The film ‘The Wolf of Wall Street’ portrays an old school investment floor
(Picture: Red Granite Pictures/Paramount )It is not just working from home that is making City offices and dealing rooms less rowdy places.
According to a survey today from the Chartered Institute for Securities and Investment (CISI) — the professional body for investment banks — the vast majority of staff no longer feel comfortable with traditional workplace “bants”.
A remarkable 97% said they have been made to feel uncomfortable with “banter” at some point. Two-thirds said they contributed less in meetings because of banter and a third found it so unsettling it made them look for another job.
The figures no doubt reflect the increasing diversity of the City. The old defence of “cheer up love, it’s only banter” is of course no longer acceptable. And a good thing too.
Too often what passed as bants in the City were merely boorish, crude and offensive comments that at their worst slid into outright bullying.
The City is and always has been a robust place to work, especially on the trading front line where tension and stress needs to be released. But talent comes in all shapes and sizes and it is not those who shout loudest who have the most to offer. Worryingly today’s survey from CISI also shows limited faith in HR departments to provide protection when the line is crossed.
If we are to get people back into their London offices they need to be confident that they will no longer have to endure the gormless banter that has too often made their working life a misery.
