Risk Watch with Alberta QUARCOOPOME: Late closure in Ghanaian banks: Time for a review?

Source: Sanjay Kumar Jaiswar, 19th Jan 2026

Nobody likes to sit late at the office except occasionally. It’s more a forced choice rather than a voluntary action on the part of the persons concerned.
Way back in 2002, I was a branch manager when my bank decided to extend banking hours to the public from 3pm to 5pm! Really? This new directive did not sit well with me, but what could I do? Over the years, this has become a norm in many Ghanaian banks, with the earliest closing time being 4pm.

Certain branches extend hours until 6 PM or later, particularly in busy commercial areas. Selected branches offer Saturday banking and extended weekday hours. Some banks are also known for late closure services in malls and high-traffic zones.

Reasons assigned to the new measures on late closure
• Customer convenience: Many Ghanaians work long hours, so evening banking helps.
• Business hubs: Branches in malls or commercial centers often align with retail closing times.
• Competition: Banks use late closure as a way to attract and retain customers.
• Late cash deposit: to accept late cash deposits from customers

General Reasons for Working Late
Before the introduction of late closure, we have always been aware of certain issues that demanded late sitting in both head office and branch functions. Examples are:
 Increasing the output
 Clearing the backlog of work
 Taking up certain specialized jobs or assignments that cannot be otherwise done during the regular office hours, because such jobs demand total concentration, uninterrupted functioning and special type of skills
 Attending to certain confidential matters

These are not daily events, and the benefits of working overtime to solve problems are universally accepted. However, branch banking work is completely different from head office work due to its engagement with customers, after which the back-end work starts. The completion of customer transactions at the front continues at the back end to ensure the ‘books are balanced’, customer accounts are reconciled, and end of day work is accurately and effectively concluded.

The emergence of computerization, digital banking and Artificial Intelligence
The emergence of GHIPPS, where cheque clearance was automated, the abolishment of physical Clearing Houses by the Bank of Ghana, the introduction of digital banking, and recently, the introduction of AI in banking transactions, the need for presence in the banking halls have drastically reduced. Many customers hardly visit banking halls due to the resort to several cashless payments. Apart from banks that have a large percentage of their customers being illiterate, or those whose transactions are mostly cash dependent, a visit to many banking halls show that the morning queues have reduced significantly.

Apart from traders who deal mostly with cash, many customers avoid the banking halls because they use mobile banking, ATMs, and digital transfers.
Based on the above, many banks have reduced the number of Tellers and have deployed such officers into marketing and other operational roles.

On this note, my question is: why do banks continue to close to the public as late as 5pm? Here are some of the reasons ascribed.

 Many customers in commercial areas and market centers continue to be heavily dependent on cash transactions.
 Such customers are now spoilt for choice, and instead of using the mobile banking facility, they prefer to avoid charges and accumulate their cash until the final moments of the closing hours to lodge their cash! How disappointing for Tellers who have waited for them the whole day. Customers know their rights and ensure that the cash is accepted within the closing times, and even afterwards when they have made special arrangements with the supervisors!

Imagine a Teller receiving cash of GHC2m at ten minutes to five! Obviously, he or she would be closing as late at 10pm unless arrangements are made for bulk checking and subsequent detail count the next day. It is a buyers market, so some customers take advantage and abuse the system.

It is about time banks review the late closure policy, so customers adopt more agile and modern trends in banking. There is a need to have a needs-based approach so that it continues only for specialized services. The blanket approach will not help the system.
I want to share some interesting publications on this subject, one of which makes very interesting reading.

The Culture of Late Sitting in the Indian Banking Sector by Sanjay Kumar Jaiswar. Published 19th Jan 2026
“Working late is often seen as a badge of dedication in Indian offices, especially in the banking sector. However, this ingrained habit of staying long past official hours does more harm than good. As someone closely observing this environment, I believe it’s crucial to look beyond the surface and understand the real price paid by employees. The impact isn’t just on company productivity; it chips away at a person’s physical health, mental peace, social connections, and family life.

Why Does This Culture Exist in Banking?

First, it’s important to understand why late sitting is so common. In banks, it’s rarely about a single urgent task. The reasons are more systemic. There’s often unspoken pressure to be seen at your desk—a culture of “presenteeism” where visibility is confused with productivity. Workloads are heavy, with rigid daily deadlines for balancing accounts and processing transactions. Adding to this are constant audits and the drive to implement government schemes, which place immense pressure on staff without always providing extra resources or streamlined processes.

Secondly, It’s is a pressure to sit late until the Branch Head sits to pay flattering tribute to him and if you dare to leave office before him then you have to face the consequences like, memo, transfer, hurdle in promotion, deployment in field and other intangible penal actions.
Why I am writing this article:
Not to gain praise and Not to gain recognition

My Personal Bitter Experience:
But it was my past recent history and I as a banker faced this particular issue right from the SBI – UBI and then finally Syndicate Bank, and ultimately I decided to quit the Banking Industry for goods. But this wound still alive in my heart and soul. I am still eligible to join any public and private bank but I avoided to do so. This is a fair risk and I recently avoided not to apply for Senior Manager and Chief Manager post in a bank.
The negative impacts are multi-dimensional, affecting the employee’s physical health, mental well-being, social life, and familial relations.

