When the issue of working hours in investment banking was thrust into the spotlight by the tragic death of Bank of America Merrill Lynch intern Moritz Erhardt in August 2013, there was resistance to change in some quarters. But it was not boardroom executives who felt a debate on the matter was not necessary, it was the workers themselves.

Various investment banks announced measures designed to lighten the load on junior bankers, such as introducing protected weekends - one weekend a month junior bankers are expected to refrain from working - as the broad financial sector came under greater scrutiny as to how much of a work-life balance its employees feel empowered to enjoy (no link between working hours and Erhardt's death was ever proven). At the time, many staffers told Financial News they believed the measures were pointless as finance was simply an industry that requires long hours. But that sentiment now appears to be shifting.