'It's Your Job, Not Ours': JPMorgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon On Maintaining Work-Life Balance

In recent years, much has been talked about the need for a healthy work environment that allows people to focus on themselves and their families. A video of JPMorgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon, in which he talks about how having a work-life balance is an employee’s responsibility, is now going viral. In the undated video, he says, “It’s your job to take care of your mind, your body, your spirit, your soul, your friends, your family, your health.” He added that most companies can give their employees “shrinks, pilates, massages” but ultimately it’s on individuals to use these self-care resources and manage their time well.

He proclaimed, “If you’re frenzied, it’s you. It’s not the school, it’s not the job, it’s you. Because a lot of us aren’t frenzied.” The billionaire said that he has seen many people complaining about not having time for their family, but then they spend their free time playing golf when they can be at home. He acknowledges that for women maintaining a work-life balance is harder.

This clip has gathered over five lakh views on X since it was shared on July 9. Many people noted that employees who get extra workloads due to inconsiderate bosses or have low wages find it harder to have a work-life balance. An X user commented on it, “As a proponent of internalizing the ‘skill issue’ mantra I agree there is almost always room to increase efficiency / ‘work smarter’, but there’s also a workload threshold where quality will drop & being ‘frenzied’ ensues. The company’s role is the prevention of this through.”

Another person accused the CEO of underpaying his employees and wrote, “In spirit, his message is solid. In reality, some of his employees receive wages that don’t cover their basic cost of living. What’s his answer to that? IMO he is quoted too often and thought of too highly.”

Someone else chided Jamie Dimon’s comments and said, “Yeah it’s my fault when I’m stressed out with multiple complex models to build. Working 80+ hours. Not my MD’s fault though you’re totally right, Jamie.”

Jamie Dimon is one of the few bank executives to have become a billionaire. According to Forbes, as of July 11, 2024, his net worth is estimated to be $2.3billion.