Behind a Wall Street headhunter's rapid ascent lie accusations of harassment and abuse
Durlston's perfect rating and glowing reviews on Glassdoor were no accident, ex-employees say.
One ex-employee recalled being hounded to write a review. Another told Insider that Durlston was"very pushy" about having employees post a Glassdoor review. This person said they were initially thrilled to land a job at the company — based on the Glassdoor reviews and an overwhelmingly positive interview experience, Durlston seemed best in class. Then they realized the company repeatedly pushed people to write reviews, often within weeks of joining the firm.
In the UK, with few exceptions, companies are required to offer employees a pension plan. At Durlston, employee contracts say the company will comply with that part of the law. An ex-employee said in documents submitted to a court that some employees were"shocked and deeply upset" by the incident, adding that it contributed to her decision to quit what she called"a toxic workplace." The claim was settled before Durlston could respond to the allegation in court. Durlston told Insider she wasn't a credible source given the acrimonious nature of her departure from Durlston.
He was appointed and removed as a director in swift succession that spring, according to corporate records from Companies House. People familiar with the matter say he had a falling-out with the founders within weeks of joining and was fired for gross misconduct, including expletive-laden abuse. Bahram denies that he was fired, saying he left Radley James of his own volition to set up Durlston.
"He would always have time for you," another ex-employee recalled."You could always go up to him and ask him for advice, and you could go for a walk and he'd be there for you. Take you to nice dinners. He'd shout about you if you did really, really well."A company outing this March to a comedy club was a notable debacle, former employees said.
In another message to Franco, he called the billionaire hedge fund manager Alan Howard, whose firms Durlston worked with, a"dumb ass" and boasted that if Howard were to show up at a meeting he would"slap his little bald head and tell him to pipe down."Bahram acknowledged through lawyers making comments"that could be perceived to be racist" during private conversations with Franco.
Surging wealth for quantitative-trading firms — many of which benefited from the market volatility during the Covid-19 pandemic — as well as reverberations from the Great Resignation helped fuel Durlston's growth over the next three years. Bahram had also embraced cryptocurrencies and courted firms specializing in them well before their monumental growth spurt, positioning the company to capitalize on the crypto industry's recent hiring binge.
Former employees described Bahram as an avid drinker who splashed money around to give them a taste of the high life, or what one ex-employee called"the billionaire lifestyle."The systematic bullying was something I'd not seen before. It was aggressive.
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