How to boost Scottish bankers' morale
Scotland's bankers are depressed. The ever-present threat of redundancy hanging over the country's financial sector for the last 18 months means morale is at an all-time low. So, how can you motivate yourself to make the best of a bad situation?
In his forthcoming presentation to the Scottish Parliament banking enquiry, Rob MacGregor of the union Unite, is set to point to the morale crisis in the facing the country's banking sector even though the worst of the job cuts are over.
The torrid situation after the takeover of HBOS and government bail-out of RBS has been "particularly traumatic" for financial sector workers he says.
Such motivation issues are becoming increasingly prevalent in the financial sector, suggests Ken Harbourne, country manager at recruiters Robert Half, which recently completed research into staff morale issues.
The drawn out approach to job cuts, undertaken by both Lloyds Banking Group and RBS throughout 2009, can have a particularly detrimental effect, he says.
"Some firms cut deep and fast, which was horrible, but they were able to re-build from this point," he says. "The most unmotivated staff were within organisations that were slow to act, and eked out redundancies over a period of time."
BNP Paribas in Glasgow hired a culture consultant back in 2008 who prescribed more laughter for its staff in an attempt to jolt them out of credit crunch blues.
Such drastic measures are not necessary, says Harbourne, and managers who made small gestures - like lunch or social drinks with the team - were able to more actively engage with their teams.
More pressing, perhaps, is how a seeming lack of other job opportunities combined with the possibility of redundancy can zap your morale.
"The most important thing is to take control of your own situation," says Harbourne. "Network with people in the industry, look for both internal and external training opportunities, keep up to date with what the hot areas of the business are - basically, adapt in order to survive."
