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I know they have a mandatory no Saturday policy. Based on conversations I’ve had with folks there, it seems like it’s actually enforced as well.
I think the hours are still long though from what I hear.
Thanks for the insight!
My buddies who are there love it. Pay is great and your dollar goes forever in Milwaukee. Plus, MWK has a great beer scene, so if you're a beer geek, you've got plenty of options.
They are very proud of their "no assholes" policy and I've heard that's very true. MD's never cuss out analysts, you never get roasted in front of the client, and Saturdays are very, very protected. Sundays tend to be work from home, and evening work from home is promoted as well.
Hours are long, but at least nobody is breathing down your neck and calling you a fucking idiot the entire time.
Does this apply to Chicago as well?
I hear Chicago is even more laid back. I've got a college friend at Baird Chicago, rev is up 50% vs YA and they're just fucking crushing it right now. They're moving to one of the highest floors in the city, might be putting a gigantic Baird sign on the side of a building.
Fuck, I'm jealous.
Heard it is extremely group dependent in the Chicago office. Have heard horror stories coming from people who left and were very adamant about staying away from one group. Ask around or even interview with them and it should be readily apparent which one.
Damn, sounds like what Piper wishes it was (and tells people it is).
Gents, would you take Baird over an MBB offer if coming from a top-20 MBA?
Depends. I'd take Baird over an MBB regional office or one of their second tier groups (MBBs are not perfect at everything all the time, obviously), but not over a top tier MBB group.
What is a second tier group at MBB? Just curious to know
Thanks man - sorry didn't want to hijack the thread but didn't get any responses on my previous post. If I told you the MBB offer was in Philadelphia, would this make the decision easier? I'm not sure what you mean by 2nd tier MBB group - my offer is a generalist position, and my specialization/industry focus would probably be up to me. I have a finance background, so I'd probably be aligned to similar workstreams. The Baird IB group is TBD since I didn't intern.
From what I know, I would take Baird over any other IB offer (including any BB). I have some good friends that work there and speak very highly of the culture (publicly stated "no asshole policy" and strong Midwest value), extraordinary deal flow (five consecutive record revenue years), direct promotion opportunities and strong relationships across the PE universe. Hours are intense, but the Saturday and holiday policy is pretty strictly enforced.
How common is the direct promote to aso compared to leaving to PE at baird? 50/50 or do more analysts leave
Can confirm the comments above. Hours are long, but seniors attempt to make it as painless as they can. Not to say that it's entirely painless, though
Contrary to what others said, an associate at my old firm used to work in Baird's Milwaukee office (in 2017, as an associate). It is apparently becoming a bit of a sweatshop, with a fair amount of 3 AM nights, although I don't think they mentioned all-nighters. They said they got great exposure and worked on awesome deals, and it was a great place to work overall. The culture is incredibly close-knit, and tons of guys hang out in the office together when things are slow.
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From the Associate I know there in Chicago, while the culture is good and deal flow is strong, he says they are pretty understaffed and hours are brutal. You work late into the night nearly every day. He's absolutely getting crushed, very sweaty.
I heard the same thing from a buddy I know in the Chicago office. Hours are very brutal.
Anyone know what industry groups are based out of MKE? And which seem to be getting the best deal flow?
MKE is only Tech & Services and industrials. Chicago has all of the groups.
MKE is the headquarters for Baird but there are more bankers in Chicago.
Didn't see the "best deal flow" question.
Of the three groups I'm familiar with (In order): Industrials, Consumers, Tech & Services
Industrials - What Baird is known for. Doesn't pitch often, wins deals by reputation alone.
Consumers - Good mix of pitching and deal work. Still mostly deal work, filtering their transaction announcement list, they still do a solid amount of deals.
Tech & Services - Still a great group but they have to compete against Blair's tech team which has a better reputation in the MM.
Just what I have heard from friends so take that with a grain of salt.
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What do the exit opportunities look like for Baird? Also wondering when you guys say bad hours what does this mean? I am trying to get a comparison to other firms. Is 80 hours considered bad? 90? 100? Also how does comp shake out all in?
Excellent exit opps - PE, corporate development, top MBA, etc. Pay is attractive and competitive with other top banks - more discretionary income given lower cost of living than NYC.
I have heard it's an absolute sweatshop (Chicago not Milwaukee) Had a buddy there who had to be hospitalized for lack of sleep.
???
What group was he in?
I see this is an older thread. I’m curious if anyone has any updates to the culture/ lifestyle at Baird due to COVID and the massive headcount reduction this spring/summer.
Did you end up finding anything out? I'm interviewing this week and am curious as well
Heard from a friend that their Industrials group is a sweatshop and should be avoided.
Bonuses were just paid out and there is a massive exodus across groups inbound / currently happening. Used to have high win rates on pitches across groups but has drastically fallen recently. Still would take Baird over Wells / BMO but any other MM shop should be targeted and placed above Baird right now.
It's a sweatshop at most places with WFH right now but Baird isn't the culture winner that it used to be. Certain groups are better than the average culture right now but other groups are worse than the average. The main issue with Baird is people took the job there for the culture reasons and now work the same hours as the BBs and EBs with none of the compensation or exit op benefits those other platforms provide.
Really hope they can hire, right-size, and get back to the culture they were known for. So many people I know self-selected for that in lieu of more "name brand" shops.
That said, I'm a little surprised by the pitch win rate comment--haven't they seen huge flow in the past 4 months? Seems like from a biz standpoint they are on solid footing but as with other banks are getting absolutely dumped on with work and WFH issues.
Generally depends on the office, but MM work life balance not great
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