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JPMorgan Chase (JPM+0.12%) CEO Jamie Dimon is making clear that he wants workers back in the office — and five days a week.
Dimon, who has led the country’s biggest bank for almost two decades, was alternately sweet and salty during a lively Wednesday town hall meeting with employees, where he emphasized the importance of showing up at the office.
Workers have pushed back by circulating a petition protesting the move.
“I don’t care how many people sign that f—ing petition,” Dimon said to scattered chuckles. The remarks were first reported by Reuters.
And Dimon doubled down on his directive by saying people have a choice about whether to work at Chase or not — and if they don’t want to show up at the office every day, they can leave.
“I’ve had it with this stuff,” Dimon said of remote work, in remarks reported by Barron’s. “I’ve been working seven days a goddamn week since COVID, and I come in, and—where is everybody else?”
Dimon said all the bank’s departments should show 10% efficiency gains, which would entail 10% cuts in reports, meetings, documents, and training sessions. He admonished JPMorgan’s workers to “not waste time” and strive for efficiency.
JPMorgan told its more than 300,000 employees in January that it was ending remote work. A little over half the workforce was already working full-time in one of the bank’s offices. In the recently drawn-up petition, more than 500 signatories asked Dimon to change his mind and keep a hybrid model. They say the company’s new mandate to end hybrid work “is a great leap backward: It hurts employees, customers, shareholders, and the firm’s reputation.”
JPMorgan has reportedly laid off about 1,000 employees despite record-breaking annual profits. According to a report by Barron’s on Wednesday, the bank is planning further workforce reductions in the months ahead.
—Ben Kesslen contributed to this article.