Big banks occasionally like to highlight their employees’ achievements, including career milestones, charity work or even running a marathon.
But one bank, Credit Suisse, has given a shout-out to a more unusual activity: break dancing.
In a magazine published by Credit Suisse for its staff, one article in the latest issue highlights Michael Tshiyoyo, a 32-year-old human resources employee in the Geneva office of the Swiss bank. In break dancing circles, he’s known as Easyman.
The article describes how Mr. Tshiyoyo “caught the b-boy bug†as a child, devoting himself to learning the moves. He has become so skilled at spinning, flipping and doing headstands that he competes “against the international elite at least once a year,†he tells the magazine.
Mr. Tshiyoyo has gained accolades for one move in particular, the jackhammer, in which he spins while balancing on one hand, his body low to the ground, the article says. Mr. Tshiyoyo reportedly has added a signature flourish.
“Michael’s innovation? He seamlessly takes off his shirt and pants while spinning,†the article originally read. (That line was quietly removed from the website on Friday.)
While it’s no big secret that bank employees have outside interests, banks are not always happy when these traits become public. One Goldman Sachs worker who pursued a passion for rapping while employed at the firm got a chilly reception from his superiors when word got to the media.
A Morgan Stanley employee was once the subject of a Wall Street Journal article describing how he would approach strangers on the subway and try to befriend them. He was fired soon after, according to the newspaper.
The Credit Suisse break dancer, though, appears in a media outlet run by his employer. “The publication aims to be informative, comprehensible, relevant, and entertaining,†according to the About Us section of the magazine’s website.
The articles contained in the magazine “show the human face of Credit Suisse, and provide readers with an insight into worlds they might otherwise never see,†the website says.
The publication is geared toward employees in the private banking and wealth management division of the bank, but the current issue is available to the public online. Among the articles is an interview with the bank’s chairman and another about employees volunteering with a nonprofit group.
A spokesman for Credit Suisse, Thomas Baer, said every issue of the magazine features a couple of employees. “Normally, those are people with interesting hobbies. We do a story about them and also publish the story online,†he said.
A tip of the hat goes to Sarah Butcher of eFinancialCareers for writing earlier about the Credit Suisse article.
