NYC EB Associate Hours
What have Associate hours been like at EBs in NY? Any major change post covid in terms of total hours worked?
What have Associate hours been like at EBs in NY? Any major change post covid in terms of total hours worked?
Career Resources
Based on the most helpful WSO content, the hours for Associates at Elite Boutiques (EBs) in NYC have traditionally been demanding, often mirroring or slightly improving upon the intense schedules seen at Bulge Bracket (BB) banks. Before the COVID-19 pandemic, it was common for Associates to work long hours, sometimes stretching into the early hours of the morning, especially during busy periods.
Post-COVID, there has been a noticeable shift in working patterns across the investment banking sector, including at EBs. While the total hours worked may not have drastically decreased, the flexibility to work from home (WFH) has introduced a new dynamic. This change has allowed for a more flexible schedule, but it has also blurred the lines between work and personal time for some, leading to a different kind of stress and exhaustion as noted in the context where an Associate 2 in IB - Gen expressed feeling overwhelmed with the constant availability expected in a WFH environment.
It's important to note that while there might be some variations in hours due to the pandemic, the workload in investment banking, particularly at EBs in NYC, remains substantial. The expectation to be available and the pressure to deliver high-quality work on tight deadlines have not diminished. However, the actual hours can vary significantly depending on the deal flow, the specific team, and the bank's culture.
In summary, while there may have been some adjustments in working hours and conditions post-COVID, Associates at EBs in NYC continue to face demanding schedules, with the added complexity of managing work-life balance in a WFH or hybrid working model.
Sources: Actual BB IB Associate post-MBA hours, How is COVID affecting deal flow & working hours for IB analysts?, Associate and VP hours, Any other juniors EXHAUSTED due to COVID work-from-home?, What is it really like working at an EB?
I'm at a generalist M&A boutique in NY, though not considered "elite" exactly. Definitely got better at the associate level since you don't need to worry about facetime as much, and you can delegate tasks. On the other hand, hours are more unpredictable and back-end loaded because if the analyst finishes at 6PM but your MD wants it at 9AM next morning, you have to check at some late hours. But generally I'm averaging 50 - 60 hours.
Idk if getting a draft at 6 pm constitutes reviewing at late hours…
My point is it’ll take a couple of hours to check and then check the next turn again. By the time you finish, it’s like past midnight.
Damm - that can't be true. Is it 50-60h because there are no deals?
I clock in more hours consistently at my MBB. Heck, I even know people at Big 4 transaction advisory who work more than 50 hours.
This seems to be an outlier?
Past 2 months have been like this for me. Mix of coasting and not taking crap staffings
Last week, the actual hours worked might been like 25 lol
Yes we’re an outlier because we’re very small boutique (not EB like Evercore and such, but not regional boutique either because we’re NYC based and do deals globally). Allows us to be efficient.
We also often co-advise, so that splits the work and we’ve evolved such that a lot of our revenue comes from retainer advisory work nowadays.
That said, I’ve definitely seen similar hours in certain groups. Friends at CS last year for example seemed to be cruising a fair amount (ofc caveat that the bank was struggling though).
Up
Consistently 80+
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