Goldman Sachs accused of 'culture of bullying' in High Court case - reports

investmentweek.co.uk:

The allegations come two years after Goldman Sachs came under fire over the working environment at the bank.

According to a report by The Telegraph, which cites documents filed in the High Court, Ian Dodd, who worked for the bank from 2018 to 2021, is suing the firm for £1m over claims that working at the bank caused him to have a mental breakdown.

He claimed that Goldman employees frequently «express distress» by crying and that «sobbing through meetings» was common behaviour, and alleged there was a «culture of bullying» at the firm.

Dodd, who is based in London, alleged language such as «take that as your first punch in the face» was used, while references to employees receiving a «slap» or «punch» were condoned. 

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He also claimed that senior managers must have known that he was becoming unwell and that he risked suffering a breakdown due to his work.  

Goldman Sachs denied all of the allegations in its defence. The bank said: «If [Mr Dodd] felt pressure, it was self-generated; it was not imposed on him. If he did work excessive hours, this was not because it was required or expected of him.» 

«We believe these claims are completely without merit,» a spokesperson for the firm told The Times in a separate article about the allegations.

In addition, Goldman Sachs claimed in its defence that Dodd was responsible for, or contributed to his breakdown by failing to inform his managers that he was unwell, and by giving a false account to his co-workers about the health condition and death of his mother.

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It added that Dodd «was not subjected to unreasonable work