JPMorgan Chase CEO rejects hybrid work requests from employees amid layoffs says, ‘Don’t waste...'

JPMorgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon has strictly dismissed requests from employees for flexible work arrangements. The employees of the financial services firm requested to relook at its five-day return-to-office (RTO) policy in their internal petition.  

However, Dimon rejected the petition during a town hall meeting. “Don’t waste time on it. I don’t care how many people sign that f***ing petition,” he said, as per a recording seen by British news agency Reuters. 

The US bank notified its employees, 317,000 in numbers, that it would cut short its hybrid work model and make returning to the office five days a week mandatory from February onwards. As per a report by Fortune, some of the employees, especially those working in back-office roles raised worries saying that the new norm would adversely affect work-life balance and unfairly impact caregivers, senior employees, women, and individuals with disabilities.  

A larger number of employees, over 1,200, signed the petition protesting the decision, due to possible harm to morale, retention, and efficiency. However, this protest did not deter Dimon from his decision who gave his verdict that either employees choose this and remain in the office or oppose it and leave the company. “It’s a free country,” he said during the meeting. 

Dimon has always criticised hybrid or remote mode of work, reasoning the negative impact on 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. 

JPMorgan Chase CEO especially pointed out his unease over work from home mode on Fridays on which he faces difficulty contacting employees. “Don’t give me that work-from-home Friday works. I call a lot of people on Fridays, and there’s not a goddamn person you can get a hold of,” he was quoted as saying by Fortune.