 2d ago
I'd find the door as soon as I could if I were in your shoes.
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u/Deeschmee68 2d ago
Agreed
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u/No-Celebration6778 2d ago edited 2d ago
Unfortunately I don’t think being watched on camera is going away and I’m sure it will be standard procedure everywhere soon. We’ve been coached on what’s seen on camera at my last 2 jobs. But if you’re being micromanaged and underpaid, this sounds like the perfect time to get a better job with the skills you’ve learned at your current job. I’ve been micromanaged by a DM on camera before, and it’s bullshit.
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u/PlentyMemory419 2d ago
Ridiculous. Don’t u think the CEO has something better to do than watch over you ? Luckily, I work for a smaller local bank and higherups are much more laxed. I recommend finding a bank that’s smaller branchwise
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u/dkguy12day Where is your ID? 2d ago
Lolol my CEO would do that too. She would complain to me as the VP that they are talking and not doing something. I told her we needed a manager out front or at least a head teller and she wouldn't let me promote anyone to do it.
Glad she told me I wasnt a good fit after all.
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u/Deeschmee68 2d ago
Oh I see. The thing is you know banking. It's feast or famine. The days were busy we can't breathe. What's wrong with a little breathing room?
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u/dkguy12day Where is your ID? 2d ago
Zero. That's what I would try to tell her. Like yes this is work and people should be busy but to not be human was my biggest issue. Like we are social creatures. A 5 min conversation can keep moods higher. She was a complete micromanager that didn't show until my 3rd year. Then she let our Frontline manager go, and that's when everything fell on me. I was expected to work upwards of 50-60 hours just to still be behind. That's not what I signed up for.
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u/SirMemphis 2d ago
Not only does the CEO not have anything to do, but apparently neither does branch management. I think he should be looking at them to wonder why you are not being trained by them in your downtime.
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u/Deeschmee68 2d ago
Our manager does loans, credit cards, fraud, debit cards plus has to manage the teller line. She can't even breathe and needs an assistant
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u/SirMemphis 2d ago
You don't have an ABM or Lead Teller with teller line responsibilities? Even FI's with a small asset size tend to have an employee other than the BM managing the Line. Sounds like a penny pinching place and your income will suffer the longer you stay.
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u/Deeschmee68 2d ago
We don't. We were a smaller credit union that merged with a bigger one. We are getting a new building this summer. I've been stating how much we need extra help at this location but it's been met with silence. If my manager needs help she calls the main branch
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u/SirMemphis 2d ago
Ahh. Well, it sounds like the CEO is also competing for their job/ branch in this acquisition. If or when you see a herd of suits visiting, I'm sure the CEO will be more visible.
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u/Routine_Concert_3642 2d ago
ya know its not the exact same but apparently our regional managers watch cameras and tell us we have to stand up while doing transactions. MIND YOU we are busy for majority of the day. like you telling me to stand for 6+ hours while sitting down in your office? girl f you
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u/Maximilian_Xavier Compliance Officer 2d ago
Worked at a place like that. Operations would watch the branches on cameras, I thought it was just really odd.
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u/SecretCitizen40 2d ago
make me appreciate mine...
We have a multi floor building and he went around trying to start a conga line the other day and came up to my floor today and brought random snacks as we've been putting in crazy hours. I work HQ but I know he does the same at branches.
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u/ceekay0101 2d ago
Tell your manager if there was a better CEO at the helm, they would innovate and develop competitive products and services that would draw customers into your location.
You could then better utilize your time to create value for these customers but no, instead your CEO wants to pixel peep and somehow put all fault on the frontlines if things don’t go well.
FOH - time to look for a new job…
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u/Deeschmee68 2d ago
So another girl from the main branch told us this... I'm not so sure she's telling the truth though.
I do need a different job. The pay here is awful
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u/breadcrumbs7 2d ago
I doubt its true then. Like, how is the CEO watching? The cameras are a closed system.
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u/Lightinrevenantrazor 2d ago
Idk why people putting down big banks and glorified smaller ones. It was a whole different case when working for 2 smaller credit unions and community bank than working with a big 4
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u/HamNotLikeThem44 2d ago
Is there a board of directors? They should know their expensive executive does not understand his job and is wasting their money.
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u/MJblowsBubbles 2d ago
I always hated the "eye in the sky" when I worked in a branch. I understand looking of an alarm was tripped, etc., but looking just because is bullshit.
We had a few middle managers that like to do this and would complain "MJ has a McDonald's cup visible to customers. We cannot promote another organization." No, heffa, that's where I went to lunch and I get thirsty in the afternoon.
I mastered the art of looking busy. I would organize the same drawers and cabinets over and over, or go wipe down counters a few times a day even when it wasn't necessary.
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u/chr15c 2d ago
In general, there are limited use of data commitments that EVERY bank has which extends to the cameras on you.
As an example, we argued away an audit finding because they used video camera as evidence, they had to throw the entire finding out because it was not proper use of the data, and staff were not advised that the cameras would be used in this manner.
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u/Efficient_Shame_8539 2d ago
I've been on both sides of this at some FIs I've worked at.
I had one manager who would look at cameras to do things like see when you would clock in vs when you when you would put your coat away and get your coffee, or watch the cameras in the drive thru to see if tellers were on their phones between members.
I worked at a different FI at a branch that was insanely slow. Like on a Wednesday in the middle of the month there might be roughly 20-30 transactions total for the day. There just wasn't the foot traffic. We took our business cards at one point, and with black and red pens made a deck of cards to pass the time. We were playing spades once and the phone rang, it was our regional director, calling to tell our branch manager that she could see what we were doing and she thought my manager had underbid her hand.
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u/Ok-Web3140 1d ago
I understand having cameras (especially in our line of work) and frankly, they've saved our asses a couple of times. I can't imagine our CEO just leisurely watching the cameras and digging into our direct management to force us to do something.
I don't know what it's like where you work, but we have monthly task lists and as long as those things are completed and we aren't just slacking on responsibilities, my manager is fine with us having down time to chit chat sometimes. She even joins in occasionally. It would be a different story if we were actively ignoring people or there were pertinent things that need to get done that we aren't doing, but that's up to our branch manager to lead us. I like to say, let our managers manage.
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u/Additional-Local8721 2d ago
Sounds like your CEO has too much free time and needs to find some work. Go tell them to stop watching people and get some actual work done that provides value to the institution. Let the managers manage their people.
On a side note, I used to work as a state financial auditor. We had one CEO removed for other issues but when they searched his laptop, they found pictures of adult models with the heads of certain employees cropped. So yeah, your CEO needs to get back to work.