Community Branch Management Program- not worth it unless you want to be stuck in retail banking for 1+ years - Branch Trainee M&T Bank Employee Review

Program is disorganized; you’re essentially a glorified retail banker and they use emotionally manipulative tactics to make you stay as a retail banker and then a branch manager as long as possible. Dealing with mean and rude customers is awful for your mental health. . Other parts of the bank do not care about the retail bank. You work many hours a day, doing cold calls and seeing customers. I believe this program was created to fill in the gaps created by a mass-exodus of relationship bankers at the beginning of the pandemic. The bank did not take care about their retail bankers then (or even now really), taking away hazard pay and extra sick leave days only a few months after the pandemic began. We were told if we apply to other parts of the bank, we will be “terminated” if we do not get an offer from them within 90 days. The bank pushes aggressive sales goals under the cover of “relationship building” and “prioritizing customer relationships” while encouraging you to “meet customer needs” (aka sell a customer a big loan they don’t need).