JPMorgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon has once again aimed at flexible work arrangements, calling working from home a “bad habit” in his 2024 letter to shareholders. The chairman, who has led America’s largest bank for nearly two decades, didn’t hold back in his critique of the post-pandemic work culture and its impact on organizational effectiveness.

In the letter, Dimon acknowledged that the last five years have been a period of significant growth for JPMorgan Chase, with the bank adding more than 60,000 employees globally. However, he said, this success masked some growing internal issues. “We allowed some bad habits to develop,” he noted. Chief among them: the shift toward remote work.

“Working from home exacerbated the situation by hindering innovation, slowing decision-making, inhibiting information sharing, reducing efficiency, and creating more politics and bureaucracy,” Dimon wrote.

While many companies are embracing hybrid and remote-first models, JPMorgan Chase has been increasingly vocal about its return-to-office push. Dimon believes in the power of in-person collaboration and argues that too much flexibility can dilute a company’s culture and competitive edge.

In a section titled “Management Lessons,” the veteran CEO delved deeper into how the bank is responding to these challenges. He emphasized that growth should never come at the cost of operational discipline. “We must constantly strive to improve every aspect of our business—management, execution, innovation, and customer service,” Dimon wrote.

To that end, the company is focusing on maintaining its “grit, edge, and efficiency.” This includes tightening accountability, strengthening decision-making processes, and reinforcing a sense of urgency within teams. Dimon also underscored the importance of avoiding complacency, particularly when the bank is performing well financially.

Despite his critiques, Dimon isn't against innovation—far from it. He dedicated a significant portion of his letter to discussing the transformative potential of artificial intelligence. JPMorgan currently has more than 2,000 AI and machine learning experts, and the bank is investing heavily in technology across the board. He called AI a “game changer” that will dramatically improve productivity, risk management, customer experience, and fraud prevention.

Still, he struck a measured tone. “We are completely convinced the consequences of AI will be extraordinary—and possibly as transformational as some of the major technological inventions of the past several hundred years,” he noted, adding that the bank is proceeding with both excitement and caution.

In closing, Dimon emphasized that JPMorgan’s biggest threat may not come from within the traditional banking sector. Instead, he flagged competition from Big Tech and fintechs—companies that often operate with greater agility and speed.

As workplaces worldwide continue to redefine norms, Dimon’s annual letter offers a no-nonsense reminder: in a hyper-competitive landscape, discipline, decisiveness, and human connection still matter. Especially when you’re running the world’s most valuable bank.