Goldman Sachs bids to win over techies with new relaxed dress code

Goldman Sachs bids to win over techies with new relaxed dress code

As it wrestles with the likes of Apple and Google for the top tech talent, Goldman Sachs is relaxing its dress code for computer engineers.

In a memo seen by Reuters, the bank's new CIO Elisha Wiesel has told thousands of technology and engineering staffers that they can now enjoy a "year-round casual dress code".

Although the memo does not provide sartorial guidelines, the hoodie-and-jeans combo beloved in Silicon Valley should be allowed, with a source tells the FT that "totally casual" clothing is in.

However, Wiesel does warn: "Please exercise judgment in determining when to adapt to business attire as circumstances dictate, particularly if you have a client meeting."

Last year Goldman rival JPMorgan Chase loosened its dress code after CEO Jamie Dimon took a trip to Silicon Valley to meet counterparts at tech titans.

But achieving the correct balance between professionalism and startup relaxation can prove tricky for the old-fashioned banking sector. In 2015 Barclays boss John McFarlane decided to clamp down on t-shirts and flip-flops at the firm's Canary Wharf HQ over fears of offending high-profile guests.

Comments: (1)

A Finextra member
A Finextra member 14 July, 2017, 09:18Be the first to give this comment the thumbs up 0 likes

WP: I used to work in IT at GS.  It was during the dot com boom, and IT were pushed out into the offsite BCP facility, which had no dress code anyway.  That was seventeen years ago!  Think it's been knocked down now...

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