JPMorgan's Internal Memo Highlights 2 Missed Signals In RTO Mandates

Forbes

a day ago

JPMorgan's recent memo provides 2 RTO reminders.
JPMorgan's recent internal memo quietly mirrors a growing issue in the modern workplace: a disconnect between leadership's intent and employees' lived experience. In a post-pandemic business world, this gap is becoming more common and more costly. According to a memo shared by Barron's, JPMorgan Chase's latest internal culture survey revealed a drop in the number of employees who feel their health and well-being are a corporate priority. The likely catalyst is the company's full-time return-to-office mandate, implemented earlier this year.
In the memo, CEO Jamie Dimon and Human Resources Chief Robin Leopold acknowledged the shift. They wrote, "Health and well-being scores remain favorable, though they dipped slightly year on year," and added, "We know return full-time to the office has been an adjustment and one that not everyone agrees with, but we continue to believe in-person is how we do our best work and how we foster connections and mobility opportunities."
While the intent was to facilitate collaboration and mobility, the results told a different story, highlighting declines in three areas: work-life balance, health and well-being, and internal mobility.
This disconnect isn't unique to JPMorgan. Many leaders are facing a similar challenge as they reestablish in-office norms. A return to the office isn't inherently the problem, as there are actual benefits to having teams together in person. But beneath the surface of RTO policies lie two often-overlooked leadership blind spots. If ignored, these quietly erode trust, engagement, and long-term performance.
In most corporate conversations, flexibility still carries a connotation of leniency, something to be negotiated or tolerated. It's often treated as a perk rather than a performance tool. But in today's environment, flexibility is a lever. When designed intentionally, it becomes the foundation of a high-performing culture.
Flexibility doesn't mean lowering standards. It means creating the right conditions for optimal focus, autonomy, psychological safety, and ownership to thrive. This shift enables greater trust and unlocks discretionary effort —the kind that fuels innovation, collaboration, and long-term retention.
At JPMorgan and many other companies, the full-time in-office mandate was presented as a means to cultivate connections. Yet the unintended consequence was a measurable dip in employee well-being. That's not resistance; it's feedback. True flexibility provides people with the tools, rhythms, and environments that enable them to perform at their best.
One of the easiest traps for leaders to fall into is confusing visibility with value. Physical presence is easy to measure. However, if a policy prioritizes attendance over actual outcomes, it risks signaling the wrong priorities. JPMorgan's survey results highlighted that risk. Despite the return to full-time office work, employees reported lower engagement in core areas of well-being and career growth.
To their credit, Dimon and Leopold acknowledged the challenge, stating, "We remain committed to flexibility and connecting you with best-in-class benefits and resources that support your well-being to help you make your best self happen." They also emphasized the importance of improving transparency around internal mobility and performance.
Still, the broader question remains: if proximity doesn't lead to better collaboration, deeper mentorship, or stronger innovation, then what is it achieving? Attendance is not the same as engagement. And culture doesn't automatically improve just because people are back in the building.
Leaders must be clear on the purpose of in-person work. If the goal is creativity, cohesion, or mentorship, then those outcomes need to be designed, not assumed. Company-wide surveys are a great start. But leaders can dig deeper by asking:
JPMorgan's internal memo is more than just a report. It's a mirror reflecting what many companies are also navigating. Return-to-office mandates are likely to continue. However, what must evolve is the execution of office culture. If leaders focus solely on presence, they may overlook what truly drives performance: autonomy, clarity, and purpose. The real risk isn't that employees push back on returning to the office. It's that your best people come back, then quietly start looking for the exit.