© Reuters. FILE PHOTO: The Goldman Sachs company logo stands on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) in New York City, U.S., July 13, 2021. REUTERS/Brendan McDermid/File Photo
By Kirstin Ridley
LONDON (Reuters) – A former top Goldman Sachs manager is seeking about 1.0 million pounds ($1.27 million) from the Wall Street bank in London over allegations that harassment and a dysfunctional workplace destroyed their physical and psychological health.
Ian Dodd, the 55-year-old former global head of recruiting, who joined the bank in November 2018, alleges that infighting between managers, a “relentless workload” and high emotion during team meetings left him with atrial fibrillation. , depression and suicide.
“In most team meetings, at least one member of the team often ended up crying or displaying stressful behaviour…” he said in documents filed at London's High Court and seen by Reuters on Thursday.
Goldman Sachs said Dodd only worked at the bank for a few weeks before going on sick leave in April 2019 and that he repeatedly ignored his managers' instructions to reduce a “self-imposed workload.”
He did not inform his bosses that he was overworked or concerned about his well-being, the bank said in its own court papers.
“If he felt pressure, it was self-generated; it was not imposed on him. If he worked excessive hours, it was not because it was demanded or expected of him,” Goldman Sachs said.
Dodd had emailed his direct manager on Nov. 14, 2018 to say that his first few days had been intensive but that he had “reaffirmed why Goldman Sachs is a wonderful place for me right now,” the bank added in the filings. documents.
“We believe these claims are completely unfounded,” said a spokesman for London-based Goldman Sachs. Dodd's attorney declined to comment further given the ongoing litigation.
In a lawsuit for personal injury, loss and damage, Dodd alleges the bank was negligent and breached its obligations by failing to ensure it could meet its obligations and by failing to set realistic goals and expectations while enabling a culture of dysfunction and bullying.
In April 2019, Dodd said he began to feel physically and mentally exhausted, “disoriented and palpably distressed” because his employer's “unrealistic expectations” led him to work “excessive and unreasonable hours” without the support of his leadership partners. senior.
“The intense pressure … culminated in him wanting to take his own life,” the documents said.
Dodd, who left Goldman Sachs in 2021, according to his LinkedIn page, said he was now suffering from severe depression that had devastated his life and was unlikely to return to similar employment if he recovered.
A trial is scheduled between January and March 2025.
($1 = 0.7859 pounds)
