JPMorgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon forcefully dismissed employee resistance to the bank’s five-day return-to-office mandate during a staff town hall this week, per the recording reviewed by Reuters, telling workers he doesn’t “care how many people sign that fucking petition” against the policy.
The sharp response from Wall Street’s longest-serving bank CEO came as approximately 950 employees have signed an online petition urging the firm to reconsider its March deadline for ending hybrid work arrangements. JPMorgan employs over 317,000 people globally.
“Don’t waste time on it,” Dimon said during the meeting, according to a recording reviewed by Reuters. He emphasized that employees have a choice whether to work at JPMorgan, telling staff “not to be mad at him” and noting “it’s a free country.”
The mandate has sparked widespread complaints on the bank’s internal message boards, particularly from back-office workers. Employees have cited concerns about increased commuting and childcare costs, as well as mental health and stress impacts. Some workers have even sought guidance from the Communications Workers of America about potentially unionizing – a rare move in the U.S. financial sector.
Dimon defended the policy by criticizing remote work’s impact on efficiency and creativity, saying some staff didn’t pay attention during Zoom meetings. He rejected suggestions to let managers decide on in-office requirements, stating there is “zero chance” of that happening due to “extraordinary” past abuse of flexible arrangements.
The CEO’s hardline stance aligns with other JPMorgan executives, who wrote in a January memo that being together “greatly enhances mentoring, learning, brainstorming and getting things done.”
Despite employee protests, JPMorgan has given staff 30 days’ notice before the full-time office return takes effect. The bank noted that more than half its workforce already comes into the office five days a week, and said it would maintain “support for flexibility in the workplace” while implementing the new policy “in a fair way.”