JPMorgan Quells Discussion After RTO Pushback and Unionization Talk

JPMorgan Chase appears to be trying to quell employee discussion after it received pushback on its latest RTO mandate, with some employees floating the idea of unionizing....
JPMorgan Quells Discussion After RTO Pushback and Unionization Talk
Written by Matt Milano

JPMorgan Chase appears to be trying to quell employee discussion after it received pushback on its latest RTO mandate, with some employees floating the idea of unionizing.

JPMorgan became the latest major company to demand its employees return to the office five days a week, with the mandate going into effect in March. The backlash was swift, with employees taking to an internal company webpage to voice their displeasure.

According to The Wall Street Journal, Much of the issues echo those from employees of other companies that have implemented full RTO mandates, citing the cost of commuting, cost of child-care, and work-life balance.

“The ability to work from home makes it significantly easier with babies at home,” one employee posted on LinkedIn, before deleting the comment. “Taking that away will make it much more stressful to perform parental duties.”

JPMorgan acknowledged that not everyone would agree with the decision, but emphasized that leadership felt it was the right time.

“We know that some of you prefer a hybrid schedule and respectfully understand that not everyone will agree with this decision,” the memo states. “We feel that now is the right time to solidify our full-time in-office approach. We think it is the best way to run the company.”

Putting the studies that show hybrid work leads to happier employees and reduced corporate costs—not to mention RTO mandates have been disastrous and are largely driven by older, out-of-touch male CEOs—JPMorgan’s handling of the criticism is sure to raise eyebrows. The Wall Street Journal goes on to say that JPMorgan shut down employee comments after at least one employee suggested that employees unionize in an effort to better negotiate for hybrid work schedules.

Any perceived attempt to discourage unionization is not likely to go over well, and may even backfire against the firm.

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