Standing Desk - 1st Year Analyst

I will be starting as a first year analyst at an EB in July. I did not complete an internship with the group so I am not intimately familiar with the group's culture.

I was a division 1 athlete and as a result have recurring back issues. Nothing major but sitting down for 15 hours+ a day is probably not great for my back. I would like a standup desk and am wondering the best way to go about this. I do not want to seem entitled or demanding in asking for too much too quickly.

Is a standup desk something most groups are willing to entertain? Should I wait a few months before asking? Is it something I should ask the company to pay for? Or should I expect to pay for it? Am I out of line in thinking this is possible? What is the best way to proceed?

Any help would be great. Thanks!

 

I'd wait til you're there a few weeks/months just to get the feel of the office and to see if it will hurt your back. Then bring it up to someone more senior in your group and they'll probably direct you to the office manager or HR.

I wouldn't really expect a standing desk because office furniture is actually a lot more complicated and expensive than you'd ever think. And I'd guess that standing for 15 hours straight would start to hurt. As someone who's opened multiple offices and been involved with selecting furniture and as someone who counts himself basically intelligent, I was shocked how complex office furniture people make office furniture. It's all linked together, wired, bolted into the floor (moving it fucks up the carpet), etc so putting one standing desk among the normal workstations probably won't work. A basic workstation also costs $4-5k on the lower end (not the kind you buy at Staples but the ones in offices). You'll probably get a different chair. Just search for alternative office chairs and you'll see therapy ball-like chairs, kneeling ones and a bunch of others. Expect them to pay.

 

my old firm used to have these awesome motorized desks which you could adjust to any height at a touch of a button.....pray for one of those i suppose?

"After you work on Wall Street it’s a choice, would you rather work at McDonalds or on the sell-side? I would choose McDonalds over the sell-side.” - David Tepper
 
oreos:

my old firm used to have these awesome motorized desks which you could adjust to any height at a touch of a button.....pray for one of those i suppose?

This is the optimal solution. A lot of tech companies have these, so I can't imagine it would be so prohibitively expensive. Simply put, it's unhealthy to sit at a desk all day. I alternate between sitting and standing multiple times a day, and the feeling of stretching my legs out is absolute bliss.

 

They're actually becoming pretty common. I wouldn't worry too much about it. Just tell HR or your admin you need one because of back issues, no one will bat an eye. Its funny how large firms bust your balls over stupid shit, but you tell them you need an ergonomic chair/standing desk and they'll get you a pneumatic lifted carbon fiber and titanium standing desk for $3,400. If anyone resists, its an HR/legal issue.... they can't discriminate against you for health issues and they have to accommodate you within reason, kind of like if you requested a wheel chair accessible desk because you lost your legs in a freak wood chipper skateboard jumping accident. They gotta do it. As a result its too much trouble for anyone to care about. You ask for it, and they're just like yeah whatever give him whatever he needs. No one that needs to authorize it cares enough to think twice about it.

 

Why the hell would anyone care? This is an HR or office manager issue. No one in the front office would even know you asked.

"'In summary, people are morons and who cares. Make a shit ton of money. I've never seen a Ferrari paid for by what people think.' - ANT" -rufiolove
 

I'm surprised stand-up desks aren't more common in an IB environment. It helps you stay awake

"I saw Warren Buffett last week and he said, 'John, I like to invest in companies with business models so simple, even an idiot could run them." - John Stumpf
 

My firm just recently sent out an e-mail telling us they will install them for anyone interested. A few coworkers are going to try it out, I am waiting to see how it goes before I give it a shot.

Array
 

My floor was recently revamped and we got these standing desks. In the past 3 months I have used it ~5 times.

I just don't find it that comfortable to work standing unless I am only reading.

 

I'm on one right now. The brand is called Varidesk and it goes on top of a normal desk. It allows me to sit and stand--the adjustment takes about 3 seconds. I stand about 4 hours a day and sit about 4 hours a day at the desk. It helps burn calories on the margins, but it's best for helping with stiff back as a result of sitting too much.

I utilize a standing desk mat in conjunction with the Varidesk because standing on a hard surface at lengths will F up your knees pretty fast.

 

You don't need a whole new/different desk. Several people in my group use one of these or something similar:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00JI6NCCK?psc=1

Put it on the desk and it adjusts up and down for standing or sitting.

Last bank I was at had them too. I thought they were pretty standard.

"I know you think you understand what you thought I said but I'm not sure you realize that what you heard is not what I meant."
 

Well, when I was at a BB 10 years ago we had an entire group dedicated to ergonomic work space design. Complain to HR about back problems and these super annoying people would show up. Despite the effort of dealing with them, it was worth it. They would get you a good chair and anything else that you needed. With the rise of sit/standing desks (my entire company has them), I'm sure that is now an option.

Big companies take health complaints very seriously. They are all self-insured. If your back problem progresses into a back surgery, they are out a TON of money.

 

How could you stand for that many hours a day? I was at this weird play in London that had standing seats and I ended up almost fainting and having to leave after an hour. A lot of people have really bad circulation when they're standing with their knees locked for a long period of time; walking causes blood flow. I would try to see if that's even feasible before you say anything.

