Home not for ‘those who want to hustle'

Elizabeth Dilts Marshall - Working from home does not work for everyone, especially those who want "to hustle," JPMorgan Chase & Co's chief executive said at a conference in New York.

The largest American bank recently told it workers that its expects all US-based employees back in offices on a rotational basis by early July, subject to current public health rules limiting office capacity to 50%.

Bank CEO Jamie Dimon said he wants people back at work because exclusively working from home "doesn't work for young people".

"It doesn't work for those who want to hustle. It doesn't work for spontaneous idea generation. It doesn't work for culture," Dimon said Tuesday at a conference hosted by the Wall Street Journal.

‘THAT’S LIFE’

Dimon said he is open to some employees working from home a few days a week, a policy other banks like Deutsche Bank, HSBC and UBS are reportedly exploring.

But starting on May 17, Dimon said he wants employees back in the office a few days a week to reacclimate themselves to the workplace after working from home for over a year during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Dimon's "get used to it" approach, which could include requiring employees get vaccinated, has faced a backlash. Dimon said he received a "nasty email" from an employee's wife who disagreed with the push to return to work.

"But that's life," Dimon said, saying the bank will be more competitive and work better for clients with employees meeting in person again.

"In my view, September, October, it will look just like it did before and everyone's going to be happy with it." – Nampa/Reuters