HR Policies and Practices in Agrani Bank Limited

The main objective of this report is to analysis HR Policies and Practices in Agrani Bank Limited. Other objectives of this reports are to understand how important Commercial Banks are in the functioning of a modern economy and financial system, to see how the commercial are regulated, to be able to read and understand bank financial statements and grasp how banks create and destroy money and to see how to generate the credit division along with general banking system. Finally this report make swot analysis HR Policies and Practices in Agrani Bank Limited.

OBJECTIVE OF THE STUDY

The study mainly conducted with the following objectives:

• To understand how important Commercial Banks are in the functioning of a modern economy and financial system
• To see how the commercial are regulated
• To be able to read and understand bank financial statements and grasp how banks create and destroy money
• To see how to generate the credit division along with general banking system.

Analysis Objective

 Broad Objective

To analyze the present “HRM PRACTICE” of Agrani Bank Limited.

Specific objective

• To determine the steps involved with HRM.
• To determine the roles of HRM.
• To identify the type of system is in HRM.
• To forecast the effectiveness of HRM.

Hypothesis & Assumptions

• Political situation is more or less stable.
• All staffs are involved with HRM.
• There are certain rules and regulations for HRM.
• There is a great demand for Agrani Bank Limited.

Benefits of the Study

• It will help to find out the “HRM Practice” of Agrani Bank Limited.
• The study will help to develop models & apply them effectively in HRM system.
• The study will help us to identify the type of problems that the companies usually face & it will overcome the problems.

Sources of Data

The sources of data or information are divided into two parts that are; primary and secondary sources.

Primary Data

In the primary source, data are collected directly from interviewing their employees and other related personnel. According to the oral communication to determine the responding factors that are extremely related with “HRM System”.

Primary Sources:

• Officials Records of Agrani Bank Ltd (ABL)
• Face-to-Face interview with the respective personnel

Secondary Data

In the secondary source, different textbooks and journals relating to the theoretical frame work of the project was accessed to define and to determine “HRM Syatem”. Moreover, annual reports, company projects profile, related preserved data, financial statements, internet browse and brochure had been collected from the Agrani Bank Limited.

Secondary Sources:

• Research, brochures, and various publications of Agrani Bank Ltd.
• Annual report, Official data book, Internet.

METHODOLOGY

The study methodology included observation of their work procedure, analysis of their information input forms and their output documents, face-to-face communication with the clients, interviews of relevant ABL officials.

HRM system is indeed a tough job to find out. Because several people are involved with this process and they differ from each other by their perception, experience, interest etc. With this process, there is another part; the part is known as “Management”, what is a healthy organization from employee’s point of view.

By preparing this paper we have to find out:

• The steps involved with HRM.
• Biasness towards the HRM.
• Types of System.
• Priority in Management.
• Importance in organization.

All types of related things would be revived this project paper to visualize the current phenomenon.

Ethics & Social Responsibilities:

An organization cannot move alone. Organization needs people to generate its activities & people needs organization to get some kind of services. Agrani Bank is an organization that is concerned to maximize its profit along with maintaining some kind of social responsibilities. It is fully devoted to fulfill the needs for its customer’s satisfaction as well as it is involved socio-economic development activities.

A BRIEF OVERVIEW of Agrani Bank

Agrani Bank Limited, a leading commercial bank with 867 outlets strategically located in almost all the commercial areas throughout Bangladesh, overseas Exchange Houses and hundreds of overseas Correspondents, came into being in 1972 immediately after the emergence of Bangladesh as an independent state. It started functioning as nationalized commercial bank taking over assets and liabilities of the erst while Habib Bank ltd and commerce Bank ltd. functioning in the East Pakistan.

It has been corporatised on 15th November.2007 and emerged as Agrani Bank Limited (ABL) taking over assets, liabilityand goodwill of Agrani Bank.

Agrani Bank Limited is governed by a Board of Directors consisting of 11(eleven) members headed by a chairman. The Bank is headed by the Managing director & Chief Executive Officer; Managing director is assisted by Deputy Managing Director and General Managers. The bank has 7 Circle offices, 30 Divisions in head office, 52 zonal offices and 867 branches including 10 corporate and 40 AD( authorized dealer) branches. The corporate and AD branches are authorized to deal in Foreign exchange business.

The authorized capital of the Bank is Tk. 800 crore.

Vision

To become a leading bank of Bangladesh operating at international levels of efficiency, quality and customer service.

Mission

We will go operating ethically and fairly within the stringent framework set by our regulators. We will go fusing ideas and lessons from best practice to explore newer ways to stay stronger and more efficient, nimble, and adaptable, and competitive as will. We will keep abreast of the advances of information and communication technology for the benefit of our customers and employees. We will invest to strengthen the future of the bank.

Project part

INTRODUCTION

Today’s business market is very complicated, due to diversified business world. Also importance of total quality management put emphasis on competition market. As a result the essence of HRM is introduced in today’s organization and we know that. HRM sets up the job by virtue of job evaluation; job analysis & job design and also ensures the HR laws and keeps in organization’s mind about government rules and regulations.

The HR department of today’s organizations deals with total systems of the organization. HR officer’s job is to make the HRM system pretty much accurate, in order to ensure that, all other factors related to organization are handled quite effectively.

