JPMorgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon says he regrets his foul-mouthed tirade on working from home earlier this month.
"I do town halls all around the world and as you know I mope sometimes. I should never curse, ever," he said during a CNBC interview Monday at the financial giant’s global leveraged finance conference in Miami Beach.
He added: "I shouldn't get angry or stuff like that. But the gentleman asked a long question and I answered the question. I tried to give a lot of detail which I think he’s entitled to because I’ve never, ever fired anyone because they asked a question like that.”
Earlier this month, Dimon was heard on leaked audio from a town hall answering a staffer’s question about a petition circulating within the company, asking bosses to rethink their plan to order workers back to the office on a more permanent basis.
“Don’t waste time on it. I don’t care how many people sign that ******* petition,” he said during the meeting.
After the heated rant, the CEO weighed in on the fact that employees had a “choice [on] whether to work at JPMorgan” and pleaded with staff not to “be mad at him.” He went on to mention that they were free to work anywhere.
In the CNBC interview, Dimon said that he felt his negative feelings towards working from home were overblown.
“I completely respect people that don’t want to go to the office all five days a week. That’s your right. It’s my right. It’s a citizen’s right. But they should respect that the company is going to decide what’s good for the client, the company, etcetera – not the individual.”
He reiterated his previous assertions that his employees were welcome to get a job elsewhere if they weren’t happy about that, adding “I’m not being mean.”
“I’ll understand that. And I also respect that other companies are going to try a different way to grow.”
“I’m not against work from home. I’m against where it doesn't work,” he added.
Dimon said he believes he has already declared his reasonings, as per the revelation a few weeks ago, citing the petition.
He doubled down on his stance explaining that employees were entitled to feel disgruntled about the notion but said that his company would remain defiant and its position would not change.
“For the most part, people understand why we want to do it,” he concluded.
Several Wall Street banks, including Goldman Sachs and Morgan Stanley, have advocated for the return-to-office policy, arguing that it fosters better learning, company innovation, and workplace culture.
Meanwhile, President Donald Trump also signed an executive order at the start of his second term, demanding that all federal government workers return to working in person on a full-time basis.
Under Dimon’s leadership, the bank’s profits surged to record numbers in 2024 with a share price that nearly doubled in the past five years – without enforcing the stringent measures.
The Independent contacted JP Morgan Chase for comment.
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