Who is a Probationary Officer (PO)?
A Probationary officer(PO) is the first level appointment for a bank personnel, and is responsible for various Administrative Activities. PO is considered a very lucrative post, given, it is, the first step in the ladder to serve the tenure as an officer in the Banking Industry.
Every bank recruits PO to handle multiple tasks in General banking and Bank Administration :including but not limited to Customer service, Cash handling, Payment clearance, Loan Processing, etc.
Generally, the Probation period for a bank PO is 2 years after which the PO is Promoted to a the post of Assistant Manager.
A Probationary Officer (PO) is expected to be interactive and to possess excellent communication skills. The ability: to understand the requirements of the customers and to resolve the conflicts in a prompt manner would be an advantage for a PO.

What are the Skills Required to be an Amazing PO?
A PO job involves a lot of interaction and multi-tasking. Below are the skills required to be an effective and efficient PO.

• Good Communication skills (English and/or Local Language)


• Ability to Interact and to work with different people.


• Ability to Learn Quickly


• Ability of Accurate Performance


• Ability to be Agile


• Ability to Multi-task


• Willing to Transfer to any branch of the bank: Not a skill but an important consideration.

What are the Roles and Responsibilities of a PO?
Probationary Officers are young banking officers who have immense potential and the zeal to leave no stone unturned. The following are the roles and responsibilities of a probationary officer.

• Customer services Often, Probationary Officers are required to take care of the customers that visit the bank. Furthermore, they guide the customers about the various kinds of facilities and products that are available in a particular bank such as ATM cards, demand drafts, and cheque book to name a few. Numerous complaints of customers such as rectification of various undue charges, discrepancies in the bank account are also handled by the Probationary Officers.


• Multitasking jobs The role of a Probationary Officer is to do multi-tasking, and thus they are assigned to various banking activities including issuing ATM Cards, Cheque Books, Demand Drafts ,which help them to know the different type of working procedures inside the bank.


• Practical knowledge After clearing the required examination, Probationary Officers are trained in various aspects such as Accounting, Marketing, Finance ,Billing, Investments and Loans.


• Managing the Clerical work Different types of administrative activities such as opening an account, managing cash and dealing with customers are done under the supervision of Probationary Officer. Furthermore, in various cash transactions, PO is responsible whether the clerk has entered everything correctly and also checks whether the transaction has been authorized.


• Processing of Loan: Processing loans to the needful customers is taken care by the bank PO. Before the loan is granted, all the necessary documents are verified under the supervision of a PO and also conducts onsite visit of the loan taking parties when required.


• A PO should be current with latest developments in the bank. Being updated will help a PO to provide better services to the customers.


• Post Probation Period: Post a successful probation period, a PO is posted in any bank branch as an Assistant Bank Manager and is responsible for:
  
  1. Daily customer transactions, including passing a Cheque, draft issuance, cash management etc.
  
  
  2. Increasing business viz. managing cash flow, loans and mortgages and finances.
  
  
  3. Planning, Budgeting, Marketing, Loan processing and Approval, Investment management etc.
  
  
  4. The above responsibilities include great knowledge and experience of banking procedures

What is the Probation Period of a PO?

• The tenure of the probation period of a PO is around two years in which the qualified candidate is given different types of banking related work.


• In certain banks, the duration of the probation period may be restricted to only one year.


• Probation period in particular banks is divided into certain phases which might vary from bank to bank.


• The officers during the term of probation might be transferred few times.


• Once the probation period is completed, the bank confirms the officer as the assistant manager and thus gives him/her permanent posting after police verification has been successfully done.

What is the Salary Obtained by a PO?
The starting salary of a probationary officer is same for both private as well as public sector banks. As per the latest revision, the Basic pay of a probationary officer is 23,700 INR. The annual increment that a Bank PO will receive is Rs. 980 which will be applicable for a period of 7 years. The other major allowances included in the salary of a bank PO are as follows:-

1. Dearness Allowance DA in banks tends to change in every quarter of the year, and it is dependent on the CPI, which is declared by the government of India. The DA that is allotted as of now is 39.80% of the basic pay. DA is flexible, and it can go up as well as down depending on the inflation rate.


2. Special allowance The Special allowance that is given to scale 1 officer is 7.75% in which Dearness Allowance is also applicable.


3. HRA House Rent Allowance depends on the place where you are posted and the allowance given is 9% or 8% or 7% respectively.


4. City Compensatory Allowance Like HRA, it is also dependent on the place where the posting has been allotted, and the allowance given can be 4% or 3% or 0% respectively.

Furthermore, as per the above statistics, it is known that the in-hand salary of a PO at the time of joining is around 37145 INR if the joining takes place in a metro city. Furthermore, the in-hand salary of a PO would be 35800 INR if the joining takes place in a rural area.

What are the Additional Perks to be Enjoyed by a PO?

1. Leased Accommodation: Some banks provide Official Bank Accommodation/Bank Quarters as leased accommodation. This is a replacement of HRA.


2. Traveling Allowance: Certain provide fixed Traveling Allowances while others allow reimbursement of petrol bills i.e. Bank officer must own scooter/car at the place of posting.


3. Newspaper Reimbursement: A fixed monthly amount is paid towards the cost of one newspaper to the Bank PO.


4. Medical Aid: A fixed annual amount is paid by most of the banks (Revised amount is Rs8000/- p.a.).


5. Benefits under New Pension Scheme.

What is the Career Progression of a PO?
The career advancement as a PO is swift. A PO can get a promotion in 3-5 years, depending on the talent, potential and vacancies that the bank might be having. The promotion grades are as follows:-

1. Junior Management Grade – Scale I: Officer i.e. PO


2. Middle Management Grade – Scale II: Manager


3. Middle Management Grade – Scale III: Senior Manager


4. Senior Management Grade – Scale IV: Chief Manager


5. Senior Management Grade Scale V: Assistant General Manager


6. Top Management Grade Scale VI: Deputy General Manager


7. Top Management Grade Scale VII: General Manager


8. Executive Director (ED)


9. Chairman and Managing Director (CMD).

After Grade Scale VII, the position of Executive director as well as Chairman and Managing Director are allocated by the Government of India. A few selected individuals can also be selected as a Deputy Governor of RBI as one post is assigned to the commercial banker. Thus, a PO has an incredible and lucrative Career progression.

Why Should I Choose a Career as a PO?
Every career option has its own advantages. Likewise, a PO enjoys the following:

1. Learning during the Probation Period: PO’s are selected from various academic disciplines and hence the training phase includes vast information providing sessions, including but not limited to: Accounting Procedures, Bank procedures, Various functions of a Bank, Marketing, loan approval, due diligence handling, etc.


2. Job Security


3. Career Progression


4. Lucrative Salary, Allowances and Additional Perks


5. Opportunity to visit different places (on Transfers)