Bad Associate

After 4 years in banking, I made a switch to LMM PE in a smaller city to move back closer to family and friends. My banking group was very sweaty and I was hoping to make a move that although would be less pay, would result in a better WLB. I was very upfront doing interviews about currently working in a group with tough culture, and that I wanted a role now that I didn’t have to devote my entire life to and that I didn’t mind putting in the work around deal sprints, but had no interest in working late every night and weekends just for the sake of doing so and to meet nonsensical deadlines.

I started this summer on the buyside and I’m very worried about my year end review / bonus, and sometimes even my job security. It’s been very frustrating since I made the jump, as each review I got in banking was great (top bucket with hardly any critiques on my performance). Now 4-5 months later, I basically get ripped over email on a bi-weekly basis by a VP. It’s hard for me to think my working style has changed so dramatically in a matter months where one group thought I was great and now a new group thinks I’m terrible.

I will say that this VP and I at the end of the day have very different fundamental ways we approach things. He’s extremely book smart, can crunch any number off the top of his head and is extremely dedicated to the job. In fact, I would say the job is his life. We go on a team retreat and while the team goes out and grabs drinks after dinner, he goes back to his room to send emails and work. So that’s probably difference once between us, he absolutely lives in front of his laptop and at this point in my life I don’t have any interest in being chained to my laptop like I was the last 4 years.

He also sets these ridiculous timelines that make no sense. We could be going to IC in 3-4 weeks and he wants a baked draft over the weekend. We need to build the model over the next 2 weeks, but wants it completely finished in 2 days. Basically constantly creating 2-3am nights and work Saturday and Sunday like it’s Tuesday for things that end up sitting on the shelf for 2 weeks. We are incredibly prepared, but he basically monopolizes all of my time without being able to think big picture and that there would be no different if I chipped away on the deliverable over the next few days rather than staying up to 3am and finishing it that night. Which was exactly what I was trying to get away from in banking. Now I end up in a job where I work more and get paid less, which has been frustrating.

I haven’t been perfect since I joined. I tried a couple times pushing back. Sending emails back asking why we needed this on this deadline and pointing out we have ample time to chip away at it over the coming days and that doing so wouldn’t affect the timeline of the deal. Which did not go over well. There’s also been times where I said I would follow up with management of a port co tonight and I ended up sending the email the following morning. Didn’t think much about it as management isn’t up at 1am anyways so an 8am email made no difference in my mind. Then this VP will send a follow up email saying that I missed the deadline I set and will have some real smug email with “Per your email attached” and attaches the email I sent as if I didn’t remember what I said and rips into me about how I shouldn’t miss any deadlines I set for myself. This has happened 2-3 times now and each time I haven’t thought much of it because it’s had no bearings on our timelines and I knew mgmt wouldn’t look at until morning anyways. This has probably also been fueled by the fact that I basically have started silently protesting his deadlines by just missing them. Not a good look for me, but when you’ve already burnt me out in 4-5 months and I know that not delivering something to him for review will have no affect on the actual end deliverable and the deal will keep moving along without a hiccup and the earth will keep spinning, I just don’t have the will or energy anymore to grind out 2am every night and work all weekend. Especially if it means pissing off my wife who thought my hours would be getting better not worse. My quality of work is good and the timing of it has never affected the outcome of a deal, or even the timeline of a deliverable.

Basically, I think this VP is a hardo loser who’s job has become their personality. I’ve also learned that before I joined, the firm let go 2 associates for performance, another 2 associates and 1 VP lateraled and changed firms due to WLB. So I tend to think there’s a cultural problem at the firm more than a problem with my actual performance. But, I don’t think I’m some perfect rockstar who knows it all, and in fact as a first year associate I still have a lot to learn but working here has made it extremely difficult to do that. This VP also wants me to take a larger role on some of the diligence efforts, which I actually would like to do, but when I’m grinding out his pointless grunt work to 2am I don’t really have the time or energy to go above and beyond for this guy. Even in the darkest times in IB, I never felt like I hated my job. Now I go to bed and wake up with my first thought being how I hate my job and dreading my alarm in the morning.

Anyways, I’ve never really had this problem in my career so far so I don’t really know what to do. Find another job so shortly after leaving IB for this one? Go bank to banking? Anyways I can manage upward more affectively? I really don’t see a way of making this guy happy without just 100% devoting my life to my job, and unfortunately I think his opinion of me will materially affect my review and bonus, which is just strange for me as I always received positive feedback in banking for my quality of work product, technical skills, work ethic, team player, etc.

Any helpful advice would be appreciated