customer service representative

personal banker

software engineer

specialist

souscripteur de prêts hypothécaires

BMO Financial Group

I was hired for the position of Administrative Assistant/Receptionist with BMO through an agency.  The contract was set to be for 7 months with the potential for advancement and remaining with the company. 

The initial interview went well and it seemed like they were in the stages of implementing new management and rebuilding team members. The BOM had just received her position not long ago and was adapting to the responsibility and changes that came along with the role. Her Cage Operations leader has been in her role much longer and it seemed they were each others support. 

After lack of initial training because they were always too busy, you learned quickly from many other staff members, that they have all at once been in the administrative role and it was described as a "sink or swim".

I learned very quickly that the opportunities for advancement were not going to happen unless you became part of the clique that existed within the branch between upper management members and the cage operations.  I was told countless times that they  needed me to see and be supporting of "their team",  and that the Investors and Sales Advisors were not part of that "team" - they had their own teams and saw it as "us" and "them".  I didn't support or accept the truth in, as many times as I was told, because I strongly believed this promoted a negative culture in the work place and I was treated very kindly and supported way more by the "them" (IAs & SAs) they were describing. 

I kept very keen on different things that kept catching my attention within the work environment. There is a strong lack of professionalism when you over hear discussions with one another etc in the work place between BOM, Cage operations and some members of upper level BMs.  The way in which I was spoken to on numerous occasions by the Cage Operations leader now manager and how she speaks to other staff is most notable and she has been provided a higher title within the branch management team. There is a strong lack of honesty, most notable, when there is required time off for contract members that you are not told until late and are docked pay for that forced time off around the Christmas holiday. They had a new hire member of administration work during that forced time off period, and she was told not to communicate with myself that she was given paid time during what I was told was mandatory with no way to change the situation. I had asked countless times if there were areas to which I may improve to be provided with more responsibilities (like the ones they were notably providing the new hire with, but not myself) and was told no, and to consistently see if I could simply be of assistance in any way.

To add insult to injury, I had planned a birthday trip within the almost 5 month period into my contract and was given the vacation time off. Prior to my vacation, a meeting with the BOM and Cage Operations Management member was set, to discuss my role, my hopes to continue and advancement opportunities were within the branch. I found out while on vacation that this was all a facade, and that they had terminated my contract "effective immediately" with no details as to what contributed to this decision while I was out of the country. They quickly moved the new hire Administrative member from the other branch to my role.

In final, I would like to say that their lack of structural organization, lack of effective training, positive workplace culture and opportunities for advancement- I would not work for this company again. However, I do not like to end on a bad note, this was my experience, and there are many notable and exceptional individuals within the branch that made each and everyday a welcoming and positive. So thank you to those individuals and I am sure they are very aware of who they are.

1. Positive Culture and Values: A great workplace cultivates a positive and inclusive culture where employees are treated with respect and dignity. It fosters an atmosphere of collaboration, teamwork, and open communication. The organization's values are clearly articulated and aligned with employees' personal and professional beliefs.

2. Supportive Leadership: Effective leaders inspire and motivate their teams. They provide clear direction, offer support, and empower employees to take ownership of their work. They promote a healthy work-life balance, encourage professional growth, and recognize and reward achievements.

3. Opportunities for Growth and Development: A great workplace offers ample opportunities for employees to grow and develop their skills. It provides access to training programs, mentorship, and career advancement opportunities. Employees are encouraged to pursue their professional goals, and their contributions are recognized and rewarded.

4. Work-Life Balance: The organization values work-life balance and provides the necessary support and policies to enable employees to maintain a healthy equilibrium between their personal and professional lives. Flexible work arrangements, generous vacation policies, and a culture that respects personal time contribute to employee well-being and satisfaction.

5. Employee Engagement: A great workplace actively engages its employees. It encourages their involvement in decision-making processes, seeks their input, and values their ideas and contributions. Regular communication channels, such as team meetings and employee feedback mechanisms, are in place to ensure that employees feel heard and appreciated.

6. Collaborative and Supportive Environment: The workplace promotes collaboration and teamwork. Colleagues are supportive of one another, readily share knowledge and resources, and work together towards shared goals. The organization encourages a sense of community, fostering positive relationships among employees.

7. Work Environment and Facilities: A great workplace provides a comfortable and well-equipped physical environment that enhances productivity and well-being. It offers modern and ergonomic workstations, appropriate tools and technology, and facilities that promote health and wellness, such as wellness rooms, recreational areas, and healthy food options.

