Jamie Dimon slams hybrid work petition, do employees care?

Jamie Dimon, the head honcho at JPMorgan Chase, isn’t mincing words. Employees circulated a petition pleading for the bank to keep its hybrid work policy. His response? Not exactly warm and fuzzy.

Remember last month? JPMorgan, a financial giant with over 300,000 employees, announced a full return to the office, five days a week, starting in March. The reaction was swift. Think internal channels buzzing with dissent. A petition even surfaced, gathering 1,312 signatures (and counting). The plea? Keep hybrid work as the norm.

But Dimon? He’s standing firm.

“Don’t Waste Time On It”

During a town hall meeting, employees dared to ask about the petition. Dimon’s reply, according to a recording obtained by Reuters, was direct. Brutally so. “Don’t waste time on it,” he reportedly said. “I don’t care how many people sign that f—ing petition. ” Ouch.

Why the hard stance? Dimon argues that remote work leads to distractions during Zoom meetings. Creativity and efficiency suffer, he believes. He apparently misses those Friday chats with employees – a popular work-from-home day.

Record Profits vs. Employee Morale

Here’s the kicker. JPMorgan raked in a record $58. 5 billion in profits in 2024. Some employees are asking a valid question: If the bank can achieve these results with hybrid work, why the sudden need for a full-time return in 2025?

It’s a fair point. Like when you’re crushing your sales goals working from home in your pajamas. Why fix what isn’t broken?

Who’s Affected?

Bloomberg reports that a good chunk of JPMorgan’s workforce (60%) already works from the office five days a week. This includes managing directors and salespeople. The ones most impacted by this change? Back-office workers who are currently enjoying the flexibility of a hybrid schedule.

Joining the Ranks of RTO Hardliners

JPMorgan is now in the company of other corporate giants like Amazon and Walmart, all enforcing strict return-to-office policies. It’s a trend. But is it the right one? Only time will tell.

As the largest bank in the U. S. , with a whopping $3. 9 trillion in assets, JPMorgan’s decision carries weight. Especially after it reportedly laid off fewer than 1,000 workers earlier this month. Is this RTO mandate about efficiency? Or something else entirely?