JPMorgan CEO Speaks Against Remote Work, Says It Hurts Young Employees

JP Morgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon has once again defended his stance against remote work and expressed frustration with the virtual environment.

At Stanford University's Graduate School of Business, Mr Dimon said he has had enough of the common work-from-anywhere practice, which doesn't work in his business.

The comment came after a student questioned him about his remarks from a company town hall where he strongly criticised hybrid work policies.

The 68-year-old said he respected employees' rights to choose remote work and favoured it when it proved effective. He explained that 10 per cent of his employees worked from home and the company set up virtual call centres in Baltimore and Detroit.

"They're highly effective. They work from home. They're mostly minorities. That's why we did it. So I'm not against it where it works," he said.

The CEO added that employees had the right to choose whether or not they wanted to work remotely, but stated that he would not allow personal preferences to control corporate strategy.

He said the only group of people that were unhappy with the return to the office were "the people of the middle," such as corporate workers. He explained, "If you work in a restaurant, you've got to be in. You all may not know this, but 60 per cent of Americans worked the whole time."

Referring to people who have never had the option to work remotely, even during the Covid-19 pandemic, he said, "Where did you get your Amazon packages from? Your beef, your meat, your vodka? Where did you get the diapers from?"

Mr Dimon said, "You got UPS and FedEx and manufacturers and agriculture and hospitals and cities and schools and nurses and sanitation and firemen and military. They all worked."

Mr Dimon said he wanted employees back in the office because he believed younger people were being left behind. He clarified that although it might not initially appear like a major problem, over time, remote workers eventually lose out on important opportunities. They have fewer connections with colleagues and receive fewer assignments, he added.

"As a management tool, when we meet in the morning, we talk, we have these debates, all day long we're talking. Hey, no, I checked on that, you're right about that, here's what I think we should do," he said.

"All day long, constant update, constant share of information. So I tell you, it doesn't work in our business. And for culture, you talk about culture, it's impossible to do culture."

He also highlighted that phone usage often distracted people during Zoom meetings.

In February 2025, Mr Dimon dismissed suggestions from employees to reconsider the company's five-day return-to-office (RTO) policy.

"Don't waste time on it. I don't care how many people sign that f***ing petition," he said, according to a Reuters-reviewed recording.