‘Babysitting needs to end’: JPMorgan Chase faces massive employee revolt as return-to-office crackdown fuels mounting unrest

The problems at the American banking giant JPMorgan Chase refuses to die down. In response to the company's mandatory return-to-office (RTO) policy, a growing unrest within the bank's employees have erupted, with many turning to private Signal chats and Reddit forums to air their grievances and speculate about the bank’s enforcement strategy.

Since the bank's January directive mandating all employees return to the office full-time, internal communication has been minimal, leaving workers to seek answers and support from unofficial channels.

According to a Business Insider report, these private groups have effectively become “support networks” for frustrated employees navigating the new mandate.

An unnamed JPMorgan Chase employee of eight years told the media that the situation inside the office premises are chaotic, telling Business Insider that one particularly active Signal group sees over 100 messages a day.

“There’s a depressingly small amount of official information within JPMC,” the employee said. “We have to go find the information—it is not being broadcast.”

The tension escalated after JPMorgan Chase reportedly shut down an internal webpage where employees had flooded an RTO announcement with complaints.

The Wall Street Journal first reported the page's removal in January, further fuelling speculation and discontent.

Leaked document raises concerns over enforcement

A recent flashpoint emerged when an unverified six-page document—purportedly bearing JPMorgan branding—surfaced in one of the chat groups.

The document, which was reported extensively by the American media, outlined a series of escalating penalties for failing to meet RTO requirements, including fewer attendance warnings before potential termination for some employees.

In fact, while a JPMorgan spokesperson declined to confirm its legitimacy, but till tell the media: “If employees are not meeting the expectations, there will be ramifications—just like any other performance issue.”

The lack of clarity has only deepened anxiety among JPMorgan staff, particularly over how attendance and productivity are being monitored. Some employees fear that tracking systems might inaccurately log their hours, while others see the RTO mandate as an overreach.

“[We thought the] babysitting was ending,” a JPMorgan tech VP told Business Insider sarcastically, underscoring the frustration with the perceived micromanagement.

Employee backlash against Jamie Dimon

CEO Jamie Dimon has faced sharp criticism on platforms like Reddit, where many employees have blasted his unwavering stance on RTO.

“It’s a matter of organizing. A widespread refusal to RTO five days a week is not going to result in layoffs from a company that was setting record profits during WFH,” read one comment on the popular social media site.

Other employees also speculated on Reddit that the policy at JPMorgan Chase to strictly enforce RTO requirements was only a pretext so that employees leave volitionally.

As internal chatter grows louder and official communication remains sparse, JPMorgan Chase faces mounting pressure to address employee concerns—and clarify how far it’s willing to go to enforce its return-to-office mandate.