Friday newspaper round-up: Football Index, Goldman Sachs, workplace testing

The Gambling Commission was warned in January 2020 that the betting firm Football Index, which suspended its platform last week, was “an exceptionally dangerous pyramid scheme under the guise of a ‘football stock market’” and that immediate and urgent action was needed “to alert and protect their users”, the Guardian can reveal. - Guardian

Junior bankers at Goldman Sachs say they are facing “inhumane” conditions at the investment bank, including 100-hour work weeks and “abuse” from colleagues which has severely affected their mental health. The responses from the poll participants – 13 investment banking analysts in the US – have shed light on the gruelling demands on first-year analysts, a cohort that features some of the brightest recruits hired annually by Goldman. - Guardian

Businesses are ramping up Covid testing as staff prepare to return to the office and shop floors in greater numbers. Testing company Excalibur Health said enquiries have shot up in recent weeks. Professor Sir Chris Evans, its founder, said: "One firm took 20,000 tests out of the blue the other week." Mace, a global consultancy and construction company, started workplace testing in the UK in January and is boosting the programme to make staff feel safe and to prevent an outbreak shutting down operations. - Telegraph

More than half of the country’s employees travelled to work last week for the first time since official figures began being recorded last June. The Office for National Statistics reported that 53 per cent of workers travelled to their place of employment at least once during the week to March 14, up from 48 per cent the week before. - The Times

The chief executive of Asda is to step down weeks after a £6.8 billion takeover deal was agreed, paving the way for new leadership at Britain’s third-biggest grocer. Roger Burnley, 54, a former J Sainsbury executive who took charge at the Leeds-based chain in 2018, will leave the business next year, the supermarket announced last night. - The Times