Therefore, HR officer has to concern about dealing with HRM system as well as performance management due to the importance of cost. Further more, he has to make the image of the company more attractive, nice working condition, good benefit & compensation. Because, these are the part of HRM system.

Some of the constraints have to be follow in the real world while setting up HRM system. We are trying to mention this in the following way:

• If the organization needs active employee, than the salary should be high to attract the candidate.
• If the organization has a better working condition, good applicant will be attracted.
• Compensation and benefit should be standardized.
• Technically sound people.
• Government rules and regulations should be in consideration.
• Motivation is always working for the employees.
• Economic condition of the overall economy should be in mind of HR officer.

These are the prime constraint or consideration be kept in mind or HR officer while dealing with HRM practice.

HRM: Bangladesh Scenario

Bangladesh economy experienced a trend rate of growth of 4.8 percent during 1990s as against 4.4 percent during the previous decade. The rate of growth of per capita GDP has also been impressive during the 1990s. In addition to the higher growth rate of overall GDP, this was facilitated by a sharp fall in the rate of growth of population. During the 1980s, population grew at an annual compound rate of 2.2 percent, and the rate of growth of per capita GDP was recorded at 1.7 percent per annum. In contrast, population growth rate came down to 1.7 percent during the 1990s. Per capita GDP grew at an annual compound rate of 3.3 percent during the 1990s. However, in terms of the absolute level of per capita income, Bangladesh continues to remain at the lower end of the income scale. Per capita income of US $370 compares unfavorably against the low-income country average of US $ 410.The main stream of skilled human resources development and the management of the same is the possible option to impart a favorable GDP rate.

During 1990s, Bangladesh’s total exports in current US$ value grew at an annual compound rate of 14.4 percent. In fact, Bangladesh experienced double digit export growth in most of the years during the 1990s. Imports, on the other hand, grew at an annual compound rate of 10.9 percent during 1990s. The gap between export and import widened from –US $1792 million in 1990/91 to -$2814 million in 1999/00, although the share of export earnings in import payments steadily rose from 31 percent in 1980/81 to 67 percent in 1999/00. The openness of the economy as measured by total external trade as a proportion of GDP went up from around 22 percent in 1990/91 to nearly 30 percent in 1999/00 with the share of export in GDP rising from 7 percent to 12 percent during the same period.

The structure of export has changed significantly over the past two decades. Bangladesh seems to have made the transition from resource-based to process-based exports using its several resources, specially using the proper management of existing human resource. In 1980/81, primary commodity constituted nearly 29 percent of total exports. In 1990/91, this share came down to 17.8 percent and further down to 8.2 percent in 1999/00. There has been a shift from jute-centric to garments-centric export. In 1980-81, raw jute and jute goods together constituted 68 percent of total exports. Between 1980/81 and 1999/00, export of both raw jute and jute products declined in absolute terms and their total share came down to only 6 percent in 1999/00. In contrast, woven and knit garments together accounted for less than 1 percent of exports in 1980/81. Their combined share in exports rose to nearly 76 percent in 1999/00.

A change in the composition of output and employment away from the agricultural sector in the direction of manufacturing and service sectors is often used as a measure of development. In Bangladesh, the share of agriculture in GDP declined from 29.2 percent in 1990-91 to 25.5 percent in 1999-00 – a decline of 3.7 percent. The fall was compensated by an increase in the share of manufacturing and construction. Despite declining share of agriculture in GDP, the increase in food production has been quite satisfactory moving the country from a state of chronic food deficit to near self-sufficiency level.

Manufacturing industry in Bangladesh achieved respectable growth during 1990s. The contribution of manufacturing to GDP increased from 12.9 percent in 1990-91 to 15.4 percent in 1999-00. However, the sector’s current share in GDP appears rather modest for it to spearhead sustained high growth of the economy. Thus, for example, in Thailand the share of manufacturing in overall GDP was 22 percent in 1980 and it rose to 32 percent by 1998. The growth of Bangladesh’s manufacturing sector has also been rather narrowly based with readymade garments accounting for nearly a quarter of the sectored growth. Other important export industries contributing to sectored growth are Fish & seafood, and Leather tanning. Major import substituting industries experiencing significant growth during this period include Pharmaceutical, Indigenous cigarettes (bidi), Job printing and Re-rolling mills.

Other success stories of Bangladesh include maintenance of low level of inflation, rapid spread of micro credit program largely at the initiative of NGOs, and significant improvements in the social sector. However, in spite of such successes, the structure of production and exports has remained extremely narrow in Bangladesh. Bangladesh has also failed to attract adequate amount of FDI into the country. While the opening up of gas, electricity and telecommunication sub-sectors to private investment has resulted in the inflow of considerable foreign direct investments (FDI) in these sectors, the overall inflow of FDI has remained sluggish. The narrow export base has rendered Bangladesh’s external sector extremely dependent on global trading environment and preferential treatment by its main trading partners. The recent poor performance of exports in the face of global economic slowdown has confirmed this vulnerability of the Bangladesh’s external sector. Other weaknesses of Bangladesh economy include a dysfunctional banking system overburdened with classified loans, persistent loss of the state owned enterprises, poor infrastructure, deficient tax efforts, political disturbances and unsatisfactory law and order situation.

