There is a group of people who are forgotten “essential workers” in the list of obvious workers which include hospital staff, emergency personnel, and teachers. My husband is among these forgotten yet very much essential workers: bankers.
Most bank employees have worked in office, with little chance of working from home, and continued to take care of client’s needs. If you’ve used an ATM, written a check, used a debit card, deposited money, or used myriad bank services, then you might not have noticed there has been no break in services in most cases aside from modified hours or social distancing protocols.
But for thousands, no millions, of business owners that have applied for and worked with a banker to receive a PPP (Payroll Protection Program) loan to sustain their small business during the pandemic, bank lenders have been as essential to keeping a small business alive as doctors with a life-saving treatment for a sick loved one.
~~ bank lenders have been as essential to keeping a small business alive as doctors with a life-saving treatment for a sick loved one ~~
I can’t speak for the work load of all bankers, but I can tell you that last April my husband worked 15-hour days, seven days per week processing hundreds of PPP loans for clients who were anxious and worried about how they would be able to continue to pay their employees and cover other bills during the uncertainty of the beginning of the pandemic. He left for work early, came home for a quick sandwich midday and a quick dinner each evening, and worked into the night, after which he would fall into bed exhausted and begin again the next day. All this was in addition to his “normal” daily work. To say the stress and workload were a nightmare would be an understatement.
And now the Second Round of PPP has begun with more long hours, weekends and holidays spent working, and understated stress. My husband does this difficult work not only because it’s his job, but also because he cares about the business owners who, nearly ten months later, still struggle and need an injection of funds to keep their business alive. The service he and his colleagues offer is lifeblood to businesses that have been forced to cut hours, change how they operate, or even close completely during the pandemic.
Gratitude and kudos to all essential workers and, especially now, to my husband and other bankers who are doing what they can to help, advise, and sustain businesses that are the backbone of our nation. Thank you.
