Beyond the legal and financial implications, unfair dismissal in banking can have serious psychological consequences that often persist way after employment ends. 

Allow me to give you a real-life example (you’ll have to get used to them, nothing can beat experience). 

You are a high performer, front office, in a big worldwide bank. What does high performer mean? It means that the big bank has rewarded you with a double promotion on your 3rd year and the very prestigious title of Associate in your 4th year - you are a 26 years old Associate with no social life.

By the 4th year, you have gained 15 kilos, and your invisible disability (migraine) has become un-manageable. What does un-manageable mean? 1 crisis per week, given that you need 3 to 4 days for your body to return to “normal” after a crisis, based on my own observation. By mid-year, shortly after you have covered 5 regions due to maternity leave, you are dismissed.

Meanwhile, the big bank parks its clients’ money in overnight deposits through intermediary banks, profiting handsomely while assuming little risk. And charges you, the client, for keeping your money there. The bank always wins, just like a casino. 

The Role of Power and Silence in Banking Culture

Once you are dismissed, it is quite inevitable that you will feel shame and self-blame. And if you are lucky enough to be married to an emotionally avoidant, you are silenced not only by your spouse but by the big bank and its HR process, which prevent open discussion or defence. And as you fall, the cherry on top of the cake is the social isolation as all your former colleagues out of fear and loyalty to the institution, distance themselves. Or perhaps do they fear that the dismissal is contagious like a pandemic? 

Long-Term Psychological Consequences

Again, based on my own little experience, long-term effects include: 

• Persistent anxiety around authority and evaluation
• Loss of professional confidence
• Hyper-vigilance in workplaces 
• Difficulty trusting institutions or/and upper management
• Increased risk of burnout in subsequent roles

Why “Resilience” Is the Wrong Lens

Resilience CANNOT compensate for systemic injustice. Actually, mentioning resilience invalidates the experience, increases self-blame, and delays recovery. To heal, like really heal, you require ACKNOWLEDGMENT, not judgment, not minimisation, and certainly not an emotional avoidant spouse who believes the problem will be resolved with a couple of anti-depressants or therapy.

A dog might truly help, on the other hand. 

If you took the time to read my previous insights, you should have understood by now - if your brain still functions "properly" given the world we are living in (and don’t worry if it does not, I totally get you) - that I am no blamer. Never been and probably never will be precisely because I am an overthinker, and life has taught me nothing is easier than to blame someone for systemic contradictions. My wise father kept on repeating to me that taking shortcuts won’t lead anyone anywhere. 

I may not know much, but an unfair dismissal is a psychological event with the potential to disrupt your identity, your relationships, your mental health, and your long-term professional functioning. And as research increasingly makes clear, the cost of opaque and unjust dismissal practices is borne not only by individuals but by the industry as a whole.