Solomon says employees must all go an extra mile for the client
(Picture: AFP via Getty Images)Your article (“Goldman Sachs boss praises junior bankers for raising ‘workplace abuse’,” March 23) reports that David Solomon will step-up enforcement of the “Saturday rule” in response to complaints about inhumane working conditions among its junior bankers.
In the same response, Solomon says employees must all go an extra mile for the client, even when they are reaching their limit, because it can really make a difference in performance.
However, a reduction in working hours may exacerbate problems unless it reconsiders pressure on employees to “go the extra mile” for the sake of firm performance.
A reduction in hours inevitably translates to higher work intensity and that, in some ways, is more harmful than overtime. It is important not to overlook the importance of reducing work intensity at the same time as hours, otherwise employee wellbeing will continue to suffer.
Dr Argyro Avgoustaki
Editor’s Reply
Dear Dr Avgoustaki
Covid has forced many businesses to make extreme staff cuts. In investment banking, unheard-of levels of new work have been rolling in as companies need help refinancing. For firms cutting staff, the pressure on those remaining can be unbearable. At thriving firms, bosses have been unable or unwilling to hire new staff. Either way, people are having to work long hours just to keep up. Simply telling staff to do fewer hours is a dereliction of an employer’s duty.
Jim Armitage, City Editor
Respect nature in New Forest
It is not OK for Londoners simply to drive to the New Forest “to ride the trails” on their bicycles. Last year a great deal of damage was done to rare forest flora, ground nesting birds and paths by hordes of visitors parking on verges when car parks are full, holding barbecues and cyclists not keeping to designated cycle tracks.
Bern Bedford
