How can banks retain talent after digital transformation?

Some banks attract high welfare talents, but there are deficiencies in talent training and use

How to retain talent after the digital transformation of banks?

Reporter Liu Xu

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At present, banks are undergoing digital transformation, and the demand for technology-based talents has increased significantly. To this end, this year, banks have greatly increased the recruitment of scientific and technological talents, and some banks even listed them as special recruitment plans and offered favorable conditions. However, how to retain talent after attracting talent is also important. In this regard, industry insiders pointed out that to promote the development of financial technology talents, it is necessary to start from recruitment, training and retention. In addition, it is also necessary to focus on the demands and pain points of financial technology talents and innovate talent selection methods.

Recently, Xie Hongwen, an employee who has worked in a joint-stock bank in Shenyang for 10 years, has felt the huge change in the bank's talent structure.

The bank has more than 40,000 employees in the country and will recruit more than 3,000 new talents in scientific and technological positions across the country this year. Moreover, if the old employee successfully recommends a scientific and technological talent to join the company, he will be rewarded with 5,000 yuan. During the same period, xie Hongwen's business outlets in Shenyang's Dadong District reduced the number of front desk windows from 11 to 3, and he also stepped out of the counter to become a marketing manager.

The massive recruitment and sharp reduction of staff are the epitome of banks seeking digital transformation.

Transformation is on the way

In 2012, as soon as Xie Graduated from University, he joined the bank as a teller. At its peak, he was able to handle more than 150 businesses a day, while at that time, the outlets opened 11 windows (including 3 VIP windows). "At that time, when I went to the canteen to eat in the lunch shift, I was trotting away, so tired that I just wanted to lie at home on a rest day." Xie Hongwen said.

Four years ago, the bank adjusted its business sector and simultaneously reduced the business area and front desk window of 13 outlets in Shenyang, and half of the tellers were transferred to marketing and logistics. "In fact, it is forced to shrink, and customers who can use mobile phones to trade business are reluctant to go to the counter to do it." In recent years, the counter business has been greatly reduced, and at least 8 businesses have been done in one day. Xie Hongwen said.

According to the China Banking Association's "2020 China Banking Service Report", in 2020, the off-the-counter transactions of banking financial institutions reached 370.872 billion, an increase of 14.59% year-on-year; the average electronic channel diversion rate of the banking industry was 90.88%.

Since August this year, the four state-owned banks and some joint-stock banks have successively issued recruitment announcements for the fall of 2022. After searching, the reporter found that this year, banks have greatly increased the recruitment of scientific and technological talents, and some banks even listed it as a special recruitment plan. For example, ICBC has set up a "Professional Talent Program" and a "Science and Technology Elite Program" to provide talent reserves for emerging businesses, key businesses and comprehensive support positions, as well as product research and development, user research, big data analysis and other fields; the Agricultural Bank of China has set up "science and technology talent posts" and "information technology posts"; Postal Savings Bank has separately listed "information technology lines of the head office"; bank of communications and other institutions have specified in recruitment announcements that financial technology related majors are preferred.

In terms of salary and treatment, the reporter found that in order to compete for scientific and technological talents, the Shenyang branch of a joint-stock bank gave 12 welfare benefits for scientific and technological posts, including welfare subsidies, paid annual leave, enterprise annuity, supplementary medical insurance, housing subsidies, health examinations, employee dormitories, filial piety funds, heat prevention and cooling fees, holiday benefits, birthday benefits and children's insurance.

The key to digital transformation is talent

Today, Xie Hongwen is busy instructing customers to use smart devices to open and pin cards. "Full of discomfort, the smart equipment in the hall will be repaired as soon as it is faulty." When a customer asks about online business, I am also vague in my answer. The key is not to understand technology. Xie Hongwen feels that the key to the digital transformation of banks is talent.

"In the past, bank recruitment focused on absorbing professional talents, those who could learn computers did not understand the economy, and those who understood the economy did not have a computer foundation." Chen Hong, former general manager of the human resources department of the Shenyang branch of a joint-stock bank, said. In recent years, there have been colleges and universities across the country to open financial technology majors, but the curriculum lacks unified standards and norms, and many colleges and universities only make a simple combination of finance and computer courses, resulting in the recruitment of new people and job matching is not high.

Talent training is also difficult to be satisfactory, Chen Hong introduced, she worked in the bank has its own set of learning system, will regularly launch online training courses. However, the trainees said that most of the training instructors are experts related to cloud computing and big data, and they do not understand the bank, nor do they understand the business, and can only learn the "fur" of digitalization. There is not much training for scientific and technological posts, because scientific and technological talents are mainly concentrated in the information research and development centers of headquarters or provincial platforms, a small number is scattered throughout the country, and the rest are in the technology subsidiaries outsourced by banks. In addition, the rotation opportunities for scientific and technological posts are also very few, basically "round" out of the "round" will not come back.

After working in the bank's internal information technology post for 8 years, Wu Qiming believes that he has the most say in the bank's chronic disease. In 2019, the bank developed an OL system for the disposal of non-performing assets, which took a whole year, mainly to integrate technology and business. "We invited 103 salesmen from all over the world to test, the salesmen put forward the requirements, and we improved the interface and back office." If there are people who understand both banking and software engineering, they don't have to be so far away. ”

Wu Qiming, who graduated in computer science, first came to work in the bank to be "stable". The bank's science and technology post is mainly responsible for network security and stability, and the application of technology is more conservative and cautious, and it is not necessary to be a "code farmer" like in an Internet company, and it is better than going to research institutes and institutions. However, it was this "stability" that kept him out of touch with promotion. In March, he had jumped ship to an Internet company.

Retaining talent requires multiple measures

In recent years, with the blessing of artificial intelligence, big data, cloud computing and other technologies, the financial technology industry is becoming an innovative format with broad prospects. According to the "Financial Technology Talent Job Search Survey Report" released by 58.com in August this year, as of now, the total demand for informatization talents in China is as high as 15 million to 20 million people.

"To promote the development of fintech talents, we need to start with recruitment, training and retention." Hao Hongbin, general manager of Liaoning Bailian Talent Management Co., Ltd., suggested that first of all, we should make accurate portraits of financial technology talents in specific positions and establish selection criteria for scientific majors. At the same time, refer to Internet enterprises to improve the grade system and attract cross-industry talents such as high-end technology and the Internet. In addition, it is also necessary to focus on the demands and pain points of financial technology talents and innovate talent selection methods.

Chen Hong suggested according to her experience that in terms of talent training, banks should set up professional training departments to help technical personnel improve their functional strengths, and employees can choose training courses according to the job level. It is necessary to provide flexible career development options for technical expert talents, and establish a "dual-channel" development model for financial technology talents in parallel with professional sequences and management sequences. Establish a talent exchange and cooperation mechanism, with the development of technical capabilities as the core, and cultivate composite talents in business, technology and data.

"It is better to pay a high salary than to raise people with high salaries." Wu Qiming said that what banks should do most is to improve the salary system and welfare guarantee system of financial technology lines, and do a good job in ensuring the living of talents. In terms of scientific and technological innovation and the investment of scientific and technological personnel, we will give stable and reasonable cost support and encourage talent innovation.

Source: Workers Daily