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During a town hall meeting, JPMorgan Chase CEO Dimon rejected an internal petition calling for more flexible work arrangements
JPMorgan CEO Jamie Dimon Defends Strict Return-To-Office Policy
JPMorgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon has firmly dismissed requests from employees to reconsider the company’s five-day return-to-office (RTO) policy. During a town hall meeting, Dimon rejected an internal petition calling for more flexible work arrangements.
“Don’t waste time on it. I don’t care how many people sign that f***ing petition,” Dimon said, according to a recording reviewed by Reuters.
On January 10, the largest US bank informed its 317,000 employees that the hybrid work model would end, mandating a return to the office five days a week starting in February. Many employees, particularly those in back-office roles, expressed concerns, stating that the change would negatively impact work-life balance and disproportionately affect caregivers, senior employees, women, and individuals with disabilities, according to a report by Fortune.
More than 1,200 employees signed the petition opposing the move, citing potential damage to morale, retention, and efficiency. However, Dimon remained steadfast, asserting that employees had the option to either work at JPMorgan or leave. “It’s a free country,” he remarked during the meeting.
Dimon has long been a critic of remote work, arguing that it hampers productivity. “I’ve been working seven days a goddamn week since COVID, and I come in, and – where is everybody else?” he said, according to Barron’s.
The CEO also took issue with remote work on Fridays, saying he often had difficulty reaching employees on that day. “Don’t give me that work-from-home Friday works,” he said, as quoted by Fortune. “I call a lot of people on Fridays, and there’s not a goddamn person you can get a hold of.”
Earlier, a JPMorgan Chase analyst was briefly fired after questioning Dimon’s strict return-to-office mandate. Nicholas Welch, who sought more flexibility due to personal circumstances, suggested that lower-level managers should decide office attendance. His comments received applause but were quickly shot down by Dimon. According to The New York Post, Welch’s supervisor ordered him to clear his desk and leave, but hours later, a senior executive reversed the decision, confirming that he was still employed.
Alongside the return-to-office debate, JPMorgan Chase has begun notifying employees of upcoming job cuts as part of its 2025 downsizing efforts. Fewer than 1,000 employees will be affected by layoffs in February, with additional cuts planned for mid-March, May, June, August, and September.
The bank stated that these layoffs represent a small fraction (0.3%) of its total workforce. Despite these reductions, JPMorgan intends to continue hiring in certain areas and redeploy affected staff.