The concluding scenario is that like all other developed countries, Bangladesh still yet not setup human resource management department in every sector as much as that level .In spite if that in it’s standard private entrepreneurs, almost 80% are well equipped with human resource management setup and in public sector, almost all institution’s human resource management functions are performed by its respective administration section. And in fact that, most of them are conducted by traditional and combined of traditional and contemporary method. Even though, above statistics shows that Bangladesh has been triggered its economic development by synchronizing with other developed countries and making a harmony with world economy.

Manpower Planning

Manpower planning enables a department to project its short to long term needs on the basis of its departmental plans so that it can adjust its manpower requirements to meet changing priorities. The more changing the environment the department is in, the more the department needs manpower planning to show:

• The number of recruits required in a specified timeframe and the availability of talent.
• Early indications of potential recruitment or retention difficulties.
• Surpluses or deficiencies in certain ranks or grades.
• Availability of suitable qualified and experienced successors.

Recruitment

Before a department takes steps to employ staff, it should work out the type of staff it needs in terms of grade and rank, and the time scale in which the staff are required. The general principles underpinning recruitment within the civil service are that recruitment should:

• Use procedures which are clearly understood by candidates and which are open to public scrutiny.
• Be fair, giving candidates who meet the stipulated minimum requirements equal opportunity for selection.
• Select candidates on the basis of merit and ability.

Performance Management

Performance management is a very important Human Resource Management function. Its objective is to improve overall productivity and effectiveness by maximizing individual performance and potential. Performance management is concerned with:

• Improving individual and collective performance.
• Communicating management’s expectations to supervisors and staff.
• Improving communication between senior management, supervisors and staff.
• Assisting staff to enhance their career prospects through recognizing and rewarding effective performance.
• Identifying and resolving cases of underperformance.
• Providing important links to other Human Resource Management functions, such as training.

Training and Development

The objective of training and development is to enable civil servants to acquire the knowledge, skills, abilities and attitudes necessary to enable them to improve their performance. Staff training and development should focus on the department’s objectives and goals and staff’s competencies in achieving them. A strategic approach has the following characteristics:

• Commitment to training and developing people.
• Regular analysis of operational requirements and staff competencies.
• Linking training and development to departmental goals and objectives.
• Skilled training personnel.
• Regular evaluation.
• A continuous learning culture.
• Joint responsibility between managers and staff for identifying and meeting training needs.
• A variety of training and development methods for different circumstances and learning styles.

Staff Relations

The purpose of staff relations is to ensure effective communication between management and staffs, to secure maximum cooperation from staff, and to motivate staff to give their best by ensuring that they feel fairly treated, understand the overall direction and values of the Civil Service and those of their departments, and how decisions that affect them have been reached. The principles that govern staff relations are that, where possible:

• Management should communicate regularly and openly with staff.
• Staff should be consulted on matters that affect them.
• Problems and disputes should be resolved through discussion and consultation.
• The Government should uphold the resolutions of the International Labor Organization conventions.
• Management should devise and encourage activities that contribute to staff’s well being.

Management Information Systems

An effective management information system enables various levels of information to be systematically collected about human resource matters so that departments, policy branches and Civil Service Branch can monitor and predict the effectiveness of Human Resource Management practices. Accurate management information enables forward looking Human Resource Management by providing the means to:

• Monitor and improve on-going Human Resource Management performance.
• Provide up-to-date information on which to base policy development.
• Verify and demonstrate departmental effectiveness in Human Resource Management.
• Create service-wide checks and balances to safeguard delegation and provide true accountability for Human Resource Management

If the Agrani Bank Limited practices this model, the organization can get easily competitiveness advantage from the HRM view. It is cost effective for the organization and also the knowledge each every employees through management information system.

A conceptual and theoretical analysis

Human resource management  is the policies and practices involved in carrying  out the ’people’ or human resource aspects of a management position, including recruiting, screening, training, rewarding, appraising and compensating employees, and attending to their labor relations, health and safety, and fairness concern. It provides with the concepts and technique which we need to carry out the ‘people’ or personal aspects of any management job. Those includes

• Conduction job analysis
• Planning labor needs and recruiting job candidates
• Selecting job candidates
• Orienting and training new employees
• Managing wages and salaries
• Providing incentives and benefits
• Appraising performance
• Communicating (interviewing, counseling, disciplining)
• Training and developing managers
• Building employee commitments

Most writers agree that there are certain basic functions all mangers perform. Those are planning, organizing, staffing, leading and controlling. In fact, the mangers perform the management process. Those are in details:

Planning. Establishing goals and standards; developing rules and procedures; developing plans and forecasting.

Organizing. Giving each subordinate a specific task; establishing departments; delegating authority to subordinates; establishing channels of authority and communication; coordinating work of subordinates.

Staffing. determining what type of people should  be hired; recruiting prospective employees; selecting employees; setting performance standards; compensating  employees; evaluating performance; counseling employees; training and developing employees.

Leading. Getting others to get the job done; maintaining moral; motivating subordinates.

Controlling. Setting standards such as sales quotas; quality standards, or production levels; checking to see how actual performance compares with these standards; taking corrective action as needed.

For many years it has been said that capital is the bottleneck for a developing industry. But many of the economists do not belief, this may longer holds true. They say the workforce and the company’s inability to recruit and maintain a good workforce that does constitute the bottleneck for production. They don’t know of any major project backed by good ideas, vigor, and enthusiasm that has been stopped by a shortage of cash. They don’t know of industries whose growth has been partly stopped or hampered because they can’t maintain an efficient and enthusiastic labor fore, and this will hold true even more in the future.

