Bored Wall Analysts Subverts Draconian Bank Rules On Social Media

For young Wall Street employees who live their lives through social media, working at a big bank can feel as if the plug has been pulled. Most financial firms ban Facebook, Twitter and Gmail, and block most music and video streaming sites.

Working on Wall Street is 'a full life commitment, and without access to social media or personal e-mail it can often feel like nothing exists outside of work', said one JPMorgan Chase analyst who spoke on condition that he not be named because he is not allowed to talk to the news media.

So he and other first- and second-year analysts, who commonly work more than 80 hours a week, are fighting back. They are relying on an informal network of strategies to subvert company firewalls and stay connected.

The New York Times reports that to watch soccer highlights, for example, one analyst said he translated the names of the teams through Google and looked for them on Rutube, YouTube’s Russian equivalent.

'It’s draconian', the analyst said of his company’s Web site blocks. 'It’s a job where you spend a lot of time waiting to get assignments back from superiors, and you have to find ways to kill the time'.

Hit the link below to access the complete New York Times article:

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