I'll start by going through Pros:
1) Amazing colleagues - The people you work with are absolutely brilliant. Everyone is always trying to help you if you need it, sharing workload between frontline staff, supportive Bank Manager, AMAZING Head of County. Always looking for ways to improve the ways of working, make it more efficient and ensure the customers feel welcome (not all customers, see Cons). Bank Manager and Head of County are absolutely brilliant in what they do, always getting feedback from frontline staff and helping with finding solutions to the issues.
2) Decent Hourly + Good OT Rates - for an entry level position you will earn a decent amount and it guarantees the ability to support yourself, however you will not be getting a huge paycheck. For overtime you will be getting x1.5 which is quite good, however see Cons for more on OT.
3) Good work-life balance - For a frontline colleague you will have a lot of that. No calls during your time off, no "Please come in, we have nobody to cover". After work you will not be contacted at all and same goes for AL.
4) Great training opportunities - There is a LOT of available training to colleagues. Bank Management always encouraging you to take additional training if you can to improve yourself and learn new stuff that will help you achieve a better outcome for staff and customers.
Cons:
1) Impossible to claim overtime - That is a real problem. According to policies it has to be pre-approved. It is never pre-approved unles
ProsAmazing colleagues, decent hourly + good overtime rates, good work-life balance, great training opportunities
ConsImpossible to claim overtime, middle management, profit driven
I've been working with BOI for the last few months while they implement the move to self service and half day cash services in branch. I received no training whatsoever and was expected to hit the ground running. Every day is a challenge when dealing with customers who are told they can only access part of their account balance due to cash counters closing, who are made to cancel a DD or SO online, or who have to give notice to withdraw over 5k. In my opinion the branch staff are there to take the abuse and get on with it for a poor salary. The job itself has become somewhat easier since the changes have taken place, however my colleagues and I still receive daily complaints from irate customers, with some personal attacks. Most of my time is spent showing customers how to use the self service devices, setting up new accounts and registering customers for 365 Online. The afternoons are usually very quiet as customers just use the devices without requiring assistance. In my current branch, the staff get on very well and pull together for the sake of getting a job done but the workplace culture of BOI and the supposed perks and progression routes they advertise, are non existent. For a younger person, it is not ideal as there are no outlets or potential for staff events.
ProsStaff get on very well, work is relatively easy once you get settled, working hours are not very long.
ConsNo consideration for staff, poor salary, no social events or potential for networking.
I enjoyed my time as digital activation agent with bank of Ireland. I found the work environment comfortable and enjoyable. A typical day would start off at anytime from 8am to 12pm as it was based on shift work. I would handle between 45 to 50 calls a day. Each call would be for the purpose of setting the customer up on online banking and also assisting them on initial log ins and also providing information on the pros to online banking. I learned how to use the different systems within bank of Ireland and I learned a lot regarding data protection and confidentiality. My computer skills also improved and my typing also. I had a great relationship with my co workers and also management. I found my managers very approachable and also I enjoyed the bonding sessions and methods used to keep staff happy such as competitions for highest activation rates on each team. The most enjoyable part of the job for me was building a rapport with customers. On the other side the hardest part of the job for me was the travelling as I lived a good distance from the arena. It would take me nearly 2 hours each morning and evening to get to and from work. This made my job very difficult to stay focused and made it difficult to enjoy as much as I wanted to. Overall I enjoyed my time in bank of Ireland but sadly the travelling was too much to handle.
Motivated People, significant business and IT challenges
BoI is no exception when it comes to the issues we have seen over the last years in financial services. On the business side there are massive challenges to repair the balance sheet and streamline the product portfolio. In IT you will find a incredible diversity in terms of systems, processes and tools.
As a place to work BoI scales quite high, I have found the vast majority of people more than willing to do the right thing, welcoming leadership. I have found the workforce competent, diligent, well tempered and open.
However, senior BoI leadership struggles with the relative size of Ireland as a country and the mark that irish banking has left on the country as a result of the credit crunch. While BoI is a small bank, for the Republic of Ireland it is a 500 pound gorilla, and its actions are publicly very visible. Hence the leadership treads very lightly when it comes to decision making sometime driven by the fear of a public backlash.
