The Royal Bank of Scotland

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‘If they cheat on their spouse, they will cheat on me’: is the view of billionaire and one time USA Presidential candidate Ross Perot who maintains a company policy of instant dismissal against the discovered parties. Somehow I do not think that such a policy would wash at the RBS. It is the sentiment of an age which is passing us by. But does its passing mean such a view is wrong? Should the RBS be concerned or indeed should the customer of the bank be concerned? In these days of liberal or lax personal morals (dependent upon your personal ethical stance) does it really matter? I believe it still does for two principle reasons. The first is that it may cause disruption and lower work efficiencies. The second is that it produces a reduced service to customers and clients of RBS. You will note I do not transgress to discuss the wider moral issue whether RBS should actively provide the ethos which appears to encourage sexual promiscuity and drug taking.

Does moral laxity reduce RBS work efficiency? Is the RBS any different from any other bank or big organisation? My answer is a subjective yes to both questions. Since Adam was a lad, men and women have a natural propensity to intermingle. Motivation theory encourages the manipulation of natural tendencies towards a corporate goal. Comradeship is an essential ingredient to esprit de corps in any army. In my view the perfectly laudable motivational aims by RBS have simply transgressed too far. Instead of being an adjunct to business efficiency, a self consuming hydra was created whose cancer feeds, corrupts and damages the very business that the motivation was intended to enhance.

The above hydra belief postulation is supported by the witness of my own eyes. I attended RBS staff and social functions in the RBS North West of England area at which the use of soft drugs appeared to me to be commonplace. Use of such substances bore no moral shame and whilst not encouraged by senior RBS staff nevertheless promoted no censure. I understand one of the purposes of such social functions is to promote networking and so improve bank efficiency but my impression is that improper social scene practices have spread directly into the workplace from such social functions. In short, I believe many a RBS employee not only uses soft or recreational drugs socially but also at work thereby lowering business efficiency and acumen. Prima facie (though I have no evidential yardstick) I am informed by RBS managers that the execution of good RBS systems is bedevilled by poor input and that such action is worse than that work done which is to be found with their competitors. Simply put, many RBS managers believe that the RBS makes more routine mistakes (misrouting, failure to credit etc.) in handling customer accounts than occurs with their competitor banks.

I go further and suggest that many RBS staff in the Lancashire area tend to turn a blind eye to customers of RBS who engage in the promotion of drugs. Indeed, this stance is echoed by RBS customers who consider that RBS was the bank to be with for a ‘soft touch’. Often it was stated to me that RBS as a whole took a more pragmatic view in dealing with ‘dodgy’ money. Regrettably, this is not a new allegation but one I have broached with RBS management who endorse this ostrich approach to proper status and source enquiry. Indeed, at least three RBS managers with whom I have spoken, see this source of funds approach as providing RBS with a competitive advantage over their rivals; an advantage which enhances their ability to obtain their ever upward RBS performance targets.      

Does sexual promiscuity produce reduced customer service? (You will note I do not use the ‘wag’s’ expression customer satisfaction) Again I believe so. Take a look again at Shirley Eracleous’s fact find. Present at that meeting was Shirley Eracleous, Business Manager, Fleetwood; Jean Finnigan, Branch Manager, Lancaster; Nicky Devoy, Area Manager Operations, Lancashire; and Mark Adams, Area Manager Information, Lancashire. Outwardly the fact find appears a very proper procedure. But was it? Was the fact find truly initiated to assist the complainant customer or was the fact find a chance to settle personal scores? Jean Finnigan was Shirley Eracleous’s friend, the woman who helped to secure Shirley Eracleous her position with RBS. Finnigan, a woman, who was in a lengthy affair with Mr Paul Wainwright, Shirley Eracleous immediate boss. The area managers, Mr Mark Adams and Ms Nicki Devoy had had an eighteen month affair which broke up their own marriages. But examine to whom they were in turn married? Furthermore, it is believed that romantic attachment with Jean Finnigan prompted Paul Wainwright in the first place to overlook and so endorse the bogus bank qualifications with which Shirley Eracleous secured her RBS position. Again what was the past personal association between Jean Finnigan, Paul Wainwright, Nicki Devoy and Mark Adams? Indeed there seems a plethora of personal chemistry which muddles impartial and dispassionate consideration. Why all this bed swapping? Though the pertinent question should be: what was the ethos that created and allowed it to develop? Perhaps, the common denominator is RBS. Could it not be the repetition of highly charged social gatherings fuelled by personal reward schemes which encourage sexual adventure and possible drug misuse? Performance and achievement schemes at RBS too often appear, and may be gerrymandered to facilitate the enjoyment of an in ground. Amongst many RBS female staff Mr Paul Wainwright is thought to facilitate his colleagues’ advancement via the use of RBS favours for his own personal gratification. Whether such suggestions are true or not about Paul Wainwright there is widespread belief in many RBS ranks that such alleged RBS practice cements the promotion and returns ladder. It seems that the focus on RBS goals is being thwarted by the nether regions of its staff. This cannot, upon any historical analysis, lead to a common victory; in the ancient world the Greek phalanx was all conquering until personal issues amongst the ranks clouded the objective of the corporate fight.

My belief currently is that sales and profit demand has unwittingly prompted RBS to create a culture within parts of its workforce which will lead to an implosion of growth; due because the RBS appears to have turned away from the traditional values of British banking.

RBS must rectify this problem.