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- Wall Street firms have a range of policies to monitor junior bankers' notoriously long hours.
- The first quarter of 2026 saw record M&A volume, which could push up hours.
- Here's how banks, from JPMorgan to Citi, try to keep tabs on how much juniors are working.
JPMorgan CEO Jamie Dimon has said that people will probably be working 3.5 days a week within a few decades, but in the meantime, many of his own bankers are still logged on far more than the typical 40 hours.
Junior bankers, known as analysts and associates, have long been known for grueling schedules, and that hasn't changed much. Data from recruiting firm Odyssey Search Partners found that junior bankers worked as many hours in 2025 as in 2022, with those at bulge-bracket banks reporting an average of 81 hours a week.
And deal volume in 2026 suggests that bankers will have a lot to keep them busy this year: M&A volume topped $1.2 trillion in the first quarter, thanks to a slate of megadeals, according to LSEG data.
While banks have introduced some new policies over the years, especially after the 2024 death of Bank of America investment banker Leo Lukenas III, there are often carve-outs when transactions are being negotiated in real time.
"Ultimately, if there's a client demand, the client demand does come before anything else," Brianne Sterling, the head of investment banking at the recruiting firm Selby Jennings, told Business Insider. "When there's a lot of live deals, unfortunately, whoever's in charge of banker hours probably has a lot of those override requests."
Here's how some of Wall Street's biggest banks monitor their junior employees' hours, from protected weekends to electronic tracking systems.
JPMorgan
In March, JPMorgan piloted a new tool to electronically track junior bankers' hours, which will soon be rolled out to the broader population. The estimate is based on digital activity, like scheduled meetings, Zoom calls, and desktop use, and will serve as a point of comparison for the hours juniors log manually.
"Much like the weekly screen time summaries on a smartphone, this tool is about awareness—not enforcement. It's designed to support transparency, well-being, and encourage open conversations about workload," a spokesman said in a statement.
The nation's largest bank uses an 80-hour weekly workload guideline for junior bankers, with exceptions for certain circumstances, including live deals. Juniors get one full protected weekend off every three months and protected holiday long weekends. They also have a mandated no-work period from 6 pm on Friday to 12 pm on Saturday, with exceptions.
Bank of America
Bank of America introduced a tool in 2024 to better track junior bankers' weekly hours and flag when they exceed 80.
A year later, the bank elevated the role of its chief resource officers, who oversee juniors' workloads and career development. Under the new structure, senior bankers at the director level and above hold the position permanently, rather than midlevel bankers, who previously held it temporarily.
Goldman Sachs
Juniors at Goldman Sachs aren't expected to be in the office from 9 pm on Friday to 9 am on Sunday, under the firm's "Saturday rule" as part of the effort to ensure they're not working too many hours.
A spokesperson told Business Insider that the bank's management monitors junior staffing and activity, and "regularly adjusts the workloads of our teams."
Wells Fargo
Wells Fargo monitors analysts' and associates' weekly hours, which team leads review each week. They try to reassign work during busy periods, a spokesperson confirmed to Business Insider.
Analysts and associates are expected to step away from work from Friday evening to midday Saturday, and all bankers have protected holiday long weekends. Junior employees have additional discretionary protected weekends, the spokesperson continued. Any exceptions to the weekly "pencils down" period — when juniors aren't expected to work — and protected holidays need approval.
Morgan Stanley
Morgan Stanley monitors excess workflow, and a source familiar with the policies said the firm continually updates policies to address any situations that require a more in-depth or personalized approach.
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