There are some common concepts and techniques those are very important for all managers. Perhaps it is easier to find those by listing some of those personal mistakes we don’t want to make while managing. Say for example, we don’t want to:

• Hire wrong person for the job
• Experience high turnover
• Find the existing people not doing their best
• Waste time with useless interviews
• Have the company taken to court because of discriminatory actions
• Have the company cited under national occupational safety laws for unsafe practice.
• Have some employees think their salaries are unfair and inequitable relative to others in the organization
• Allow a lack of training to undermine your department’s effectiveness
• Commit any unfair labor practices

In fact, a manager can everything else as a manager-lay brilliant plans, draw clear organization charts, set up modern assembly lines, and use sophisticated accounting controls but still fail as a manager by hiring the wrong people or by not motivating subordinates, On the other hand, many managers-presidents, generals, governors, supervisors—have been successful even with in adequate plans, organization, or controls. They were successful because they had the knack of hiring the right people for the right jobs and motivating, appraising, and developing them.

Human Resource Management and Development

We treat our human resource as an instrument for development. Our workforce is the prime factor of our success. Following Corporatisation , the Bank’s key strategy is to set a new standard towards the full range of exploration and development of our human resources, in 2007 , we concentrated more on quality, efficiency, creativity and professionalism in our human resources .

The promotion criteria were revised in 2007 and as many as 1248 employees from different grades were promoted. Of them, 34 became DGMs, 77 AGMs, 163 SPOs and the remaining 974 in other grades.

Human Resource Planning:

Have collected Human resource planning is concerned with the flow of people into, through, and out of an organization. HR planning involves anticipating the need for labor and the supply of labor and then planning the programs necessary to ensure that the organization will have the right mix of employees and skills when and where they are needed.

Manpower planning and Career Development

Headcount at the end of 2007 was 11345, comprising 6358 officers and 4987 staff members. Rationalization of manpower continues as part of the employee productivity enhancement programmed. Under the World Bank Enterprise Growth and Bank Modernization Project, immediate appointments of consultants with the rank and status of General Manager for credit, Audit, Information Technology and Accounting are now under active consideration.123 security guards from 4 companies were appointed to Head Office and different zones. The policy of out-sourcing for non-core activities will continue in 2008 as and when required.

Major changes have been made in the criteria for promotion, especially for promotion to the rank of Assistant General Manager and Deputy General Manager. Although recognition of seniority continued an increased weight age was given to proven professionalism and the candidate’s future potential.

Human Resource Demand:

Once HR planners have collected information from both internal and external sources, they forecast the demand for labor. How many and what type of people will be needed to carry out the organization’s plans in the future? These forecasts are grounded in information about the past and present and in assumptions about the future. Different methods of forecasting the demand for labor require different assumptions. Some of the more common assumptions are that past trends and relationships among variables will hold up in the future; that the productivity ratio is constant (or follows a known pattern) as the number of units produced increases; and that the business plans of the organization, sales forecasts, and so on are reasonably descriptive of what will actually happen. In a highly volatile business, these assumptions may not be valid. It is always wish to explicitly list one’s assumptions in forecasting and to put on more faith in the forecast than in the assumption on which it was based.

Demand forecasting method can be divided into two categories. They are Judgmental and Mathematical. In practice, most organizations use some combination of the two methods. In our country most of the financial institutions use the judgmental method.

Judgmental Methods:

Judgmental methods make use of knowledgeable people to forecast the future. Judgmental methods do consider quantitative data but also allow for intuition and expertise to be factored in. these methods may be used by small organization or by those new to HR forecasting that do not yet have the database or expertise to use some of the more complex mathematical models. Judgmental methods   also may be preferred when an organization or environment is in a state of transition or turmoil; at such times, past trends and correlations cannot be used to make accurate predictions about the future. 

Supply of labor:

Once the demand for labor is predicted, it is necessary to forecast the supply of labor that the organization will already have available to meet the demand. It is basically of two types:

1. Internal supply of labor
2. External supply of labor

Gap Analysis:

In an organization there might be two type of gap exists:

Shortage:

When demand is more and supply of human resource is less in a particular area this called shortage.

Surplus:

When supply is more and demand of human resource is less in a particular area this called surplus.

Job Analysis:

The procedure for determining the duties and skill requirements of a job and the kind of person who should be hired for it.

The process of job analysis is of two types:

1. Job Description
2. Job Specification

Job Description:

A list of a job’s duties, responsibilities, reporting relationship, working conditions, and supervisory responsibilities- one product of a job analysis.

Job Specification:

A list of a job’s “human requirement”, that is, requisite education, skills, personality, and so on – another product of a job analysis.

Job Analysis:

The procedure for determining the duties and skill requirements of a job and the kind of person who should be hired for it.

The process of job analysis is of two types:

1. Job Description
2. Job Specification

Job Description:

A list of a job’s duties, responsibilities, reporting relationship, working conditions, and supervisory responsibilities- one product of a job analysis.

Job Specification:

A list of a job’s “human requirement”, that is, requisite education, skills, personality, and so on – another product of a job analysis.