 

My IB setup was the worst as we were using these old heavy wood desk that were very pretty, but beyond bad for ergonomics. During my 2nd year, I got a really bad computer neck and had to take muscle relaxant for like a month or two and did physio 3-4 times a week for over a year. It's got better, but it never fully healed and I think it wouldn't have gone anywhere this bad had I brought up the issue sooner (my firm was very responsive and accommodating once I told them I about the issue and that I was seeing a doctor).

Long story short, don't wait, mention this to HR from the beginning and they will send an ergo person / team to you and make sure your setup is appropriate (as other as mentioned, office furniture is more complex than you think so you might not get a new desk though). Your health is not worth sacrificing because you don't want to make waves in your first week.

 

I've faced the same challenge (high-level athlete sitting all day).

The consulting company I used to work at did an office redesign and installed four adjustable standing desks. I used them a bit, but found it tiring and distracting to stand for anything more than 30 minutes.

Instead, I had a few other strategies that helped with flexibility / postural issues and didn't require talking to HR and making a big deal out of it: - sit with good posture — no slouching - get up and walk around every hour or so for water/coffee/food/meetings/bathroom - stand during meetings (as long as it was appropriate for the situation) - use whiteboards instead of paper for brainstorming so I could stand and move - walk to work - stand on the subway

www.worklifefitness.co
 

There was a guy at my firm that had one of these Veridesks that he bought himself cause HR was too slow, it sits on top of your desk, is only a couple hundred bucks, and is easily portable / removable and will adjust up / down with the use of a lever so you can switch between sitting / standing in intervals so it's not too tiring. I'm ordering one for my home office. Depending on your local tax law you can write it off as a deduction as well.

 

Laborum nulla illo cupiditate praesentium. Fuga excepturi labore a libero doloribus consequatur quis. Qui non quam et perspiciatis repellat molestiae.

Ea beatae est ipsum voluptatum. Enim sint quisquam eaque ea corporis quas. Itaque et explicabo iure excepturi eos. Aut blanditiis sequi aperiam non fuga et.

 

Expedita aut eaque dolorem. Aut cupiditate doloribus sunt totam nam quae odio. Ullam doloremque excepturi qui blanditiis ut velit. Qui vel voluptatibus molestiae possimus accusamus qui commodi. Ipsum ipsa facere officiis soluta aspernatur impedit. Asperiores consequatur similique vitae et sit. Voluptate et saepe enim non et.

Id non distinctio ipsum incidunt. Excepturi possimus tempore minima ex quae. Rerum qui voluptas quia tenetur nemo repellat rerum. Magnam omnis impedit eveniet error.

Dolores ducimus ducimus saepe quo. Accusantium rem velit dignissimos et. Qui veritatis occaecati velit sit id.

Et sit exercitationem ea ut tenetur temporibus expedita. Sequi aut quia suscipit alias doloribus corporis necessitatibus nisi. Expedita deleniti dicta voluptas aperiam doloribus ut quia. Incidunt libero rerum reprehenderit quas natus corrupti ea quia. Sed pariatur non qui labore minima sit itaque. Velit quia id amet reiciendis corrupti modi.

 

Dolorem nemo dolore et architecto exercitationem dolor. Numquam molestias blanditiis quis vitae fugiat quis quia. Laudantium est explicabo qui assumenda facilis est a. Vitae incidunt quis dolores exercitationem eligendi. Voluptatem deleniti quae et consequatur aut. Sed facere doloremque laborum et.

Aut dignissimos et et vel illum et non. Dolorem in sint autem ut inventore excepturi. Voluptate officiis ut omnis. Suscipit ut perferendis sunt rerum odio. Voluptatem ipsum nostrum voluptatibus quibusdam quos. Repudiandae assumenda reiciendis fugit odio.

Sint pariatur incidunt velit enim est voluptas itaque. Neque itaque ratione ab eius aut aut. Exercitationem ea velit nobis tempore.

Vero iste quia ut. Dolorem numquam aut placeat excepturi quam. Nihil ea illo alias eius asperiores nostrum impedit. Est sed magni illo vero et eius.

Career Advancement Opportunities

March 2024 Investment Banking

  • Jefferies & Company 02 99.4%
  • Goldman Sachs 19 98.8%
  • Harris Williams & Co. (++) 98.3%
  • Lazard Freres 02 97.7%
  • JPMorgan Chase 03 97.1%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

March 2024 Investment Banking

  • Harris Williams & Co. 18 99.4%
  • JPMorgan Chase 10 98.8%
  • Lazard Freres 05 98.3%
  • Morgan Stanley 07 97.7%
  • William Blair 03 97.1%

Professional Growth Opportunities

March 2024 Investment Banking

  • Lazard Freres 01 99.4%
  • Jefferies & Company 02 98.8%
  • Goldman Sachs 17 98.3%
  • Moelis & Company 07 97.7%
  • JPMorgan Chase 05 97.1%

Total Avg Compensation

March 2024 Investment Banking

  • Director/MD (5) $648
  • Vice President (19) $385
  • Associates (86) $261
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (13) $181
  • Intern/Summer Associate (33) $170
  • 2nd Year Analyst (66) $168
  • 1st Year Analyst (202) $159
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (144) $101
notes
16 IB Interviews Notes

“... there’s no excuse to not take advantage of the resources out there available to you. Best value for your $ are the...”

Leaderboard

success
From 10 rejections to 1 dream investment banking internship

“... I believe it was the single biggest reason why I ended up with an offer...”