8. Strong Ethics and Corporate Social Responsibility: The organization demonstrates a commitment to ethical business practices and social responsibility. It operates with integrity, values diversity and inclusion, and actively contributes to the betterment of the community and the environment.

9. Recognition and Rewards: A great workplace recognizes and rewards employees' achievements and contributions. It has a fair and transparent performance evaluation system that acknowledges and celebrates individual and team successes. This recognition can take various forms, such as financial incentives, awards, and public acknowledgment.

10. Continuous Improvement: The organization has a culture of continuous improvement. It encourages innovation, creativity, and the pursuit of excellence. Regular feedback and opportunities for employees to provide suggestions for improvement are welcomed and acted upon.

A great place to work is one where employees feel valued, motivated, and supported. It fosters personal and professional growth, encourages work-life balance, and promotes a positive and inclusive culture. Such an environment cultivates high employee satisfaction, productivity, and loyalty, ultimately contributing to the organization's overall success.

A large part of how much you enjoy/tolerate the job will be down to who you are, your circumstances at the time and your branch and manager. Smaller branches tend to have friendlier customers but much less staff often meaning you are overworked and working full time hours can be very challenging at times in terms of your stress levels etc. Bigger branches less patient customers and higher sales expectations usually.

As a csr it's less stressful than being a pba or pb or branch manager obviously (being a PB or BM is frankly VERY HARD) but still challenging - if you think you'll just be doing withdrawals and deposits you will be disappointed. People will come to you with an incredibly broad range of queries and the learning curve at the start is very steep. This is a large part of where the luck of how good/knowledgeable your manager is comes in. Do not forget you will be doing this learning in front of customers most are understanding but not all. Factor into that a reasonably high level of sales expectations even as a CSR particularly if you're full time and overall if you're just looking for a job rather than specifically in this industry I would not recommend it. 

However, there are positives - benefits are good even part time staff get some medical benefits and a pension and share options after 6 months. Schedule is flexible for part time csrs usually - as a student during some of the time I was at BMO I had a lot of say in my hours which is useful though not every manager will be as accommodating as mine was. 

IF you want or think you want a career in banking being a CSR is an excellent way to get experience and knowledge and you will have the opportunity quite quickly to climb the ladder though you also need to be prepared to advocate for yourself in this regard. Pay is very poor for what you do around 20-21 dollars an hour but this is partly to incentive people to climb the ladder as higher positions are paid considerably better (though you will work for that increase trust me). It also doesn't hurt to have such a well recognized institution on your CV if you're looking for jobs outside the bank or even the industry itself. As a first job in the country as it was for me it is a decent stepping stone and I gained useful life knowledge about Canada's financial industry.

Overall, it's a hard job for everyone but for some people it's fairly enjoyable, for a few it's bearable and for others it will be a nightmare some of that will be who you are and some will come down to luck of where you're based. You can also take this review and apply it to the equivalent position in any of the big banks in Canada. 

It's worth noting if you don't like doing sales working in branch banking - especially higher than a csr is really not going to be for you.

Interview:
The interview was confusing and seemed to be very unprepared on their part (multiple managers took turns asking questions). Questions were oddly worded and they did not know how to offer clarification so I was made to look stupid for misunderstanding instead.

Training:
Once I started, training was very hands off and purely done on the computer for the first few weeks then shadowing was incorporated later on as well. No guidance, so I had to find the training material myself.
Once training period was complete, I requested a review and guidance to set goals (a requirement at the end of training) but was told it was unnecessary.

Environment:
Work environment is nice and relaxed. Co-workers are friendly and helpful. Assistant manager is very helpful and responsive. Manager is however very uninterested in helping with questions or tasks (and frankly seems unqualified to answer questions from tellers). Customers are friendly and patient as they are all "regulars" and do their banking daily at the branch.

Salary:
Hours are set in stone in your contract. Pay is capped. Comparable to other banks however so although it's definitely not enough to live off of, they are at least competitive. Work on weekends is pretty much mandatory for newbies so you get shafted there if you have weekend plans as senior co-workers book time off at the beginning of the year!

Benefits:
They start immediately on start date and are included for basic coverage of health, dental and vision care. You can opt to pay into a better plan though. Employee share program is offered where they match half of what you contribute (you are limited to 6%).