Organizational Practices:

Organizational Practices is not properly followed by Agrani Bank Limited. Job description and specification exists in the organization but in the case of demand and supply of their human resource in different department and branches they usually not assess the demand and supply gap properly, as a result employee surplus and shortage have been found in their several department and branches as well. In this case what they did, if there is shortage of employee they have tried to find out the area and then search employees from other areas and by giving proper training they sent them and if there is any surplus employees exists the branch manager or divisional head usually not informed Human Resource Department.

Recruitment:

When a vacancy occurs and the recruiters receive authorization to fill it, the next step is a careful examination of the job and an enumeration of the skills, abilities, and experience needed to perform the job successfully.

Recruitment process:

In the recruitment process there are couple of steps are to be followed:

1. Written test: The recruitment test is combined of both elaborative and MC.Q. type. Usually Agrani  Bank Ltd assigned this to some organization. The particular organization does all the thing. In the written test a person has to obtain a certain marks to pass the exam.
2. VIVA: The candidate after qualifying written test has to face VIVA test. VIVA usually taken by the top management of the bank. Only short listed candidate are selected finally for the job

Method of recruitment:

There are two method of recruitment:

1. Internal recruitment
2. External recruitment

Internal recruitment:

Most companies fill vacancies internally whenever possible. A number of internal recruitment methods are use for different level of jobs. Lower-level jobs such as manual and clerical jobs are often called nonexempt jobs because their incumbents are not exempt from the minimum wage and overtime provisions of the Fair Labor Standards Act. These people typically are paid an hourly wage. In contrast, higher-level administrative, managerial, and professional employees are paid on a salary basis and are exempt from the overtime provisions of the Fair standard Labor Act.

External recruitment:

In addition to looking internally for candidates, it is customary for organizations to open up recruiting efforts to the external community. Through the recruiting process, the hiring manager should stay in close touch with the recruiter. The hiring manager should examine resumes or application that have passed initial screening by the recruiter and should also review some of the application that the recruiter rejected during the first steps. Such involvement on the part of the hiring manager allows feedback as to whether or not the recruiter’s decisions are consistent with the hiring manager’s preferences.

External recruitment methods are often grouped into two classes: 1. Informal and 2. Formal.

Informal Method:

Informal recruiting methods tap a narrower labor market than formal method. Informal method includes rehiring former employees or former cooperative education students, hiring people referred by present employees, and hiring from among those who have applied without being solicited (such applicants are called walk-ins or gate hires).

Employee’s referral, also known as word-of-mouth advertising, is quick, effective, and usually inexpensive. Because employees who refer their friends and acquaintance as candidates have their own credibility on the line, they tend to refer people who are well qualified and well motivated and then to mentor these individuals once they are hired.

Formal Methods:

Formal method of external recruiting entail searching the labor market for candidates who have no previous connection to the firm. These methods traditionally have included newspaper advertising, use of employment agencies and executive search firms, and campus recruiting. Posting jobs ads on the Internet, either on the company’s own site or a commercial job board, has also become extremely popular in the last few years. Historically, newspaper advertising has been the most commonly used method of recruiting.

Formal method includes:

• Recruitment Advertising
• Internet Recruiting
• Employment Agencies
• Public Job Service Agencies
• Private, For-profit Agencies
• Unions
• Additional Recruiting Methods
• Campus Recruiting
• Executive Search Firms etc.

Selection:

Selection the right employees are important for an organization. First own performance always depends in part on subordinates. Employees with the right skills and attributes will do a better job for the company. Employees without these skills wont perform effectively and as a result the firm will suffer.

Process of selection

Selection activities typically follow a standard pattern, beginning with an initial screening interview and concluding with the final employment decision. The selection process typically consists of eight steps:

1. Initial screening interview
2. Completing the application form
3. Employment test
4. Comprehensive interview
5. Background investigation
6. A Conditional job offer
7. Medical or physical examination
8. The permanent job offer.

Initial Screening:

As a culmination of our recruiting efforts, organization should be prepared to initiate a preliminary review of potential acceptable candidates. This initial screening is, in effect, a two steps procedure: (1) the screening of inquiries and (2) the provision of screening interviews.

Completion of the Application Form:

Once the in initial screening has been complicated, applicants are asked to complicate the organization’s application form. The amount of information required may be only the applicant’s name, address, telephone number and other information.

Employment tests:

Organization historically relied to a considerable extent on intelligence, aptitude, ability and interest tests to provide major input to the selection process.

The comprehensive interview:

The applicant may be interviewed by HRM interviewers, senior manager within the organization, a potential supervisor, potential colleagues or some or all of these.

Background investigation:

The next steps in the process are to undertake a background investigation of those applicants who appear to offer potential as employees. This can include contacting former employers to confirm the candidate’s work record and to obtain their appraisal of his or her performance, contacting other job- related and personal references, verifying the educational accomplishments shown on the application, checking credit reference and criminal records, and even using third party investigation, to do the background check.

Method of selection:

There are two statistical methods of selection- correlation and regression. Correlation is use to assess the strength and direction of a relationship between variables, whereas regression makes use of the relationship to predict scores on one variable from scores on one or more other variables.

Physical/ Medical Examination:

Physical exams can only be used as a selection device to screen out those individuals who are unable to physically comply with the requirements of a job.

Conditional job offer:   

If a job applicant “passed” each steps of the selection process so far, it is typically customary for a conditional job offer to be made. Conditional job offers usually are made by an HRM representative. In essence, what the conditional job offer implies is that if everything checks out “okay- passing a certain medical, physical or substance abuse test” the conditional nature of the job offer will be removed and the offer will be permanent.

