Goldman Sachs gives senior staff unlimited vacation as banks bid to retain talent

GOLDMAN Sachs Group will allow its senior staff to take an unlimited number of vacation days, the Financial Times reported, as Wall Street banks compete to retain talent. 

Partners and managing directors at the New York investment bank can take time off when needed “without a fixed vacation day entitlement”, the FT cited a company memo as saying. Junior employees still have limits on vacation but will be given at least 2 extra days off each year under the new policy that was introduced at the start of the month, the newspaper said. 

All Goldman employees will be required to take 3 weeks off each year starting in 2023, according to the report. The new vacation policy comes more than a year after junior analysts at the bank complained of 100-hour work weeks and declining physical and mental health in “inhumane” conditions.

Competition to retain employees and attract new talent has intensified as companies from Wall Street to Silicon Valley grapple with the renewed focus on work-life balance while seeking to roll back workplace policies implemented during the Covid-19 pandemic. 

Goldman last month ended free breakfast and lunches at the office - a perk to lure staff back to work. The bank has been one of the most aggressive among financial firms to push for a return to office.