Lunchtime Links: Potted plant insurgency at Goldman Sachs London
They are more than just potted plants. They are living breathing organisms, purifying the environment, bringing good Feng Shui, relieving stress, improving skin tone and getting rid of coughs.
Eliminating potted plants is therefore a huge deal. It is one that employees at Goldman Sachs at Peterborough Court will not take lightly. According to the Telegraph, Goldman has been trying to remove many of its potted plants in London in an attempt to reduce the cost of maintaining them. Goldman's plant-lovers are not happy.
Specifically, the Telegraph says:
'...some employees tried to block the move [to remove the plants], leading to a stand-off between the plant pickers and staff.
You can take away their bonuses. You cannot take away their foliage.
In other news:
62% of young people think there is a negative stigma associated with working in banking. Of 15 career choices, banking ranks among the bottom five on the grounds that it's boring, stressful and allows for no social life. (Telegraph)
I'd quite like to go into finance later on, purely for financial reasons. (Telegraph)
"The nervousness around banking stocks may last at least until the publication of third-quarter results, end-October, start of November," said SocGen CEO Frederic Oudea. (Telegraph)
48 year-old Sutesh Sharma, who heads Citigroup's principal strategies unit in London, appears to be thinking of leaving to set up a hedge fund. (Bloomberg)
Credit Suisse has laid off a third of its Indian wealth managers. (Bloomberg)
John Winter, chief executive of Barclays Corporate, has a full size cut-out of the rolling stones in his office as a metaphor for longevity. (Telegraph)
Michael Spencer has warned that ICAP will move overseas if a Tobin tax is enforced. (Telegraph)
Of the big four UK banks, only HSBC now boasts a market capitalisation greater than its pension fund liabilities. (Financial Times)
VTB will not be becoming an acquisition-driven growth machine like Santander or Citigroup after all. (Financial Times)
A man was a billionaire for a minute. (Marketwatch)
Japanese women typically work 40 hours a week in the office, then do, on average, another 30 hours of housework. Their husbands, on average, do three hours. (Economist)
