JPMorgan's CEO rejects petition calling for full-time return to office to be scrapped
A senior lecturer at the University of Auckland has criticised banking giant JPMorgan’s return-to-office policy, citing it as rigid, after it enforced a full return to the office for all employees.
“The benefits from working from home are fundamentally built around the flexibility that people can have, and so that allows them to integrate other elements of their life so they can get that work-life balance,” Joanne Mutter told HRD.
“Globally, we’ve got an aging population. Flexibility will allow people who are that little bit older – or people who have caring responsibilities – be better integrated and maintained within the workforce.”
Gen X, Gen Y and Gen Z love the flexibility, she said, “and to have employees’ voices not heard, it’s like they’re trying to reduce their numbers of staff.”
JPMorgan Chase’s CEO has rejected a petition put forward by staff after the company imposed a five-day office-return policy – raising tensions between higher-ups and employees.
The financial services firm announced in January that it will require all employees on hybrid work schedules to return to the office five days a week starting in March, The Guardian reported.
The petition against the plans reached over 1,800 signatures and branded the mandate a “great leap backward.”
"It hurts employees, customers, shareholders, and the firm’s reputation," the petition read. "From a corporate-citizenship perspective, it worsens traffic and pollution while disproportionately pushing out women, caregivers, senior employees, and individuals with disabilities.”
JPMorgan’s CEO, Jamie Dimon, has rejected calls for a hybrid working model in a recording on a recent townhall leaked to the media – stating, as quoted by Reuters, he “doesn’t care how many people sign the fucking petition.”
Other reports suggest Dimon said he has “had it” with Gen Z employees and their work-from-home shenanigans.
Research, conducted in 2024, found that only three percent of employees across Australia want to return to work full time, despite strong encouragement by employers to increase their on-site presence.
Conflict in the workplace can be a common occurrence. Increased absenteeism, lower productivity, lower job satisfaction, lower quality of work, and higher turnover can result if this issue is left unaddressed.
“Employees need to feel like they’re being listened to – and rigid practices like forcing people to come into the office 100% of the time doesn’t help with that. Not having voices listened to means more and more people are just going to switch off,” Mutter said.
“HR leaders need to work to facilitate the discussion of employees’ voices and the response from those higher up. As an employee champion, this needs to be taken seriously by those in people management roles.”
The hybrid model provides ‘the best of both worlds’
There’s a lot of discussion amongst business leaders about the ‘sweet spot’ between working from home and in the office – but does it actually exist?
Mutter believes it does.
“I'm advocating for hybrid working because there are absolutely things that need to be done in an office – but there’s also things that can be done from home. Younger workers, for example, like having the choice but it’s also important they’re present for things like in-person training and having quality time with mentors.”
Equally, collaboration is better done face-to-face, she said.
“Over a coffee, by the water cooler, these discussions are what working’s all about. But, there are some things – like team meetings, answering emails, research – that can be done at home.”
The main concern is that many leaders and HR professionals aren’t sure how to manage challenges between increased productivity and an increased office presence, Mutter noted.
So, HR leaders need to act as strategic partners to make the transition between office work and home work more seamless, she said.
