Busman's holiday for bank workers

The Bank of New Zealand sent many of its staff on holiday not just with best wishes for the festive period, but with a request they drum up business for the bank among family and friends.

In an email to team leaders, BNZ marketing and business development general manager Shona Bishop said: "It is important that we keep up and maintain our sales and service focus right through the holiday season to ensure a successful 2006 for the bank.

"It does not matter where you are over the holiday period ... at work or on the beach ... there will be numerous opportunities to provide financial solutions to family and friends by referring them to Bank of New Zealand."

The bank also distributed to staff pointers on "social prospecting" over the Christmas period.

"Christmas is a time for friends and family to catch up," it said. "Your friends and family respect you ... They appreciate you supporting their goals with sound advise [sic]."

The material gave examples of "life event clues" that provided opportunities for social prospecting, including "transient cashflow due to Christmas" and buying investment property.

Bishop asked team leaders to talk to their staff about "what you can do as a team to ensure a successful holiday period for the bank".

Employees who provided the most referrals could win one of two trips to the Commonwealth Games, including flights, accommodation and tickets.

Peter Apperley, who works in BNZ's Auckland customer contact centre, said staff received messages about social prospecting over Christmas late on Friday afternoon.

"It really irritated me in that we're expected to spend Christmas with friends and family talking to them on social occasions about the products the Bank of New Zealand can offer them.

"At the same time, the bank is talking about work-life balance campaigns. As far as I'm concerned Christmas is a time to spend with friends and family, not time selling bank products to them."

Apperley believed this was the first time the bank had offered incentives for referrals over Christmas.

Karen Skinner, of the bank workers' union Finsec, said many BNZ employees were angered to be asked for referrals over the break as they were linked to pay in their contracts and that had been a contentious point during recent negotiations.

"They only narrowly accepted the collective agreement in October and this rubs salt into an existing wound."

However, Bishop said yesterday she was disappointed by Apperley and Finsec's reaction to the programme.

She had received "numerous emails of support from staff for the opportunity to go to the Commonwealth Games".

The bank was "absolutely not" asking staff to work over Christmas.

The programme was "an opportunity for us to make sure that the people who are thinking about work are well supported".