maybe it is the working culture in this bank. i find it weird that co-workers shower praise or recognition to other co-workers spontaneously. 'good job', 'way to go', 'good thinking', 'very observant'. is it because i am from asia? and asians are not used to shower praise on their colleagues in public. is public recognition important?

yes, it boosts the employee's morale and encourages the employee to work hard. it sounds cliche but employee does feel better after receiving verbal recognition from fellow workers. recognition from colleagues helps to foster better working relationship and trust.

i was at another bank branch for a one-day training and i found that the co-workers were hardworking and friendly. they were not pretentious. they were most helpful if you need assistance and that's a very conducive work environment. they praise their co-workers for a job well done spontaneously and you know that they are sincere. i will be back on thursday for further training. i am looking forward to it.