Banks are neglecting their customers in the push for profits, with almost nine out of 10 bank officials agreeing that profit is the motivation behind most senior management decisions, according to a new survey.
However, four out of 10 workers believe their salary compares favourably to what they think they could get in the public sector, with just one in 10 believing it compares unfavourably.
The telephone survey of 2,000 workers conducted for the Irish Bank Officials' Association (IBOA) also reveals that a quarter of members have personally experienced bullying or harassment at work, with more than 40 per cent having experienced this in the past year. A further 43 per cent have witnessed bullying or harassment of a colleague.
The survey, presented at the association's biennial conference in Dublin over the weekend, finds that 60 per cent are satisfied with their jobs. But it highlights members' concerns about poor staffing levels in banks.
More than one-third described staffing levels within their workplace as "very poor", with over 70 per cent agreeing that "we often don't have enough staff", and that staff levels are not being maintained when people leave.
Almost half, 49 per cent, also felt that their performance targets lean heavily towards revenue growth as opposed to customer service.
Moreover, bullying and stress rank among the main concerns of bank workers. Just over one-third felt they were able to report bullying or harassment to supervisors without fear.
However, two-thirds of those who did report this behaviour were satisfied with the response from the bank.
Nevertheless, banking culture is such that it is perceived by almost half of those surveyed as not advisable to "speak out" within the bank, while 56 per cent of respondents said they are worried the bank is "forgetting about its customers in its drive for profits".
A quarter of respondents said they find their job "very stressful", with staff shortages and pressure to achieve targets the main reasons for this.
Four out of 10 workers said they were not fully satisfied with the job, citing salary, shortage of staff, stress and pressure and lack of promotion/opportunities for this.
Some 23 per cent were dissatisfied with access to flexible or family-friendly working hours and their holiday entitlements.
Four out of five were happy overall with their pension provision, although there were concerns that any change in the pension scheme for new entrants may affect current employees in the future.
The IBOA currently has over 20,000 members in Ireland and Britain.