Prosgreat people, customer focused service culture
Consslow senior decision making
1.0
Customer Service Representative | Ireland | 24 Dec 2022
Terrible
The worst company I have ever encountered in my working career. From the very start they managed to make mistakes, there was no formal training provided, felt unwelcome and just dropped into the deep end, managers couldn't care less, you learn as you go, mainly from your mistakes which makes you feel stupid and out of place. Some senior staff are rude and not at all helpful in training you up. Floor staff are treated poorly, expected to do an enormous amount of tasks in one day to the point where they have to actually run from one room to another in order to try and complete the jobs. Constantly delayed at the end of working day, very rarely finish on time, no overtime paid for delays, impossible to manage family commitments with this job. Stressful. Terrible internal system, you cannot get an answer from any of the internal departments, nobody communicates between each other, if you need something done, such as forms signed you'll be waiting weeks from the head office and might not even get it in the end.
ProsNone
ConsStressful, badly organized, toxic, terrible management, no work life balance.
I am fully QFA(Qualified Financial Adviser) as of July 2017
have worked on both the operations(back office) side and the customer to customer helpdesk & query side.
I have also been part of a project Team to identify Fraudulent transactions & cancel fraud payments before leaving customers account. If unsuccessful we also made our best effort to recoup the customers funds.
Currently my day to day tasks include processing, ordering, re-issuing, & cancelling Business Credit Cards.
I am in direct contact with the Companies themselves for any requests or queries.
I also compile MIS reports & QA of all work carried out by the Team on a Day to Day basis.
I like to work here as staff are treated well & fair, but opportunities are becoming more limited, with robotics systems being rolled out.
Also there are very few employee incentive schemes.
ProsComfortable Working Environment. Job Security
ConsNo Free Lunches. No Colleage Rewards. No incentives i.e. bonus, gifts, promotions etc. Very low focus on employee moral, which I feel is vital.
1.0
Customer Service Representative | County Wexford | 1 Jul 2022
No Opportunities
To work here they want you to have qualifications but you never get to use them and the Management I worked didn't have any 3rd level qualifications.
There is a Yes Man culture with management and they are quiet clickie.
You cant take annual leave as when you start you are at the bottom of a big list and the summer is mainly gone. If you get invited to a wedding you might not get the day off if its already taken on the list.
In Branch Banking the work is mainly Monkey See Monkey Do. You will be given training but not enough so you will be left feeling like a fool on occasion.
Mainly contract staff now unless you build a special relationship! and get made permanent.
I would not recommend leaving a job to come work here and if you do work here just use it for experience and leave at 2 years and try find something decent as otherwise they will take your good years and make you decide to "Take the Package" once you have kids and a mortgage.
Prosyou get paid
ConsCant take annual leave when you need, not a nice atmosphere, No Job Security realistically with banks going digital
The most enjoyable part of my role is developing and coaching staff. It gives me great satisfaction to bring staff on the journey of development and growth. Is is important to set out clear objectives, and monitor the progress. I have excellent communication skills and my staff understand what is expected of them throughout their development. I sit in on their meetings and provide feedback and we discuss the successes and challenges at our weekly one to one meetings.
As a Financial Advisor, I advise clients daily from deposit investors to Farmers to Business Clients. It gives me great satisfaction in giving my customers advice that will enable them to reach their financial goals in life.
As a business we are going through huge transformation, and it is important to have an open mind and learn new skills.
Prosgreat company to work for, good pension scheme
Worst place I have ever worked. No respect for staff and zero emphasis on promotion based on merit. No formalized training on entry to role, expected to learn on the job.Bullying environment where management use policy to create a toxic environment for staff members. Performance assessment metrics are subjective (not formalized) and open to manipulation by team leaders. A number of staff are on long term stress leave and management make no efforts to resolve causes of work related stress.Promotions are not based on merit. Easily influenced people who will not challenge status quo ineffective processes or unfair treatment of staff members. Zero staff morale/protections in place and no desire to make the environment a efficient, effective, and motivated workplace.
ProsSalary is comparative with market rates
ConsIT in dark ages, management uneducated and uninformed, no respect for staff.
Extremely proffessional and a fast pace environment
Working for Bank Of Ireland and The Clubbing Guide I worked continuously speaking with young adults.
I maintained friendly service at all times and was required to work while standing for several hours.
I had to be enthusiastic and persuasive, convincing my target audience to either set up a bank account for bank of Ireland or when working with TCG I'd to convince my target audience to attend a night club under my booking.
