Barclays is to do away with nearly all traditional cashiers at each of its 1,560 UK branches, encouraging customers to use self service machines.
More than 6,500 members of the workforce will be repurposed, transforming seated cashiers behind glass booths into "community bankers" armed with iPads.
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Cashiers have also been told that they will move up a job grade and receive a 2.8% average pay rise when they make the transition in October, working out at an average of £500 ($857) per worker and costing around £3m a year overall.
Steven Cooper, Barclays’ personal banking boss, said: "We know that really helping customers requires a lot of valuable people skills and this change is about investing in our workforce and recognising their talents."
A desk with a cashier will remain in place for customers who do not want to use self service machines.
The change will require a complete overhaul of the current branch design and it is thought that making staff more mobile is intended to intensify sales of retail banking products in branch.
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By GlobalDataBarclays has already trialled the new system at 37 "counterless" branches in the UK.
The bank refused to comment on whether Wincor Nixdorf will remain the banks self service machine supplier but vendor lists the benefits to a bank using its self service products as:
– Process optimisation through a single coordinating contractor;
– Customer-oriented branch design;
– Intensification of sales activity;
– Improved service quality thanks to optimization of the branch structure, and
– Greater efficiency, profitability and service quality
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