In the world of literature, conflicts tend to emerge in three domains: Man vs. Nature, Man vs. Man, or Man vs. Himself. In the world of finance, however, there is an added category of conflict: Man vs. his Corporation. Of course, while City firms often clash with each other, it is quite rare to witness a face-off between an investment bank and an individual – probably because for the latter, it’s hardly a battle worth fighting. Or is it?

A good friend of mine at a large investment bank found himself in this very David and Goliath situation last week when his bank’s compliance lawyers attacked him for operating his online art business alongside his job. It's a poorly kept secret in the City that many bankers operate businesses on the side to make their day jobs bearable – from software companies to fashion labels to rock bands.

For bright people doing dry day jobs, it's often a way for them to inject some creativity into their lives. But compliance lawyers are there to make sure no conflicts of interest arise between their working-hour duties and after-hours activities. In his case, the lawyers insisted that he was breaching company policy, and that he must shut the site immediately.

Of course, several other employees at his bank operated online businesses of similar nature, but the company left them alone. They went after him specifically because he had solicited business from some of the firm’s clients, and spent office time emailing client invoices for artwork. A very big mistake.

His position grew more and more hopeless. All of his attempts to resolve the situation in a civilized manner were met with increasingly nasty and vicious letters threatening fines, or even misconduct. He became pale, exhausted and despondent.

In his eyes, those compliance lawyers were stealing a lot more than his meagre supplementary income – they were stealing his dream. While they may have only been pursuing a contractual technicality like callous robots, they were slowing crushing the spirit of an otherwise animated City banker.

I warned him, “Dealing with corporate bullies is a bit like dealing with toddlers – rationality flies out the window.” Other examples in the City of instances when a corporation has crushed an individual are rampant. My friend may be 100% right, but if winning his fight leaves him bankrupt, financially or emotionally, it’s a pyrrhic victory. In the City, it’s fine to try and negotiate with someone your own size. But when it comes to Man vs. the Corporation, man rarely wins.