Banks could combine a five-day employee work week with rotational branch operations, greater digital adoption, flexible staffing, better workforce planning and productivity-linked measurement. Branches where Saturday demand is genuinely high could operate with a smaller or rotational workforce, while employees could receive the benefit of a predictable five-day schedule.

Dear Readers, Do you work five days a week or six days a week? This may sound like a common question, but it is a frequent discussion across workplaces. In fact, when you meet a new professional, this is often one of the first questions. But for PSU bank employees, this is a far bigger issue, as they have been demanding a five-day work week for many years. Bank unions and federations have proposed a nationwide strike from September 28 to 30. Currently, the second and fourth Saturdays are holidays, while the remaining Saturdays are working days. I wrote an in-depth editorial two years ago when a similar strike was proposed, which shows how old this issue is. Click here to read the piece . Advt

Broadly, I think we should look beyond just the five-day week or working on Saturdays and focus on productivity, employee efficiency and retention, and how Indian companies measure work. PSU bank workforce PSU banks are the flag bearers of the nation, with a workforce running into several lakh employees across 12 banks. Over the years, the entire banking structure has changed, moving from core banking to many other segments, including selling insurance, mutual funds and several third-party products, implementing government social schemes, migrating customers to mobile apps and digital banking, and offering a number of services.

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