NEW YORK, Feb 10, 2026, 10:27 EST
- Reports indicate JPMorgan employees warn that ignoring Jamie Dimon’s mandate for five days in the office might put their careers at risk.
- About 2,000 employees—out of a workforce topping 300,000—have signed a petition urging the company to bring back hybrid work.
- Other banks are also cracking down on office policies, widening the post-pandemic pushback reshaping finance from within.
JPMorgan Chase workers are calling CEO Jamie Dimon’s five-day office mandate a potential “career suicide” risk if they push back, according to media accounts. Still, an employee petition is circulating, urging management to keep hybrid schedules in place. “My team is spread out through two continents and three time zones,” one person supporting the petition told the Financial Times. 1
This flare-up is significant. Big banks are once more probing just how much authority they have over where employees work, following years when flexible schedules helped them attract talent. The renewed push is hitting staff who argue the job has transformed: global teams, constant calls, little reason to anchor to a desk.
JPMorgan’s crackdown is turning into a bellwether for stricter in-office mandates, the Financial Times reported. Goldman Sachs and Société Générale are also dialing up pressure, asking bankers to spend more time at their desks. The shift isn’t limited to finance. Instagram, for one, has told its U.S. employees they’re now expected on-site five days a week, according to the paper. 2
JPMorgan made its position clear last year, telling hybrid staff to come back to the office full-time starting in March, according to a memo reviewed by Reuters. The document noted that over half of the bank’s workforce was already on-site full-time, with global headcount topping 316,000. 3
According to eFinancialCareers, referencing the Financial Times, just 2,000 employees have actually put their names on the petition — that’s under 1% of JPMorgan’s workforce. The initial wave of backlash seems to have given way to a feeling of resignation. Dimon didn’t mince words when asked about the petition: “Don’t waste time on it … I don’t care how many people sign that f—ing petition.” 4
What’s really at stake inside JPMorgan isn’t just a debate over Zoom calls or office desks. It’s a question of authority—who actually gets to decide the rules—and a deeper discussion over what “being present” looks like when teams are scattered across different continents and time zones.
According to reports, employees warned the policy could undercut progress on hybrid work—especially for carers and parents juggling jobs at home. One employee, cited in the reports, pleaded with management: don’t “force working women completely out of the workforce.”
Bank executives keep circling back to one theme. Training junior staff works better face-to-face, they say, and issues get flagged sooner. There’s also the matter of culture—easier to maintain when everyone’s in the office. Plus, being onsite cuts down on teams quietly making up their own rules.
Société Générale wants staff in the office four days a week. CEO Slawomir Krupa hasn’t minced words, telling eFinancialCareers—citing the FT—that “people on a screen” just aren’t “part of meetings.” Wall Street’s top brass, including Jamie Dimon’s circle, have pushed the same message. Hybrid setups remain the norm elsewhere, but not here.
Still, forcing everyone back to the office five days a week isn’t risk-free. Uneven exceptions from managers, or global teams stuck on video calls for hours anyway, can turn the commute into nothing but hassle for employees — an extra burden that pushes some to hunt for jobs with greater flexibility.
The petition still represents a tiny fraction of JPMorgan’s total staff, and so far, leadership hasn’t budged. The bigger issue: will a fresh round of exits or a hiring slump push JPMorgan — or competitors — to ease up once more?
