Branch Manager Review

I am a branch manager dealing with a team of 6 other team members, with cashiers facing customers to perform financial transactions, personal bankers opening accounts and my other responsibilities being coaching staff, discipline matters and rotas etc. I have to liaise with other branch managers and my line manager

Yes I have, I have very much increased my ability to communicate and know what types of communication styles and learning styles people use. I have also looked in depth at the difference between managers and leaders and that has helped me a lot on a day to day basis

I have enjoyed it but found it rather hard to fit in along with the challenges and time constraints I face on a day to day basis. The programme itself was just started and my group were the first to experience it so it was a worthwhile exercise for the future

Being a new programme there were lots of teething issues but it felt worthwhile that we were contributing to the future of it. Some parts were particularly useful, especially the face to face workshops which I felt I learnt the most from and the most engaging. The online learning was better once it was reduced in quantity

To some degree but it has been a particularly challenging time with branch closures and staffing issues. The support from my immediate line manager has been fantastic but the company on the whole have bigger fish to fry in fairness. I think future cohorts will have more support in better times

I have received good support from my skills coach initially but he has got a large volume of work to cover so this has subsided over time. In fairness this is to some extent as I have not reached out for support as I have not had the time to ask

There are some very useful parts of the programme that I can apply and QA have given some good examples of how it can be used in my day to day role. However, as they do support on a general level and not banking specific, there are gaps in usefulness

I participate in charity events, especially those supporting disabled athletes. I also play with a 5 a side team and we have recently progressed through to the national finals of a Santander competition, where the winners play the final in Madrid. Socially we occasionally meet up outside hours as a branch

Yes

They have supported me fairly well and been very flexible when I have wanted to take time out to raise money for charity. They have also put me through training courses for my development. I'm also hoping things should settle down somewhat with the recent closures now being announced

Network with existing employees as much as possible on linkedin etc and show enthusiasm for the future of banking going digital. Keep an eye out for any opportunities posted on the job pages as if you show keenness there are opportunities for promotion into a role you may prefer or find more rewarding