And now for something completely different……….

Well it has been almost two weeks since I lost my job of 21 years. I was a bit stunned at first but now I have come to realise I am more relieved than bitter.

Banking has changed dramatically since I joined the State Bank of Victoria way back on the 7^th February 1972. Change is always a given but is it always for the best?

I did not plan to leave work on such terms as I only have a few years to go until I reach 65 years of age. Banking used to be about trust and to some extent ‘gut feeling.’ Now it is about sales, sales and more sales. I was always a bit  ‘left of center’ for a banker. In fact, the best thing someone once said to me was, ‘you don’t look like a banker.’ Nearly all my business came from word of mouth. Something I can be proud of. I had got into trouble with Head Office on a number of occasions for backing people in and not strictly adhering to the rules. I was once told by my Regional Manager a few years back, ‘Rob, you have to stop trying to help people!’ It is now required that you gather 4000 pieces of supporting documentation and write a short novel to justify why you have approved a loan facility. For dinosaurs like me this was a never ending battle to conform.

I came back from annual leave early May and was told that I had done something incorrectly with one of my loan files. I swore black and blue that I had indeed done the right thing but unfortunately for me a record of the approval was not on-file. So I am no longer employed. It is going to be tough financially wise but the upshot is I will now be able to work on my ‘Soul Food’ cooking skills.

I would like to think that over my long banking career I have helped many different people from all walks of life get into their home.

I am not an over confident type of person (I have been diagnosed as a severe introvert) and I am finding it a bit hard to get out amongst my friends which is due to my embarrassment more than anything. Hopefully by letting everyone know that I have left work in these circumstances then I can get back into the swing of things.

I will leave you with this thought that I read recently. Corporations – a mind without a memory, a body without a soul.