Analysts' Vacation Days
What's the perception on analysts taking time off? I assume most of us were given 20 days, although I never expected to use all of them. However, I've heard that some places require analysts to take five consecutive days off at least once per year. What's the pulse on this?
I know there are past posts, but I'd like some more recent insight given the new initiatives many banks take.
Comments (38)
I expect no vacations this year due to WFH. The fine line between work and home has been completely destroyed.
why do you suspect this?
The wild part is how many boomers think WFH is a perpetual vacation when in reality it's the exact opposite.
Normally you take a full week or so off and then a few long weekends throughout the year.
TBD on this year with COVID and WFH, but I would assume most firms would still encourage taking vacation at some point. Burnout, especially in this environment, is very real.
I take all my vacation in 15 minute intervals daily. This allows me to cry on my own time instead of the companies time.
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Learn moreYep typically one full week, and handful of random 3-day weekends and a couple of extra days around the holidays. I prob used 10-15 vacation days as a second year which is on the high side but not crazy if you space things out and have a good relationship with your associates/VPs.
Surprised you all have limited vac days. My firm has unlimited vac days, allowing us to be gone for three months on end. Of course, the longest vac anyone has taken has probably been a week just like you guys so dont know how effective or better it really is...
who?
I've actually heard from 2 analysts I know at FT partners that they do not get unlimited vac days. They only get 4 days a year (not including bank holidays). Insane place.
Ok, this is objectively false. I know many analysts that have taken at least one whole week off for vacay. I don't want you spreading misinfo out there. The shop is not THAT crazy, dude.
Not true - have had friends take a full week off during their first 6 months (around Christmas time)
Unlimited vacation days is a scam used by garbage companies to avoid paying out the extra vacation days owed to employees when they leave a firm. Companies know no one can actually use those unlimited days as unlimited, and studies have shown employees at firms with unlimited vacation days tend to take less vacation than employees with a set number of days.
You don't have an awesome benefit that most other banks are lacking, you are just getting played by a cheap ass employer.
wait, if you leave a firm, you get paid the vacation days that you didn't take? No way
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Dumb question but what is the impact of the negative perception if you just max out your vac days? Especially for those second-year analysts that have signed PE already and are checking out, why would you care if people at the firm view you negatively (sorry for dumb Q but genuinely curious)
I think generally lower bonus
Array
If you're a second year you should 100% take all the vacation days you can. Most people I knew in banking did a week long vacation sometime over the summer / early fall going into the second year and then took another week in the spring. Firms are probably going to knock you on the bonus if you're leaving anyway so you might as well get the time off, just request it far enough in advance so you're not screwing over your teams
Including holidays I was off like 14 days my first 6 months
LOL vacation days, you mean work from vacation days?
Wouldn't recommend planning a vacation as an analyst...unless its a day or two or your manager/firm makes you take it..At least that was the culture at my bank
Completely disagree. You sound like the budding PJT VP. Analysts are most likely to get burnt out in IB because they're working the longest hours and they're fresh out of college. They need time to rejuvenate too, as we're humans.
Nothing wrong with stepping back and taking a vacation every so often. Just don't do it regularly or take more than two weeks off in a year.
Definitely not true - would highly recommend not working for a bank / group if this is the type of "culture" that people accept
what a tool, i took 10 business days (if not more) worth of vacation days my first year and still got top bucket
Wouldn't recommend working for a firm (or VP) with this sort of attitude, "unspoken" or otherwise. You work like a dog in the role; taking off a week or [gasp] two every year a) won't cripple your deal teams and b) will go a long way towards preventing you from going nuts - there's a lot more to life than turning .ppt comments at 2AM (for 52 weeks a year, apparently).
Lol you must have worked at FTP hahhaha. JK JKJK
i heard there are 0 vacation days as an analyst in S&T...
My guy, why are you spreading bullshit on this site?
you lack reading comprehension skills.
i simply noted what i heard directly from someone that works there in S&T. did not say if it is actually true or not
feel free to provide insight if you have any instead of making useless comments
Objectively false, most S&T employees (including analysts) are required to take 2 consecutive weeks off every year.
My BB is technically supposed to be two different weeks, 5 consecutive days with no email and 5 consecutive days with. I haven't seen anyone do both. I think regardless of WFH continuing into Q3, there will be encouragement to take vacation days, mine has even reminded us we can take them now even though there's nowhere to go.
I'm hopeful for the future to see a relaxation on being in the office that could allow for more 3 day weekends or half day on Friday at least.
lit this was kind of the answer I was looking for to confirm what I've been told by other people... guess we'll see when I get there!
I know the public side guys (EQR and S&T) are required to take mandatory time off ("block leave") every year which is comprised of five consecutive days off with no access to email.
I work in ABF and analysts take very few days off, would usually take advantage of a long weekend and tack on an extra day.
I did 2 years as an analyst at a BB in the last few years. In my group, it was normal to take a vacation for a week during August or December in your second year, but there was not typically many people taking a 5 day vacation in their first year. It was more normal to take 1-2 days for a long weekend.
I took a day off in August of my second year and then took a few days in November in my second year around Thanksgiving to visit family and didn't get much pushback / nobody bothered me during the days I wasn't in the office.
Most people elected to roll all of their remaining vacation days into speeding up their exit date at the end of the two years, rather than taking extended vacations.
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