Job offer:

Those individual who perform successfully in the preceding steps are now considered to be eligible to receive the employment offer.

Organizational practice:

Agrani Bank Ltd recruit employees both formal and informal ways. Formal recruitment usually dose through newspaper advertisement, where entry-level employees has been recruited. In the advertisement, criteria are mentioned specially for recruitment. But some times they also recruited experienced people in med level and top level.

Informal method is also true for this bank. In this case they consider the educational level for entry level i.e. cash officers, junior officers etc. They also recruit mid level people those who are experienced and good track record. Top level people recruitment also been done on contract basis.

Training:

The process of teaching new employees the basic skills they need to perform their jobs.

Training refers to the methods used to give new or present employees the skills they need to perform their jobs. Training might thus mean showing a machinist how to operate his or her new machine, a new salesperson how to sell his or her firm’s product, or a new supervisor how to interview and appraise employees. Training basically provide to the entry-level employees.

On the job training: It means learning by doing. It means employees training completed while he works. It is basically a practical oriented training program.

Off the job training: It means training provided to the employees out of the office in a training institute for a particular period of time i.e. for 15 to 20 days. During this time the employee does not have to go to office.

Development:

Development basically provide to the management level. Management development is any attempt to improve managerial performance by imparting knowledge, changing attitudes, or increasing skills. The ultimate aim of such development programs is, of course, to enhance the future performance of the organization itself. For this reason, the general management development process consists:

• Assessing the company’s needs (for instance, to fill future executive openings, or to boost competitiveness),
• Appraising the managers’ performance, and then
• Developing the managers (and future managers) themselves.

Development and Training

Training is a proven instrument for Human Resource Development, in this age of accelerated technological improvements, training plays a key role in developing knowledge and skills and change of attitude.

Agrani Bank Training Institute (ABTI) was established on the 24^th December 1976. ABTI is entrusted with the responsibility of formulating and designing course curricula, reading materials, course contents for imparting training (both theoretical and practical ) to the officers/staff members. ABTI imparts training on different banking issues for the purpose of enhancing professional and administrative efficiency of all officers and managers. ABTI also conducts workshops, seminars, conferences, symposia, etc. on important issues for top executives. To cope with the changes and introduction of new tools and techniques for implementation of guidelines of Government and regulatory bodies and also for the purpose of implementation of various reform programs, ABTI stresses on actual need based training.

Agrani Bank training institute has already covered a total number of 46880 officers and staffs under different banner of training through 1460 courses/workshop from its inception. In 2007, ABTI maintained its momentum in the training arena covering a total of 2069 officers and staff through 67 courses/ workshops.

In 2007, ABTI undertook comprehensive training programs. The following courses/workshops are worth mentioning: Documentary Credit, Branch Management, Banking Foundation Course, Human Relations and Communication Development, Basic Accounting and Agrani Bank Accounting Procedures, Audit, Inspection and Implementation, Money Laundering Prevention, Credit Risk Grading, Internal Control and Compliance, UCPDC-600, Foreign Remittance Management, Management of non-performing Loan and  techniques of profitability, Accounts Manual and  Chart of Accounts, New Capital Accord (BASEL-ll). Communicative English in Banks, Human Resource Management, Management Development Programme , Procedure of Suit Filing and Techniques of Suit Settlement, Maintaining Records of Fixed Assets , Government Receipt System and Reporting Process, Computer : PC –MS Office, Computer : Application and Operation of Branch Banking Software, Computer: Its use in Agrani Bank, Branch Banking Software : Bexi Bank-4000 etc.

Apart from the training courses being offered by the ABTI,298 executives/officers were nominated for undergoing various training courses at BIBM, BPATC, BBTA, ICCB, ICICI, BAFEDA, Academy for planning and Development, etc.

In 2007, on invitation from many foreign organizations, 19 executives/officers were sent abroad to attend various training courses, workshops, seminars, conferences and symposia to acquire updated knowledge and techniques of banking.

Skilled human resource is nucleolus of any service-oriented organization. By keeping this in med- level they give priority in human resource development. For human resource development and making them updated Agrani Bank Ltd. provide training to its employees through out the year in its well-decorated training institute situated on the Noia Polton. The institute has own trainer and also bring specialist as a guest speaker for provide training. Besides employees are also being sent to BIBM for better training.

Performance appraisal

There are four reasons for appraise performance.

1. Appraisals provide information upon which promotion and salary decisions can be made.
2. Provide opportunity for supervisor and subordinate to review the subordinate’s work- related behavior.
3. Appraisal is part of the firm’s career planning process, because it provides an opportunity to review the person’s career plans in light of his or her exhibited strengths and weakness.
4. Finally it helps the Manager or the supervisor to better manage and improve organization’s performance.

Steps in Appraising Performance:

The performance appraising process contains three steps:

1. Define the job:

It means making sure that supervisor and subordinate agree on his or her duties and job standard.

2. Appraise performance:

Appraising performance means comparing subordinate’s actual performance to the standards that have been set; this usually involves some type of rating form.

3. Provide feedback:

Performance appraisal usually requires on e or more feedback sessions. Here the subordinate’s performance and progress are discussed and plans are made for any development that is required.

Appraisal Methods:

The appraisal itself is generally conducted using a predetermine and formal method like one or more of those described in this section.

