Public Sector Banks (PSBs) in India are custodians of public money. Every rupee they spend ultimately belongs to the people of the country. Yet, a strange and uncomfortable truth exists—banks routinely waste crores of rupees by calling officers to work on holidays. This may sound unbelievable, but official data clearly shows how serious the problem is. Let us understand this with simple numbers.
The Data Tells a Clear Story
As per official records, there are 7,58,172 employees working in 12 Public Sector Banks as of 31 March 2025. Banks usually call only officers, not clerical staff, to work on holidays. If we assume that 50% of total staff are officers, the number comes to 3,79,086 officers. Banks pay an average of ₹2,000 per officer for working on a holiday. So, the cost of calling officers on one single holiday is: 3,79,086 × ₹2,000 = ₹7,58,17,200 That is more than ₹7.5 crore for just one holiday.
The Cost Multiplies Quickly
If officers are called for more than one holiday, the expenditure increases sharply:
- 2 days: ₹15.16 crore
- 3 days: ₹22.74 crore
- 4 days: ₹30.32 crore
*This is an approximate data and actual numbers may vary.
Now consider reality. It has become a routine practice for banks to call officers to work on the last holidays of every quarter. For example, banks have already started issuing orders asking officers to work on 27 and 28 December 2025, both of which are holidays. This means that in just two days, banks will spend ₹15.16 crore of public money.
Why Are Officers Called on Holidays?
The usual reasons given are:
- Target pressure
- End-of-quarter balance sheet management
- Data updates and reviews
But this raises an important question—why is this work not completed on working days? If essential work is not getting done during weekdays, it clearly points to staff shortage and unrealistic workload, not a lack of commitment by employees.
Several surveys and internal observations show that officers working on holidays do not work with full motivation. Most of them attend office only as a formality, under pressure. Productivity on holidays is often low, while mental exhaustion increases sharply.
This creates two serious problems:
- Public money is wasted
- Work-life balance of employees is destroyed
A tired and frustrated officer cannot deliver quality service to customers, no matter how many holidays they are forced to work.
A Better Use of This Money
The irony is that the money spent on holiday compensation could be far better utilised. With ₹15–30 crore, banks can:
- Hire additional staff
- Reduce workload on existing employees
- Improve efficiency during regular working days
- Create a healthier work environment
Hiring more staff will naturally reduce the need for holiday work and will lead to sustainable productivity, not forced compliance.
Calling officers on holidays has become a shortcut, not a solution. It hides deeper issues such as staff shortage, poor planning, and unrealistic targets. Public Sector Banks and the Government must ask themselves:
- Is this the best use of public money?
- Is employee burnout worth temporary balance-sheet optics?
- Can efficiency really be built by exhausting the workforce?
Public money deserves better. Bank employees deserve better.