The hardest part of this particular job is having to accept rude and unnecessary comments without retaliation of any sort.
The most enjoyable part of this job was working alongside my peers and conversing with new people.
A typical day at work would include:
• Delivering excellent and efficient customer service while adhering to strict procedures, e.g. data protection legislation, consumer protection code
• Answering customer’s accounts and transactions queries, problem solving
• Performing banking tasks such as stopping cheques, ordering statements, cards, chequebooks, foreign exchange,
• Internet banking queries such as E-Statements, online transfers, adding new accounts
• Working within a team to meet strict deadlines and targets, e.g. AHT, cross sales
• Admin and team tasks, e.g. sending CPQ’s to branch, keeping records of sales on Excel, team sales motivator, agent training
I have learned a huge amount in BOI and the experience I have gained here is massive:
• Crossed trained for Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland branch calls and also Banking 365 internet banking support
My co-workers are so much find and the majority are extremely kind, friendly and welcoming. The hardest part of the job is meeting daily targets but it can be done! The most enjoyable part of the job is the satisfaction I get from being able to help the customer to the best of my ability and knowing that I have been able to make them happy and satisfy their needs, I have received numerous customer compliments which have been recorded by management.
ProsHalf of gym membership is paid for by BOI, Expenses for QFA exams are paid for in full by the Bank and a monetary reward for each exam i pass.
Having 5 years 3 months of professional experience in Oracle Apps database administrator.
Responsible for Production Support, Upgrade, Migration & Maintenance of Oracle Database & Applications.
Involved in end to end life cycles, Requirements definition, Preparation of effort estimates, handling client approvals, Solution design – Configuration and release planning, coordination with the development team & testing team to ensure quality deliverables.
Having good experience in handling clients and end users in onsite environment.
Interested to learn and work with new technologies in Oracle Fusion Applications and Middleware components.
Extensive knowledge in oracle database administration.
Strong customer focus with ability to nurture customer relationship at all levels.
Good exposure working in multi platforms.
Providing 24/7 support for critical production environments.
Good problem solving skills, ability to learn quickly and adapt easily to new systems
Ability to work under tight schedules and achieved great results with commitment and quality.
Excellent facilitation, interpersonal and communication skill and good team player.
Quick learner with ability to rapidly achieve organizational integration, assimilate job requirements, employ new ideas, concepts, and methods.
New Business Development has been removed whilst we manage a project to deleverage client base in an attempt to improve the Bank's asset base whilst seeking opportunity to sell the UK business. Managing a team I co-ordinate the closure process dealing with existing clients to enable them to manage possibilities of obtaining new banking partners/relationships. A vast amount of challenges have arisen which my team and I manage and rectify where possible. Co workers are currently lacking in motivation but are working hard to ensure there is minimal inconvenience to client base.
Hardest part of role is the lack of consistency in carrying out jobs with the target goals / aims continually altering with lack of clear communication from management.
Most satisfying part of job is finding solutions to problems or opportunities that arise from deleveraging the client base to a manageable level.
ProsIdeas acknowledged - short reporting lines
ConsExcessive travel time
Questions and answers about Bank of Ireland
How often do you get a pay rise at Bank of Ireland?
Asked 8 Nov 2022
Depends on experience and qualifications and goes by bands also
Answered 14 Sept 2023
bi annually
Answered 13 Sept 2023
What is the promotion process like at Bank of Ireland?
Asked 21 Feb 2023
Horrendous
Answered 14 Sept 2023
non existent
Answered 13 Sept 2023
How is feedback from management delivered at Bank of Ireland?
Asked 6 Jan 2023
one to one meeting
Answered 24 May 2023
Directly in a number of ways. Plenty of communication
Answered 9 May 2023
What is the work environment and culture like at the company?
Asked 9 Nov 2019
Most of the time
Answered 8 Dec 2021
Yes but quite competitive, but worth it.
Answered 4 Nov 2021
How do you feel about the future of Bank of Ireland?
Asked 14 Jul 2019
The future is contract workers and Digital which is a new culture of evolution and not specifically Bank of Irelands doing , they just need to show respect to individuals
Answered 23 May 2021
As I now am a customer of the bank, the service is deplorable and I will be moving my business to another bank when my mortgage is paid off later this year
