A City on Edge
advertisment
Related Content
- Cutting Edge and Cloth Off Savile Row (11/12/2007)
- City Comfort for City Women (16/08/2007)
- City Boys with City Girls (25/05/2009)
- S.x and My City (12/11/2008)
- Anxiety in the City (10/01/2008)
- A Monk in the City (01/04/2008)
This time last year some of us were there. Unaware and unsuspecting, witness to the collapse of Lehman Brothers from within its mighty walls, and the aftermath that ensued.
Perhaps that’s why when my colleague opened up his drawer last week and began clearing out his desk I thought he was never to return. Everything worth anything got bundled into his back pack - old gym kit, papers, ties, shoes...and then he was on his feet saying his goodbyes.
"Are you err, leaving us?" I tried to enquire as gently as possible, wondering if we were having an unexpected redundancy round.
"No. Just going on holiday - but you never know." He looked at me a strange smirk appearing across his face. I wasn’t sure if he was nervous or trying to keep me on my toes. (It’s the same look he gave me when I asked him, "Shall we join the gym?" "There’s a six-month-minimum term - we might not be around," he answered with a wink.)
Now I know Lehman Brothers collapsed over night, but is this what the City’s become? We can’t have a day off without worrying if we’ve got a job to come back to.
"So where are you going?" I asked. (There’s a pause). Five star luxury means he’s not worried about his bonus and redundancy is something that happens to 'others'. But if it’s a staycation in the UK, he might as well go via HR and pick up his P45 on the way out.
Let’s face it, Dorset is not Barbados. Eating fish and chips on Brighton pier is not the same as antipasto and Chianti in the Tuscan Hills. A massage at the Elemis spa is good but it’s no spa retreat in Malaysia, and my home made Thai curry will not compare to that in Koh Samui. The truth is that in the City perception is everything, and it’s every man for himself. If you give up your holiday luxuries, you may as well give up your job.
That aside, next time I have the day off, remind me to pick up my perfume on the way out.
"Are you err, leaving us?" I tried to enquire as gently as possible, wondering if we were having an unexpected redundancy round.
"No. Just going on holiday - but you never know." He looked at me a strange smirk appearing across his face. I wasn’t sure if he was nervous or trying to keep me on my toes. (It’s the same look he gave me when I asked him, "Shall we join the gym?" "There’s a six-month-minimum term - we might not be around," he answered with a wink.)
Now I know Lehman Brothers collapsed over night, but is this what the City’s become? We can’t have a day off without worrying if we’ve got a job to come back to.
"So where are you going?" I asked. (There’s a pause). Five star luxury means he’s not worried about his bonus and redundancy is something that happens to 'others'. But if it’s a staycation in the UK, he might as well go via HR and pick up his P45 on the way out.
Let’s face it, Dorset is not Barbados. Eating fish and chips on Brighton pier is not the same as antipasto and Chianti in the Tuscan Hills. A massage at the Elemis spa is good but it’s no spa retreat in Malaysia, and my home made Thai curry will not compare to that in Koh Samui. The truth is that in the City perception is everything, and it’s every man for himself. If you give up your holiday luxuries, you may as well give up your job.
That aside, next time I have the day off, remind me to pick up my perfume on the way out.
Here Is The Writer : Accidental Accountant
Accidental Accountant is a twenty-something City girl parading the trading floors of investment banks, wondering everyday how she came to be here. She has been playing the corporate game for the last five years, has a passion for fashion, a fondness for partying, and a love/hate affair with City life. If you’ve ever thought you didn’t quite fit in, welcome to her world (and feel free to get in touch).
view more articles by Accidental Accountant
