The CEO of America's largest bank has threatened to dismiss about 600 of its New York-based employees who have not been vaccinated against the coronavirus.
Under JPMorgan Chase's vaccination mandate, workers at the company's Manhattan headquarters cannot come to the office if they have not received their jabs.
Chairman and chief executive Jamie Dimon this week announced those who remain unvaccinated will not have the option to work remotely.
'To go to the office you have to be vaxxed and if you aren't going to get vaxxed you won't be able to work in that office,' Dimon, who has advocated for in-person work throughout the pandemic, said Monday on CNBC's The Exchange.
'And we're not going to pay you not to work in the office.'
The company has approximately 20,000 employees in its New York City office, the Columbus Dispatch reported in July 2021. About 97 percent of Manhattan office staff have been vaccinated, leaving approximately 600 with the possibility of termination.
It is unclear when the potential firings will occur. The bank did not immediately respond to DailyMail.com's request for comment.
JPMorgan Chase is one of several companies, including banking giant Citigroup and Facebook parent company Meta, that has implemented an office vaccination mandate. Citigroup - like JPMorgan - has taken it a step further with their 'no jab, no job' policy.
The push for vaccination comes as the United States, and New York, report a surge in infections largely due to the Omicron variant. Experts predict the variant will reach its peak in the coming weeks and then decline.
JPMorgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon announced Monday that unvaccinated staff at the company's New York City headquarters 'won't be able to work in that office and we're not going to pay you not to work in the office'
Dimon, who just last month instructed unvaccinated staff in New York City to work from home in compliance with the city's workplace vaccination requirement, continues to urge staff to get their shots.
The CEO has routinely argued against remote work, saying it isn't effective long-term, and believes employees benefit from the in-person environment.
'We believe that going to work is a good thing — that people deal with each other for innovation and creativity and just humanity, is a good thing,' he said.
He has also previously said the 'accelerated trend' of working from home 'does not work for younger people,' CBS News reported. Dimon argued that the 'spontaneous idea generation' and 'those who want to hustle' benefit from the daily mentorship of senior colleagues.
Although he plans to end the work from home culture, Dimon did say he plans to offer flexibility to his employees.
'To go back to work, of course, you have more hybrid and more flexibility as long as it works for the clients,' he told CNBC.
'Let's get back and we'll find ways to get to flexibility that makes sense and the tools that do that and so, I'm quite comfortable — life, airflows look a lot like life did before.'
The CEO has routinely argued against remote work, saying it isn't effective long-term, and believes employees benefit from the in-person environment (Pictured: JPMorgan headquarters in New York City, April 2019)
Although he plans to end the work from home culture, Dimon (pictured in June 2021) did say he plans to offer flexibility to his employees. He also noted the company does not have a blanket vaccine policy as laws vary in different states and countries
He also noted the company, which has over 255,000 employees worldwide, according to Statista, does not have a blanket vaccine policy as laws vary in different states and countries.
'We're not trying to be consistent because as you pointed out, there are different laws and different requirements and cities and states and schools and so here we're adjusting locally,' Dimon said.
'It doesn't be the same everywhere. So, as buildings get to 95 percent and 97 percent vaxxed in certain states, that may end up with a different policy than a different state. And that's fine, too. We're not looking for nirvana here — you're not going to find it.'
Dimon's push for in-person work should not come as a surprise to employees as he has long been an opponent to work from home.
In fact, when JP Morgan issued a memo in December instructing unvaccinated workers to stay home, the company pushed for employees to get their shots.
'We continue to agree with health authorities that being vaccinated against COVID-19 is the best way to keep ourselves and our loved ones safe - especially as we face the winter months and a new variant - so please consider getting vaccinated if you aren't already, and getting your booster if you are,' the memo said.
JPMorgan Chase is currently trading at $168.83 per share
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