1. Graphic Rating Scale:

A scale that lists a number of traits and a range of performance for each. The employee is then rated by identifying the scale that best describes his or her level of performance for each trait.

2. Alternation Ranking Method:

Ranking employees from best to worst on a particular trait, choosing highest, then lowest, until all are ranked.

3. Paired Comparison Method:

Ranking employees by making a chart of all possible pairs of the employees for each trait and indicating which is the better employee of the pair.

4. Forced Distribution Method:

Similar to grading on a curve; predetermined percentages of rates are placed in various performance categories.

5. Critical Incident Method:

Keeping a record of uncommonly good or undesirable examples of an employee’s work related behavior and reviewing it with the employee at predetermined times.

6. Behaviorally Anchored Rating Scale (BARS):

An appraisal method that aims at combining the benefits of narrative critical incidents and quantified ratings by anchoring a quantified scale with specific narrative examples of good and poor performance.

Organizational practice:

Agrani Bank Limited partially follow Graphic Rating Scale method. Here each individual have different format for appraising. Almost Junior to Senior employees have similar format to fill in but there is some exception for the senior level. The format is designed in the way like Fist page has to be filled up by the employees by himself but they have to signed in all the pages. There is point system for appraising employees. For example, if the employees have Banking Diploma they get additional point and the M.B.A degree holders get more marks than the Graduate and Masters pass holders. There is also provision for marks for the employees those who can bring more deposit or bring good customer. By considering all these, Divisional Head put marks and evaluate each employee. After that the appraisal form will send to Human Resource Department. Usually HRD receives this form from allover the country. After received completely all the forms they make it ready for the final evaluation for the top management. Usually there exists evaluation team where they finally select the deserving candidates. After that a list has been sent to the Board for the final approval.

Motivational activities

Compensations, Rewards and Benefits

Compensation:

Employee compensation refers to all forms of pay or rewards going to employee and arising from their employment, and it has two main components. There are direct financial payments in the form of wages, salaries, incentives, commissions, and bonus and there are indirect payment in the form of financial benefits like employer- paid insurance and vacations.

Reward:

Reward basically provided to the employees of the organization for their good performance. It is of two types (1) Intrinsic and (2) Extrinsic.

• Intrinsic Reward:

It is the personal satisfactions one gets from the job itself. These are self-initiated rewards, such as having pride in one’s work.

• Extrinsic Reward:

It includes money, promotions and benefit. Their common thread is that they are external to the job and come from outside source, mainly management.

Reward Plans

Short term

Financial:

Best performer of the branch/bank can be rewarded quarterly/six monthly/yearly to create a challenge among the members. Air tickets for couples or family or fixed cash/gifts can be paid.

Non financial:

Certificates/medals to be given to the outstanding performers. Photo can be published in the news paper or special reward can be given from the Management/Board. Special greetings can be given to the employees on the occasion of their marriage ceremony/ birthday etc.

Reward for the family members:

Children securing good result/achievement financial reward (prize bond/ cash) or non financial rewards (watch/ornaments etc.) can be given to them.

Long term

1. House building loan: persons having served for a specific period and the repayment for a longer period;
2. Furniture loan: From the level of AO to Chief Officer;
3. Educational loan: for acquiring professional education;
4. Marriage loan: Once having a reasonable amount with less interest rate;
5. Motor cycle/car loan: for permanent employees have served for a specific period;
6. Retention of Car: The retention of car for the Executive under a suitable plan and this will reduce the running cost of the cars;
7. Medical Facilities for the family;
8. Attractive super annulations fund (to be revised from time to time considering inflation)
9. Provident Fund: in conformity with the other private sector banks
10. Gratuity: in conformity with the other private sector banks

Benefits:

Benefits include mandatory protection programs, pay for time not worked, optional protection programs, private retirement plans and a wide variety of other services.

Employee Benefits

Short term benefits

Salaries, wages, bonuses, allowances, paid annual leave, medical leave and non monetary benefits are recognized as an expense in the year in which the services are rendered by the employees of the company.

Defined contribution plan

As required by Bangladesh’s law, the company has to make contributions to the General Provident Fund (“GPF”). Such contributions are recognized as an expense in the income statement in the year to which they relate. Once the contributions have been paid, the company has no future obligations.

Termination benefits

Employee termination benefits are recognized only either after an agreement is in place with the appropriate employee representatives specifying the terms of redundancy or after individual employees have been advised of the specific terms.

Employee Relation

Employee Relation:

Employee relation means managing the relationship between Managers and Workers. Firms in which only some of the employees are unionized may have both employee relations and labor relation functions for dealing with the two types of employees.

Employee Relations of ABL

Like before, the Staff Welfare Fund, which is run by the bank’s employees out of their regular contribution, continued to stand by its members for their well-being. A Board of Trustees is run by the bank to provide staff members a sum of money as admissible under the rules on his/her termination or retirement from the bank services or to his/her nominee or legal representative in case of death. To this end, two funds – Agrani Bank Limited Employees Provident Fund and Agrani Bank Limited Super Annuation Fund, are maintained.

During 2007, a sum of Tk. 2.56 million was doted out to the employees concerned and their spouses for health care. The fund also provided Tk. 1.66 million by way of scholarship to 377 children of the employees for outstanding performance in S.S.C. and H.S.C. examinations.

