Human Red- Tape Management is the new normal for HRM @Bank of Baroda

It is indeed a tragedy that the so-called qualified HRM officials of the bank have willingly reduced themselves to glorified stenographers for the executives. Instead of acting as human resource professionals, they have perfected the art of dictation-taking—minus the courage, integrity, or responsibility expected of their role. 

HR is not meant to be a mouthpiece of management but a professional institution that upholds fairness, ensures transparency, and protects employees from arbitrary and biased actions. Instead of standing by staff welfare, the present HR machinery has chosen silence and submission. This abdication of duty has eroded faith among employees and exposed the hollowness of the bank’s so-called “people-first” claims.

Growing concern among officers and staff members regarding the continued failure of HRM functionaries in responding effectively to matters of employee welfare, particularly in cases of distress or genuine hardship.

• Addressing complaints and grievances

• Ensuring workplace health, safety, and well-being

• Overseeing welfare schemes, loans, and facilities

Despite multiple reminders and representations from affected staff, there have been repeated instances where:

1. Genuine leave requests, including those for medical and mental health reasons, are either denied without due process or indefinitely delayed.

2. HR officials fail to respond or provide clarity on urgent matters, leaving staff feeling abandoned.

3. Support mechanisms like the Employee Assistance Programme (EAP), touted by the Bank, are rendered ineffective due to poor implementation and lack of sensitivity.

4. Instead of following established procedures (e.g., referring medical cases to competent medical boards), HRM officials are resorting to ad hoc opinions, thereby violating staff rights.

These practices not only violate the basic principles of human resource management but also erode the morale and trust of officers who are the very backbone of the Bank's performance.

By failing to discharge the responsibility entrusted to them as guardians of human resources, they have betrayed both the workforce and the very spirit of the HR function.

It is high time the HR department reclaims its professional dignity and performs its rightful role—not as a tool of executive diktat, but as a genuine custodian of employees’ rights and organizational justice.

“HR must stop echoing management and start defending employees. True Human Resource Management stands for fairness, transparency, and accountability—not silence, submission, or endless red tape. Employee welfare cannot remain a slogan; it must be reflected in timely, humane, and principled action.”