Physical Health Impacts:
Late sitting, often coupled with high stress and poor dietary habits, leads to severe long-term health consequences.
1. Cardiovascular and Metabolic Risks: Prolonged sitting is linked to a sedentary lifestyle, increasing risks of obesity, high blood pressure, and elevated cholesterol. A study by the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) and the Cardiological Society of India (CSI) has highlighted the rising incidence of cardiovascular diseases among young professionals in stressful jobs.
2. Musculoskeletal Disorders: Continuous hours at a desk without ergonomic support lead to chronic back pain, neck strain, and carpal tunnel syndrome. Articles in The Hindu and The Economic Times have frequently covered the rise in physiotherapy and chiropractic consultations among corporate employees.
3. Sleep Disruption & Fatigue: Irregular hours disrupt circadian rhythms, leading to chronic insomnia and sleep deprivation. This creates a vicious cycle of fatigue, reducing productivity and increasing errors.
4. Neglect of Preventive Healthcare: Late hours mean missed doctor appointments, inability to maintain regular exercise routines, and reliance on canteen food or unhealthy snacks.

Mental and Psychological Impacts:
The mental toll is arguably the most severe and least addressed consequence.
1. Chronic Stress and Burnout: The constant pressure to meet targets while managing operational work for long hours leads to professional burnout—a state of emotional, physical, and mental exhaustion. Research papers in journals like IJAR (Indian Journal of Applied Research) have identified high burnout rates in the Indian financial services sector.
2. Anxiety and Depression: The inability to disconnect, coupled with job insecurity and the fear of repercussions for leaving on time, fosters anxiety. A 2019 report by Assocham titled “Mental Health and Wellbeing in the Indian Workplace” indicated that nearly 43% of employees in the private sector suffer from depression or anxiety disorders.
3. Reduced Cognitive Function: Fatigue from long hours impairs decision-making, concentration, and memory. In a sector like banking where accuracy is paramount, this poses a significant operational risk.

Social and Familial Impact:
The erosion of work-life balance has profound social consequences.
1. Strained Family Relations: Missing family dinners, children’s school events, and important occasions creates friction. Spouses often bear the burden of solo parenting and household management, leading to marital stress. Several personal accounts in platforms like LinkedIn and news portals like Mint feature stories of bankers expressing guilt and relationship breakdowns due to their schedules.
2. Social Isolation: As work consumes evenings and weekends, employees have little time or energy for friends, hobbies, or community engagement. This shrinks their support system, ironically making them more dependent on the workplace for social identity.
3. Impact on Parenting: For employees with young children, late sittings mean missing crucial developmental milestones and being unable to support with studies or daily care, often leading to feelings of parental inadequacy.

Organizational and Sector-Specific Impacts in Indian Banking
The culture directly affects the sector’s health and talent pool.
1. High Attrition (Especially Among Women): The inflexible timing is a major reason for the high attrition rate of women in mid-level banking roles, as highlighted in numerous articles in Business Standard and Financial Express. The sector struggles to retain talented female employees who often face the dual burden of professional and domestic responsibilities.
2. Decreased Productivity & Innovation: Exhausted employees are not productive employees. The “late-sitting culture” often masks inefficiency—meetings scheduled at 5 PM, work delayed due to procedural bottlenecks, and a focus on hours logged rather than output delivered.
3. Reputational Risk as an Employer: With Gen Z and millennials prioritizing well-being and flexibility, banks known for grueling hours face challenges in attracting top talent. Reports by consultancy firms like Deloitte and PwC on the future of work consistently emphasize flexibility as a key demand.
4. Increased Medical Claims: The long-term health issues lead to higher medical insurance claims for organizations, increasing operational costs.

The Bigger Picture for the Banking Sector
This culture doesn’t just hurt individuals; it hurts the banks themselves. When talented employees, especially women who often manage a disproportionate share of domestic duties, find the hours impossible to balance, they leave. The sector faces a high attrition rate, losing skilled people and incurring high costs to recruit and train replacements.

A culture of exhaustion also stifles innovation and genuine productivity. People are present but not necessarily efficient. The bank’s reputation as a rigid employer makes it harder to attract a new generation of talent who prioritize well-being and flexibility. Ultimately, the health issues fostered by this lifestyle lead to higher medical claims and absenteeism, affecting the organization’s bottom line.

Conclusion and Emerging Discourse
The discourse is gradually shifting. While late sitting is still a reality, its acceptance is being challenged. The post-pandemic era has accelerated conversations about flexible hours, output-based assessment, and employee well-being.
The call for change is now framed as a business imperative, not just a welfare activity.

Progressive banks are experimenting with measures like:
1. Strict “Log-off” Times for critical backend operations.
2. Output/Objective Key Result (OKR) based evaluations instead of hour-based assessments.
3. Mandatory leave policies and wellness programs.
4. Digitalization and process re-engineering to reduce manual, time-bound work.

The evidence is clear: the entrenched culture of late sitting in Indian banking is unsustainable, harming individuals and the institution’s long-term vitality. The sector’s future success hinges on its ability to redefine productivity, prioritize employee health, and dismantle the stigma of leaving on time. “

I hope this article has given you food for thought.
TO BE CONTINUED