Advancement:
Nepotism is a big thing in this company and it will get you hired and promoted quickly. However, if you are not hired for that reason, then your pay depends on your performance and room for advancement is seldom and very competitive. I wish management took professional development seriously and took the time to mentor their underlings. Instead, there is a review at the end of the year and seems to be pre-determined despite offering a moment for you to make your case and basically ask for and prove you need a raise.

Overall:
Working here is mostly positive day to day and its a great place if you're looking for something short term for max a few years. I would not recommend it for long-term as raises are inadequate to keep up with cost of living and opportunities for advancement are difficult to get.

Working for Bank of Montreal  is a learning experience everyday. Besides providing service customers with their banking needs, there are a lot of paper work that has to be completed .. like scanning, filing, customer request  that has to be completed and follow up, answering the phones and returning those phone calls. You can do this only when it is a quiet day or after the Bank closes.  I do not believe in selling stuff to customer just to get revenue. I look at the customer and their financial situation  and  then provide them with the information that could benefit them.  It is up to them to make that decision to proceed. I Know Management gets told from the higher ups that they have to increase revenue and strive to be the number one bank but I always tell them that you can only do so much with the person in front of you. 
 The workplace can be a very happy place when you have staff members who help each other and cooperate with each other. When I learn something new, I am happy to share it with others so that they can also be successful. In the 40years with the Bank, I have learned a lot and I am happy to share my knowledge with the old and the new staff.
The hardest part of the job is trying to achieve your sales target.  It is so difficult when you see the same people everyday  I cannot understand why the bank has sales target.  We are supposed to be the to help customers and provide the best customer service that we can.  In doing so, customers refer their friends and families to the bank because we were there to help them,  Also have a rude customer who thinks the world revolves around them only  makes it very difficult to work.
The most enjoyable part of the job is when 
 a customer thanks you for being there for them. Thanks you for doing their banking exactly the way they would like it done and not having to to explain everything. Ask you not to leave because they do not  know what they will do. Calling a customer by name, knowing their families and sharing their private information with you is all worthwhile. Seeing them leave with a smile on their face is the best ever!

In my most recent role, a typical day may begin with reviewing project/release requirements documents for estimation sizing of the solution requirements, for all applications across the Enterprise; using historical data and engaging with the business partner to understand their needs, metrics, the services our team provides and reporting.  I may also be providing Awareness sessions for new teams or coaching PMs/ASDMs on how to use a simple Basic estimation analysis method for their application that I created.  As a Senior BA I would be meeting with the business partner to understand their problem/needs/opportunities and use various techniques like JAD sessions, workshops but most importantly listen to their concerns and issues and work with them to find a optimal solution.  BMO's IFL provided excellent training for BAs and other professions.  My immediate managers were always supportive and encouraging - to go beyond the job description and allowed creativity and thinking.  My co-workers were professional, collaborative and for the most part were willing to share their knowledge.  In return, I coached my colleagues on how to understand business requirements for functional sizing and encouraged them to run an engagement meeting with their business partners.  
The hardest part of the job was raising awareness in the organization about the value of the services our team provided.  Statistical control is always a challenge so I worked hard to interpret and present their project data in non-statistical terms that would have meaning and could be applied to managing their projects.  The confirmation that the information I was providing actually helped them manage their project monitoring and control and asked for more was the best part of my day - other than my monthly cupcake delivery to my team and other teams in my group.  
I was fortunate to be able to move from being a practicing BA to the Process Improvement group and to contribute to improving processes.

BMO for starters has the potential to be one of the TOP financial institutions in Canada and I truly believe
there is room for advancement and growth depending on a) who your manager is, and b) how much one wants to get ahead. Not to mention I’m sure each BMO contact centre is different. On the other hand , I’m not too sure about the 2465 Argentia Rd BMO contact centre. Feels almost like highschool all over again. Overnight manager walks around screaming at the top of her lungs throughout the contact centre chatting up a storm with her friends yet refuses to provide any help when needed.  It’s almost as if it’s a popularity contest. Management, particularly for the overnight team is extremely clique and the same goes for the training camp mentors. My experience thus far with interacting with said overnight female manager along with a few training camp mentors has been puzzling to say the least. Some have been very flippant and dismissive when bringing forth mental health/ personal matters outside of the workplace and even asking for help with Bank processes. When asking for help, no help is provided when on the floor with your  manager and during training some mentors in particular were very rude, dismissive, and provided inaccurate information. I recall an overnight female manager basically telling me to pick between my family or my job when asked what options and or solutions are available to me. There’s not much work/life balance, you eat, sleep, and breathe BMO as the saying goes “we bleed blue”. I personally will be giving it another 3 months to advance in to the career I’m ultimately interested in at BMO, anything beyond the short term goal I set out for myself I’ll be leaving as I don’t feel anything should come before your mental, and physical well being or family and for ANY manager to dismiss or be flippant with an employee who shares what they may be going through/ experiencing outside of work shouldn’t be in a management position at all!

