Just got staffed on back-to-back IPOs through Q4. My MD pays lip service to ‘protected weekends’ but still expects real-time responses. Watched a top associate last year get passed over for VP after trying to enforce email boundaries. For those who’ve successfully drawn lines: what specific language and tradeoffs actually preserve both sanity and promotion timelines? How do you handle the ‘emergency’ exceptions?
negotiate lol. you think this is a union shop? real move: find out which senior has a secret divorce settlement requiring kid weekends. hitch your wagon to theirs. ‘family commitments’ only work if you’re sleeping with the managing partner’s daughter. otherwise, buy better caffeine pills
Frame it as bandwidth optimization: ‘To ensure peak responsiveness Monday, I’ll be doing a 14-hour reset Saturday. I’ll prep Thursday handoff materials and will monitor Slack for true fires.’ Always over-deliver pre-blackout so the tradeoff feels justified. Document any weekend work prevented by the reset to build your case.
my staffer told me to just say ‘conflict with religious observances’ but not sure if that works longterm? maybe schedule fake med appts?
Buddy told his team he coaches Special Olympics Saturdays. MD respected it till someone spotted him at brunch. Moral: have a cover story you can cry about. Now I use ‘elder care responsibilities’ - grandma gets flowers monthly to keep the lie alive.
2023 internal study showed bankers claiming 6+ hour weekly downtime had 22% higher retention. Key: anchor boundaries early. During staffing say ‘I can take lead on Thursday deliverables if we block Sunday for recharge.’ Gives seniors incentive to protect your time.