JPMorgan Chase, JPM, has disabled an internal website about a five-day return to office policy after dozens of employees criticized the move

JPMorgan Chase, JPM, has disabled an internal website about a five-day return to office policy after dozens of employees criticized the move.
JPMorgan Chase’s decision to implement a full-time return-to-office policy has triggered significant employee pushback, prompting the company to disable comments on the internal webpage where the policy was announced, according to reports.

The policy, which affects approximately 300,000 employees, was detailed in an internal memo on Friday. It stipulates that the change will take effect in March, with limited exceptions.

First reported by Bloomberg, the new policy primarily impacts back-office employees, such as call center staff, who were previously permitted to work remotely two days a week. More than half of the bank’s workforce, including senior managers and client-facing employees, were already working full-time in the office.

The announcement was published on an internal company site that allows employees to share public feedback. According to sources cited by Barron’s, dozens of comments criticized the policy, with one employee even suggesting unionizing to advocate for a hybrid work schedule.

In response to the influx of reactions, the bank disabled the comment feature on the post. However, the original announcement and comments submitted before the feature was turned off remain visible. A source close to the situation told the Wall Street Journal that JPMorgan regularly disables comments on posts with high engagement, emphasizing that existing comments are not deleted.

Discontent over the policy has also surfaced on social media. On LinkedIn, one employee expressed frustration, highlighting the challenges the policy poses for parents. “The ability to work from home makes it significantly easier with babies at home. Taking that away will make it much more stressful to perform parental duties,” the employee wrote, later deleting the post due to concerns about repercussions.

JPMorgan executives noted in the memo that employees affected by the policy would receive 30 days' notice before being required to return to the office. Exceptions will only be made for teams whose work can be “easily and clearly measured.”

The memo acknowledged that not everyone would agree with the decision but emphasized the company’s belief in the value of in-office work. “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,” the memo stated.

JPMorgan CEO Jamie Dimon has consistently voiced his preference for full-time office work. In a 2024 interview with the Wall Street Journal, Dimon stated that employees should generally be in the office five days a week, although he acknowledged that certain roles might allow for occasional remote work.

JPMorgan Chase declined to comment on the matter.