Entertainment
Thirst for growth will set you apart
Having graduated with a degree in science, Roshan Koirala stumbled into the banking sector purely by accident.Alisha Sijapati
Having graduated with a degree in science, Roshan Koirala stumbled into the banking sector purely by accident. Working his way up the corporate ladder, having first started from the card and remittance division at Nabil Bank, he now heads the organisation’s Human Resource department. In this interview with the Post’s Alisha Sijapati, Koirala speaks about the importance of HR departments in the banking sector, the keys to keeping employees motivated and his personal management mantras. Excerpts:
What are your roles as the head of Human Resources at the Nabil Bank?
My role is to manage people; and while that can sound simple, it can be very challenging as well. My top priorities are to see what human resources the organisation will need in the coming days, and then insuring that competent employees fill-up available positions. To that end, I am also heavily involved in training and developing the workforce.
As the HR head, I have to ensure that the staff remains highly motivated and have to reach out to those that are underperforming so that we can intervene. Along with these, I also develop succession plans for the bank and its employees. It is a tough ask, but it is also very fulfilling at the same time.
Your company commands a large workforce. What are the keys to managing a large number of employees?
For me, every line manager is a HR manager; you cannot have a HR manager in all the departments. The responsibility of the line manager is to be able to reach out to the staff and also to observe the employees’ performances. As an overall head of HR, I may not be able to look closely at the performance graph of every employee but I must ensure that it is the line managers’ responsibility. As we are heavily involved in policy making and policy making decisions, it is the duty of the line managers to enforce such policy’s rules and regulations to ensure the work runs smoothly. All in all, delegation plays a key role in managing a large workforce and you need to have competent managers who are motivating the employees and keeping them productive.
You came from a science background before entering the banking sector. How was your experience working in a sector so vastly different? Did you ever think you would make it this big in the sector?
For me, banking happened purely by fluke. When I completed my degree in science, I didn’t know from where and how I would start my professional career. One day, my friends filled the entrance examination form for Nabil Bank not just for themselves but also for me. It is funny how, I didn’t know anything about debit and credit but still passed the entrance exam for an assistant level. Having said that, because I was a science student and was good with numbers, it helped me survive in the banking field. I have realised that banking is not exactly rocket science. You can always learn new things all the time. However, you need to have the thirst to learn and to grow. Now looking back, I don’t think I would have enjoyed or developed a passion for any other sector other than banking.
How important is it to reach out to customers and what kind of trainings does the bank provide to improve customer service?
Customers are the bread and butter of any bank. As a matter of fact, it’s the same with any sector. Customer satisfaction is the main purpose of any service industry.
To ensure better customer service, we make sure that we regularly train our staffs. Currently, there are so many banks vying for the customer’s hard-earned money. Every bank has the same product and almost the same interest rate. Due to this, the only way to stand out in the market is to give a top notch service to customers who in turn will return the favour by staying loyal. What matters is how different and unique you are at selling your product and offering the best service to the customers. To improve customer service, customer orientation is a must, along with rigorous training.
What extra mile does your bank go in order to develop and retain its staff?
Nabil Bank is the leading paymaster in the banking industry. We try to hire highly talented people. If we have good people, we have better results. We give space to our employees to grow professionally and personally.
How do you rate foreign degrees and Nepali degrees when hiring candidates for a job?
Truth to be told, foreign or Nepali—degrees don’t matter much until and unless you have the right and positive attitude. Obviously, degrees matter when you hire candidates but what I see in the candidate is their aptitude and their adaptability in adjusting to the working culture of the bank. There is no point hiring someone with a top-notch degree and a know-it-all attitude.
What are your management mantras?
Keep people motivated and help them reach their goals.
What advice do you have for fresh graduates planning to join the banking sector?
Whenever I sit in an interview, I ask candidates why banking is the right option for them. I simply get a bland answer: I have graduated in management—that is not enough. You need to have the capability to think out of the box and try to look at the bigger picture. Come with a positive mindset and prepare yourself to work under pressure.