159. Rules For Employes

The clerical staff should be made efficient or the best board of directors and officers obtainable cannot make a bank a success. This cannot be accomplished by the inane practice of posting general rules on a bulletin board, or compelling clerks to sign a typewritten rule which he knows is filed away to be trotted out and exhibited to him by a petty officer at the least infraction. The fewer rules made to govern clerks, the more self-respecting they will be, and the more work they will do for the bank. Certain rules must be observed. Clerks should arrive in time to get books and left-over matters ready for the day's business, and be in a position to handle whatever is presented to them in the course of business. If a clerk is habitually late without reasonable excuse, his case should be treated individually. He should be talked with and given an opportunity to mend his ways. If no improvement results, he should be asked to hand in his resignation. If the clerks happen to be a little boisterous, do not dictate a new rule that clerks must never smile above a whisper while in the bank, and post it for their edification (?), but ascertain the reason. Perhaps you would have been the worst offender had you been a clerk. Never make a clerk think that he is a mere machine. Treat him as if he were a man - perhaps he is, or has the making of one in him. Do not dismiss a clerk without notice, unless absolutely necessary, and then charge expense and pay him a few weeks' salary. Such procedure will not materially affect the dividends, and you will have won the confidence of the clerk even though you are discharging him.

Some banks compel tellers to make up short differences from their own pockets. The writer has known of cases where tellers were compelled to submit to deductions from their salaries in order to make up large short differences. The foolishness of this rule is apparent. If a teller is compelled to make up short differ-ences, does anyone suppose for one minute that he will not feel that over differences belong to him? The way is soon paved for forced proofs and the teller tempted to peculation or defalcation by those who should continually be a source of encouragement to him. It is far better to run an over and short account and take the profit or stand the loss that results. If differences occur too frequently, discharge the teller.

Give the clerks the best equipment you can afford. See that they respect it and take good care of it.

Do not make the mistake of using cheap stationery. With poor materials, the clerk will make untidy records. Untidy records make dissatisfied customers. Dissatisfied customers are the worst advertisements a bank can have.

Give the clerks plenty of light and air. It is a pity that so many of our banks are constructed so as to give the very best and lightest space on the floor to the customers and the clerks the remaining dark corners. The customer spends but a few minutes in the lobby, and artificial light will not annoy him - in fact it is possible to make it very pleasant - but the clerks must pore all day over books and records, and the best is none too good in the way of light and ventilation. If the latter is bad, see that it is corrected at any cost. If these two features are properly cared for, the number of sick leaves will be very few.