Facebook, Twitter, Gmail banned on Wall St
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 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.
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.”
“YouTube is the biggest obstacle,” agreed an analyst at Bank of America Merrill Lynch who also spoke anonymously. He says that, instead, he searches Vimeo for videos, but it is not nearly as satisfying.
Investment banks say regulation is the primary motivator for blocking social media. According to the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, firms must keep a record of any business
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