Like any office there is hustling and bustling at times.  The most important thing is to get the job done in time as there were deadlines to meet that if not met can cost dollars to the company. The most important thing was to work in co-operation with everyone in the department. 

Management was very co-operative and always encouraged you to approach them if you wish to talk about anything.  The Executives were very approachable.  And we got rewards.   Sometimes there were letters and e-mails from clients about how they were helped by certain individuals and these were posted on a large board..

We celebrated events like Halloween and Christmas and decorated the floor accordingly.  We also had Bake Sales, 50/50 draws and Silent Auction for Charity.
 
We were encouraged to talk about our specific department at our monthly meetings.  This made the meetings more interesting.  I was asked to speak at our conference once and I was delighted that I was asked and I did accept.  It was an experience for me.

I got along well with my co-workers. I wasn't bothered in the least with someone's attitude as long as it did not interfere with my work.  I have had to work around attitudes and many times it resulted in a friendship in time.

The hardest part of the job was when there were many deadlines and little time, but with common sense, determination and sometimes asking for help from co-workers or your Manager, the deadline was met.
 
Sometimes it could be tense with the deadlines but the best part is when you are able to meet the deadline and you can breathe easily.  The customer is happy that you have met their needs.  It's a plus for you and the Bank.  That was the most enjoyable part for me.

We have our daily meeting, exchanging different thoughts and views. Then interacting with individuals "customers" meeting their financial needs on various levels. Doing surprise cash count with customer service representatives. Opening ATM envelopes and balancing each machines. Walking with each customer service representative to take their cash to their post. At the end of the day assisting each customer service representative balance their cash. If there are any discrepancies, we must go through the journal report of the day to find the discrepancy.

I have learned, that we were all working to strive towards one goal, and that was to increase revenue. Increasing revenue for our share holders and customers made the companies "look" exceptional and successful.

As part of the management team, you are called in many different directions throughout the day. New staff has to be trained, policies and procedures has to be followed. Every "T"s has to be crossed and every "I"s must be dotted. Not everyday is stressful but, you handle it as it comes. You are never alone when it comes to making a decision. There is always support.

Respect is the most desirable in every organization, by treating each and everyone with the outer most respect you will gain the confidence and the company will also gain from your attitude.

The hardest part of the job, is being short staff, and trying to handle long line ups. We all would try our best but, for some customers it can be irritating.

The most enjoyable part of the job, is satisfying their needs, once their needs are being meet. Everyone is happy. And sometimes that means bending backwards to assist.

At first you will feel excited especially if being a teller is new to you. Again, as a teller you are a bottom feeder and nothing else so if you want to make more money you have to climb the ladder. You will go from being a teller to perhaps a financial manager, customer service manager, assistant manager, branch manager etc. Off course this is sped up depending on who you know, not what you know. I had a supervisor that didn't know anything about their job and was only there due to brown-nosing and sales. Essentially only a sales person and made it just for that factor, with no knowledge. Circling their finger on a screen when customers asked questions, locking their computer and running off to a superior all the time to answer a customers' question. I had to work shifts I didn't want to because I was 'trusted' to do so, as I was told. Someone else received better shifts- their spouse worked at another branch so that had a lot to do with it. Most tellers are set up for failure and then when you move on ahead you still won't have knowledge. If you want to move up anywhere you have to put in the hours on your own time, as I was told. Sit in with a financial manager, for example, see the transactions and listen to conversations and take notes (all while being on your lunch break). So it all depends on how much you want to commit your free time to this job. 

Being a teller aka bottom-feeder, you are pretty much disrespected. The entire job is sales focused. So don't believe in 'customer' service or experience etc. 

The only benefit is that you aren't working night-shift. You will get burnt out especially when the workload isn't balanced fairly on tellers or financial managers. If you are a bit above the rest in terms of knowledge, expect a pat on the back, not a raise. There was not tuition reimbursement so I used this job to put myself through school which was the best benefit to me as I saved every penny. Get out while you can.

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