The bank encourages its employees to shake off monotony by engaging them in recreational activities in the form of sports and culture. Its soccer and cricket teams, qualified in the First Division and the premier Division League, have regularly been participating in various tournaments. The bank also patronizes sports and cultural activities throughout the country.

Reasons for employee relation:

Employee relation in an organization is necessary for the welfare of the organization. If the relationship is well then organization is benefited. It also helps the Management to take decisions effectively by taking advice from the employees. It also includes research and meetings with top Management to develop a position on pay and other expensive benefits.

Major Labor Laws:

Some of the major laws given as under:

1. Railway Labor Act (1926):

Railway workers are permitted to organize and bargain collectively. Airline workers were added in 1934.

2. National Labor Relations Act (Wagner Act) 1935:

Establishes right to organize, to bargain collectively and to engage in concerted activities, creates the National Labor Relations Board to implement and enforce the act.

3. Labor Management Relations Act (1947):

Amends the NLRA. Adds union unfair labor practices. Weakens the right of workers and unions.

4. Executive Order 10988 (1962):

Encourages bargaining in federal sector Followed by state laws encouraging bargaining by state and local Government employees.

5. Postal Re-organization Act (1970):

Places the U.S. Postal Service under the NLRA.

6. Health Care Amendments (1974):

Places the private sector of the health care industry under the NLRA.

7. Civil Service Reform Act (1978):

Establishes the current system for regulating labor Management relationships in the federal Government.

Environmental Policy

Our environmental management policy stipulates adherence to environmental health and safety regulations and guidelines, refraining from business that impairs the ability of our future generations to meet their own needs. The policies with regard to safety, health and environment management are also being observed in our lending practices.

Corporate leadership and Social Responsibility

The Corporatisation of our bank has paved the way for our corporate leaders to initiate and maintain a strong and effective corporate structure in line with the directives and guidelines of the Government and Bangladesh Bank.

Bank are very sensitive to the society that we operate within. They have a deep commitment, loyalty and a high sense of responsibility to our nation and the people. Our ethics ate clear: not to earn excessive profits, but to operate in a rational and sensitive way.

Bank conform to all of the stringent regulations issued by the Government and the Bangladesh Bank. As part of our corporate social responsibility, we contribute greatly to the nourishment of the country’s arts, crafts, culture and sports. We share all sorts of values and sentiments, irrespective of caste, creed or colors. Moreover, we uphold the concept of avoiding gender discriminations. We keep the door open for empowerment of women workforce to ensure a level playing field in terms of promotion, placement and delegation of power.

Bank arrange competition for the children regularly to explore their literary and dramatic talents in a colorful program named Agrani Bank Shishu Sahittaya Award at shishu Academy.

Also in 2007, we lived up to our commitment by donating tk.02 million to Dhaka Ahsania Mission for building its cancer hospital in the capital.

As part of our commitment, we take part in activities like beautification of city roads and highways, erecting road-side sheds to save the passengers from the blazing sun and incessant rain.

Immediately after two consecutive floods, the Agrani family donated Tk. 3.3 million along with Tk. 1.7 million from the Bank totaling TK. 5.00 million to support the disaster management effort.

Findings of the report

1. Recruitment process are traditional way
2. Training are not sufficient
3. Lack of recruitment placement
4. Performance appraisal is not proper way
5. Insufficient manpower
6. Compensation delivery right time
7. They are very cooperative and friendly
8. Environment is very good
9. There service is well

Recommendation:

After completion the study I have gathered some practical knowledge about the Human Resource practices in Agrani Bank Limited. Now I would like to provide some recommendations, which might be helpful to upgrade the Human Resource practice of Agrani Bank Limited is given as under:

1. First of all the main important thing for an organization is the Recruitment, which exists in this bank, is not well designed. The bank usually recruited people in tradition way. In this case what they can do is that they can go for campus recruitment, hire institute for helping them recruiting people. Because the institutes are well equipped than the bank. They can also go for online recruitment, which is a modern method.
2. From the point of Training it can be said that their training course is well but not that much practical. They provide training to their employees is their training institute or send them to BIBM which is one of the reputed institutions for the bankers to be to be trained up. In this sort of training they usually get theoretical idea. In this case they can also arrange on the job training which will enables the employees to learn more effectively.
3. Another thing is that after getting training the employee usually not posted it their properly area. For example an employee got training in Credit but he has been posted Foreign Exchange Department, in this case what happened is that after couple of time he forgot the content of the training. So it should be kept in mind that after training they should be properly posted.
4. Another problem is in their performance appraisal system is quite back dated. Usually an employee is eligible to get promotion every after 03 years. But which is not true as a result employees got frustrated could not concentrate in their work besides there is not option for performance basis promotion. In this case it has to me taken into consideration that promotion is motivation, which is useful for employees. As a result it will also useful to reduce employee turnover.
5. The bank does not have have compensation for its employees which is low comparatively very low in the organization, which should be increased.
6. There should be also option for reward system which is not present in this bank.

Conclusion:

Agrani Bank Limited one of the largest bank in the country having enough outlets allover the country as well as overseas arrangement out of the country is progressing slowly than the third or second-generation banks. They also could not retain their employees only because of their some lack of concentration in some areas. It should be kept in mind that efficient employees of an organization is the assets of that organization and that is why it should be taken up carefully. If they can meet up their shortage they will do much better in the banking sector in Bangladesh.