JPMorgan Chase is mandating a full-time return to the office for its employees, following the lead of CEO Jamie Dimon and other Wall Street leaders like those at Goldman Sachs and Morgan Stanley, who believe in-person work fosters better learning, innovation, and company culture. With this, JPMorgan joins a growing list of major corporations, including AT&T, Amazon, and Walmart, that are implementing stricter return-to-office policies.
A memo from JPMorgan’s operating committee stated that over half of its 316,000 global employees already work in the office full-time, and that “Now is the right time to solidify our full-time in-office approach,” the executives wrote. “We think it is the best way to run the company.”
A JPMorgan spokesperson confirmed the contents of the memo but declined to comment further. “We know that some of you prefer a hybrid schedule and respectfully understand that not everyone will agree with this decision,” Dimon and other leaders wrote in the memo. “Being together greatly enhances mentoring, learning, brainstorming and getting things done.”
Some employees unhappy with the ‘order’
Despite this justification, some JPMorgan staff expressed their displeasure with the directive on the company’s intranet, citing concerns about increased commuting and childcare costs, as well as mental health and stress. Reportedly, the comment page was locked after more than 300 comments were posted within the first hour.
This move follows a phased return to the office at JPMorgan, which began with rotational schedules in mid-2021 and a full-time return for managing directors in 2023. The bank has stated that employees will receive at least 30 days’ notice before the full-time return is expected and can request additional time from their managers if needed. JPMorgan also emphasized its commitment to workplace flexibility, offering special exceptions for remote work and flexibility for personal reasons, details of which are available in a linked FAQ document.
