US bank’s workweek leaves overworked employees hospitalized
Junior employees at Robert W. Baird, a US-based investment bank, were hospitalized after being subjected to 110-hour workweeks, as reported by the Wall Street Journal on April 30, 2025.
Several junior bankers within the firm were forced to work 20-hour workdays over consecutive weeks.
One junior staff member suffered pancreas failure due to exhaustion, and after making a second visit to hospital, was fired for alleged poor productivity.
The revelations have sparked serious concerns about extreme workplace demands, especially within high-pressure industries like banking. This news comes amid growing awareness and scrutiny over mental and physical burnout from excessive workweek hours.
This isn’t an Isolated Incident
These instances echo past tragedies, and highlight a wider cultural issue within the banking sector.
Sarvshreshth Gupta, a 22-year-old Goldman Sachs analyst, was found dead in his apartment parking lot in San Francisco just hours after telling his father “This job is not for me. Too much work and too little time.” Gupta had worked through the night before his death.
In January 2025, Carter McIntosh, a 28-year-old associate at Jefferies, was found dead in his apartment of a suspected drug overdose. Police officers found a white substance, suspected to be Adderall.
It is known that employees within the financial sector take Adderall to manage extreme working hours, as reported by The Wall Street Journal.
In another case, Leo Lukenas III, a 35-year-old husband, father, and associate at Bank of America, died from a fatal blood clot. Lukenas had also been working 100+ hour workweeks in the run-up to the tragedy. He had reportedly expressed interest in leaving the firm due to the overwhelming workload.
Lukenas’s death has been widely discussed on social media, with debates around reforms to working conditions on Wall Street such as capping workweeks to 80 hours.
A Culture of Overworked Employees
At Robert W. Baird, insiders described a rigid environment where junior employees weren’t allowed to step away from their desks for more than five minutes, even after pulling all-nighters. Despite policies to cap hours, these limits are frequently ignored, and employees fear speaking out due to potential retaliation.
A culture that prioritizes relentless output over employee well-being doesn’t just endanger lives, it damages morale, accelerates employee turnover, and risks lasting reputational harm for companies that fail to act.
Investment banks have long acknowledged the problem, and some are implementing changes to address the concerns. JPMorgan has introduced an 80-hour workweek cap for many junior roles, while Bank of America has introduced new time tracking software to monitor work hours more accurately.
What Can Employees Do if They Feel Overworked?
If you’re feeling overwhelmed by long hours, it’s important to act early to protect your health:
- Track your work hours to document excessive workloads.
- Speak to your manager or HR about how the workload is affecting your well-being.
- Research available support programs, like wellness or mental health services.
- Set clear boundaries on availability outside work hours.
- Use any entitled leave, rest is essential to recovery.
- Connect with colleagues or family for support and to address issues collectively.
- Know your rights under labor laws and internal policies.
- Explore new roles if the work culture is not for you.
Related Content:
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How US Employers are Sneakily Avoiding Overtime Payments
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