I hate it when the minions complain!
JPMorgan Chase Disables Employee Comments After Return-to-Office Backlash
The bank shut down a discussion on an internal website about a five-day return to office policy after dozens of employees criticized the move
By Alexander Saeedy, WSJ
Updated Jan. 11, 2025 8:16 am ET
JPMorgan Chase JPM -1.34%decrease; red down pointing triangle shut down comments on an internal webpage announcing the bank’s return-to-office policy after dozens of them criticized the move and at least one suggested that affected employees should unionize, according to people familiar with the matter.
The bank’s senior executives announced in an internal memo Friday that JPMorgan Chase would require all of its roughly 300,000 employees to work full time from the office starting in March, with only a limited number of exceptions.
More than half of the bank’s full-time workers, including senior managers and those with client-facing roles such as branch workers, have already been working full time from offices. The move primarily impacts back-office roles such as call-center workers who had still been able to work remotely two days a week.
After the bank announced the policy change, it posted it to an internal company website where it often shares news. Employees are able to post comments that include their first and last names.
Many employees shared concerns such as increased commuting costs, child-care challenges and the impact on work-life balance. One person suggested that they should consider unionizing to fight for a hybrid-work schedule, the people familiar with the matter said.
Soon after, the bank disabled comments on the article. The original article is still up and some of the comments remain visible, the people said.
Some employees spoke out on social-media sites against the bank’s planned return-to-office policy after news broke of it earlier in the week.
A person close to JPMorgan said the bank often turns off comments on posts after they receive high volumes of comments.
“The ability to work from home makes it significantly easier with babies at home,” said one employee on LinkedIn, who has since deleted his comment for fear of retribution. “Taking that away will make it much more stressful to perform parental duties.”
The bank’s executives said when announcing the move that affected employees would receive a 30-day notice before they are expected to return to the office full time. They also said there will be a limited number of teams that can work remotely or on a hybrid basis if their “work can be easily and clearly measured.”
“We know that some of you prefer a hybrid schedule and respectfully understand that not everyone will agree with this decision,” the memo states. “We feel that now is the right time to solidify our full-time in-office approach. We think it is the best way to run the company.”
Last year, JPMorgan CEO Jamie Dimon told The Wall Street Journal that he thought employees should be back in the office five days a week, but he said, “There are some jobs where taking a day or two at home is fine.”
Other companies, including Amazon.com, are calling employees back to the office five days a week after years of more flexible policies following the pandemic. Some have speculated that such mandates are used to thin out ranks.
Write to Alexander Saeedy at alexander.saeedy@wsj.com
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