What price ?

[BertiWooster]

I was reading a piece in the paper today , about a trader who scooped a � 156 million pound bonus , in shares , in order to prevent him leaving the company and setting up on his own .

Wow I thought - but reading on , this came at a price - 38 year old Mr Levinson works a 24 hour day for an investment group and often receives up to seven calls every evening , at home , which he has to deal with .

Would you provide that level of commitment to your company in order to earn a huge salary - or is your personal life more important ?

[flashpig]

I don't think I know anyone who wouldn't answer seven calls a night at �61,000 a call.

[Buenchico]

7 calls a night for work? I'd regard that as hardly worth counting!

When I was in teaching, I was the (unpaid) regional union secretary and also on the committees of various school sports' bodies (also unpaid). I also ensured that the parents of all the kids in my class had my home phone number, so they could always discuss problems with me without any form of appointment. I never had fewer than 20 calls per evening (7 days per week). Quite often I could take 30, 40 or even 50 calls. My phone line was so busy that I agreed that I'd take calls from similarly busy colleagues up until 2a.m. It was very unusual for me not to be on the phone until well after 1am. Occasionally, I'd get to bed at 1.30 only for the phone to ring at 2am to discuss a cricket fixture.

I regarded that as perfectly normal because I put the interests of my colleagues and the kids first. (Some of those kids seemed to benefit from my work with those cricket fixtures. One of them has just resigned as England captain!).

Chris

PS: At the minute, I'm sometimes unemployed but I get loads of casual work, much of which involves recruiting staff and planning assignments. My home phone always seems to ring (with news of the latest problems) when my favourite radio or TV programme is on, but I never really mind. Yes, I'm a 'workaholic' but without people like me (and Mr Levinson) both the commercial and voluntary sectors in this country would quickly grind to a halt.

[Rtaxron]

How can you work 24 hours a day, impossible.

[Ice.Maiden]

: )

[flashpig]

He's not at the office 24 hours a day. And it's not even as if he has to wait at home by the phone, or near to his computer. I'm sure you could manage a fairly good social life as well as work life, all seven phone calls included, when you're getting �17,800 per hour, 24 hours a day, all year. As a bonus.

Just put your mobile on vibrate when you're at the cinema.

[Quinlad]

Working in financial services in a nightmare to begin with. To get to the position this guy is in, you have to essentially give up your life and personality for 15 years, just to get anywhere near his stratospheric earnings.

Once there, you're expected to work in the most tedious, joyless, meaningless job, sucking the most corporate of corporate c0cks and making money for people who have money to make your company money.

It's like living your life in binary.

I don't envy him one bit. Each to their own, but Jesus....