JPMorgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon on work-life balance: ‘it’s your job, it’s not our job’

An old interview where JPMorgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon talks about the role of personal responsibility in work-life balance is going viral again.

In the clip, Dimon said that it is an individual’s responsibility to make time for his personal life, not the responsibility of his or her employers. “It’s your job to take [care of] your mind, your body, your spirit, your soul, your friends, your family, your health,” he said. “It’s your job, it’s not our job.”

The CEO of JPMorgan Chase added that some people laboured under the delusion that it is the job of their companies to look after their work-life balance. A company, said Dimon, can only provide resources and look after their employees – but the ultimate responsibility to ensure a balance rests with the individual.

“We really do try to take care of our people. We give your medical, shrinks, pilates, massages – but I really can’t make up for you not doing those other things that you really have to do yourself,” said Dimon.

He also spoke about the importance of working smart while trying to strike a balance between the personal and professional. The American banker gave his own example of time management, saying he had three reading speeds – very fast, fast, and very slow. The very fast he reserved for things like flipping through magazines, while his slow reading speed is for important emails, contracts etc.

This method allows him to manage his time better. “Most people don’t work smart… people don’t run their lives efficiently,” he said. “People are frenzied… 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,” he said, drawing laughter from the audience.

Dimon again gave his own example, saying that he is never late for appointments and never frenzied. Instead, he schedules a time for each task on his calendar, whether it is phone calls or exercise.

“So work really smart, learn how to work smart,” he urged his listeners.

Since the old clip surfaced on X two days ago, it has racked up over half a million views and divided opinion on the social media platform.

“This is great life and career advice,” wrote one commenter. “Great advice. hard to do when you’re at the bottom of the totem pole,” another countered.

“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,” a third user pointed out.

Source: GWFM Research & Study