Corporate America is really starting to feel the intense pressure of layoffs and in-office mandates. Many large companies (and the government) have been rapidly shrinking their workforce, and we’re only in the third month of 2025.
According to recent data from WarnTracker.com, so far, over 49,000 people in the U.S. have been laid off from their jobs this year.
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The tech industry, specifically, is really feeling the brunt of job cuts as 78 tech companies have laid off their employees, resulting in over 19,400 tech employees losing their jobs, according to Layoffs.fyi. Some of the tech companies that have laid off employees this year include Meta, Microsoft, Intel, Amazon, etc.
Related: Jamie Dimon loses his cool over return-to-office complaints
President Donald Trump and Elon Musk, who runs the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), have been on a mission to shrink the federal government in an effort to “enhance accountability, reduce waste, and promote innovation," according to a recent executive order.
Their efforts have so far resulted in over 32,900 government employees being laid off and over 110,210 total federal departures, which has sparked controversy.
To add to the chaos, many employees across the country are practically shouting through megaphones that they despise in-office mandates that require them to return to working in the office five days a week, and employers aren’t receiving the message very well.
Here are some of the top workplace news stories over the last two weeks that highlight the current state of corporate America.
IRS makes a concerning move in the middle of tax season
With tax season in full bloom, a time when Americans anticipate tax refunds to boost their finances, the IRS has decided to raise alarm bells by laying off 7,000 employees across the country late last month.
The layoffs affect employees in tax compliance departments who have worked at the company for about one year or less, according to a recent report from the Associated Press.
Employees in these departments are responsible for ensuring taxpayers adhere to tax laws, correctly report their income, file their returns, pay taxes, etc.
While the IRS has about 100,000 employees across the country, the agency is understaffed, and mass layoffs could potentially slow down tax returns this year. Americans have until April 15 to file their taxes.
Meta rewards executives after botching its first round of job cuts
In January, Meta announced that it aims to cut 5% of its workforce (about 3,600 jobs), focusing on firing low-performing employees.
Shortly after Meta’s job cuts kicked off on Feb. 10, some fired employees revealed that they were “blindsided” by their layoffs since they had recently received positive performance reviews.
Amid controversy over how it conducted its job cuts, Meta has decided that it is a good time to increase bonuses for its executives (excluding the CEO) by between 75% to 200% of their base salary.
According to a recent 8-K Securities and Exchange Commission filing, Meta said that it decided to increase its executives' bonuses after finding that their target total cash compensation “was at or below the 15th percentile of executives holding similar positions.”
Related: Meta makes a harsh move to prevent employees from leaking secrets
However, while Meta’s executives are getting a boost in bonus pay, some of the company’s employees are seeing a decrease in stock rewards, which make up a significant part of their compensation.
A recent report from Business Insider revealed that Meta allegedly shrunk the value of stock grants awarded to employees by roughly 10%, meaning that some employees would receive about 10% less in stock refreshers each financial quarter this year that vest after four years.
JPMorgan executive sends a harsh message to employees
JPMorgan Chase has recently been in a bitter tug-of-war with employees over remote work.
After JPMorgan CEO Jamie Dimon announced in January that employees would be required to work in the office five days a week starting in March, a group of employees launched a petition on coworker.org demanding that the company retain its hybrid work model.
During a recent company town hall meeting, Dimon sounded off on the petition and recent complaints about the new in-office mandate, heightening tensions at the company.
More Labor:
- Meta’s recent layoffs take an unexpected turn
- Goldman Sachs defends a work policy shareholders fear
- Dell CEO sends a stern wake-up call to employees
Amid recent internal turmoil, JPMorgan Chase executive Rohan Amin sent a memo to over 25,000 employees warning them that he wants to see “more hustle and scrappiness” at the company, according to a report from Reuters.
"There's a lot happening--return to office adjustments, open questions, real estate challenges," said Amin. "I also know that uncertainty can be frustrating… That said, I have to ask: where's the hustle?"
According to Reuters, some employees allegedly admonished Amin's recent criticism of their productivity at the company.
Jamie Dimon regrets behavior at tense town hall meeting
Two weeks ago, it appeared the employees had managed to push Dimon over the edge regarding complaints surrounding JPMorgan’s efforts to axe remote work.
During a recent town hall meeting, Dimon fired back at these complaints (in a foul-mouthed rant), claiming that employees should not be mad at him about the new in-office mandate since it is a free country and they have a choice on whether or not they want to continue working at the company.
Leaked audio of his rant went viral on social media, and now Dimon has revealed in a recent interview with CNBC that he regrets his choice of words at that town hall meeting.
“I should never curse, ever,” said Dimon. “And I shouldn’t get angry and stuff like that. But the gentleman asked a long question, and I answered the question. I tried to give a lot of detail.”
He also said that only 10% of JPMorgan's jobs are done remotely, and that he respects employees who don't want to work in the office five days a week but doubled down on the fact that they can find a new job at a different company.
“I completely respect people that don’t want to go to the office all five days a week,” said Dimon. “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 clients, the company, etc., not an individual. And so, I’m not being mean, they can get a job elsewhere.”
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