“CITY expects exceptional bonus season.” Career gets a lot of press releases with headlines like this; this time it’s a survey that suggests that 93 per cent of financial services staff are expecting a bigger wodge of thank you cash this year than they banked last year. Students who are tempted to join the pinstriped rush towards owning a mansion in Chelsea should consider paying more attention to sport and less to their classes. BusinessWeek (Sept 18) reports that investment banks in the US are keen to hire athletes because they have the “drive and stamina” to take the pace of life on Wall Street.
. . . BAD WEEK
OVERDOING it at the office tends to get the blame when stressed-out staff start to worry that their work-life balance is out of kilter, but downshifting could turn out to be even worse for your health: it could kill you. At least, that’s the conclusion that Human Resources (Sept) draws from a study of American Beauty, the film in which Kevin Spacey’s character quits a well-paid but dull role for a job flipping burgers. This gives him the time to pursue non-work interests, which is good. Unfortunately, it also gives him the freedom to get himself into a bit of a pickle with his neighbour, who shoots him.