Bank analyst arrived late, made mistakes, then sues over ‘ADD discrimination’
A FORMER Goldman Sachs analyst who arrived for work late and missed deadlines is suing the bank for disability discrimination, claiming attitudes towards his attention deficit disorder cost him his career, a tribunal heard.
Kwasi Afrifa, 31, was reprimanded by his superiors for his increasingly poor performance, which included failing to attend work and acting “histrionically” during his four years at the firm.
Mr Afrifa has now launched a disability discrimination case against the global investment bank, and claimed it failed to make any accommodation for his condition, a form of ADHD.
He claimed the actions of his bosses denied him the chance to develop a career in either banking or hedge fund investing, which he claims would have enabled him to retire at 45 with career earnings of more than £11 million.
The company described his claims as “spurious”.
The software engineer alleges he was forced out by Goldman Sachs’s direct disability discrimination.
But a London employment tribunal heard how Mr Afrifa was a “serial underperformer” whose attainment at the firm “went from bad to worse”. He had worked as an analyst and earned a basic salary of £50,000 plus a bonus.
Mr Afrifa said: “I felt my attempts to engage with Goldman Sachs to determine and implement adjustments had been ignored and dismissed.”
He claimed that insomnia caused by medication and an unwillingness of the bank to adapt to his disability caused friction. He said his mental disability made certain tasks more difficult – with concentration issues leading to typographical errors.
He was placed on sick leave in January 2017 after a scathing performance review, no bonus and an extended period of insomnia.
In a statement, Goldman Sachs said: “This was a role that requires attention to detail, the ability to assimilate and distribute info rapidly and accurately. He demonstrated a more or less indifferent attitude towards many of the basic requirements of his role. He was routinely late with little or no explanation, failed to follow instructions, did not return forms and appeared disengaged. There was idiosyncratic workplace behaviour – Goldman Sachs was tolerant – in large part because of ADD.”
Mr Afrifa resigned in May 2018 – which he attributed to “in no small part down to preconceptions and prejudice around ADD effects”.
ADD is a subtype of the better known ADHD but without the hyperactivity associated with ADHD.
The tribunal continues.