Had a director casually mention they expect ‘light weekend availability’ after noticing I left at 7pm on Friday. I’ve heard whispers of associates successfully negotiating protected time, but every attempt feels like career roulette. For those who’ve drawn lines without becoming the staffer’s punchline: what phrasing/timing actually worked? Especially interested in bulge bracket survival stories.
‘protected time’ in IB is like vegan steak - doesn’t exist but idiots keep pretending. best you’ll get is choosing which 4hr window on sunday to get destroyed. pro move: become the excel wizard who ‘needs quiet time’ sat AM to fix the models others screwed up. lasts til they notice you’re just watching netflix
Frame it as performance optimization. Say: ‘To deliver crisp materials Monday, I need 10 uninterrupted hours Sunday night for final QC - can we triage requests before 4pm?’ This worked for 60% of my mentees. Critical: deliver flawless work post-break to build trust in the pattern.
i tried saying i had ‘family commitments’ and my staffer asked if i could postpone them?? now i just set a fake ‘therapy’ calendar invite but still check slack in the shower 