A TikToker has gone viral after calling out JPMorgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon who criticized working from home.
“We say we want diversity. When you come [to work] it is a rainbow room,” Dimon said on the call, per Insider. “But if you live in certain parts of our country and go eat out there, it is all white. You’re losing opportunities to meet other people.”
Previously, Dimon had been critical of working from home, calling it “management by Hollywood Squares” and saying that it “slows down honesty and decision making,” according to Insider.
There are a few problems with this recent claim, as TikToker Becca (@nitetoast) pointed out in a video with over 28,000 views.
The first? While Dimon might promote a “rainbow room,” JPMorgan Chase is painfully pale when it comes to executive roles. As Becca notes, the company’s own 2021 Environmental, Social & Governance Report states that 77% of Senior Level employees, 84% of its operating committee, and 90% of its Board of Directors are white.
For context, the 2020 U.S. Census said that only 61.6% of Americans identify as white.
@nitetoast These ceos make it to easy tbh #busines #jobs #corporate #jpmorgan #nitetoast #startup #careers #greenscreen ♬ Frolic (Theme from “Curb Your Enthusiasm” TV Show) – Luciano Michelini
Furthermore, as Becca mentions, Dimon’s claim seems to suggest that remote work has been bad for diversity.
While remote work already has other proven benefits—remote workers report higher productivity than those in the office—there are signs that show remote work may actually improve diversity, not hinder it.
Facebook recently made headlines after it claimed pivoting to remote work assisted in its diversity efforts.
“In the United States, remote job offers were more likely to be filled by people of color, people with disabilities and veterans, according to the company’s annual diversity report,” writes Washington Post staff writer Naomi Nix. “Around the world, candidates who accepted remote job offers were also more likely to be women, the company found.”
Writing for HR.com, author Jennifer Farris noted that remote work had other benefits for marginalized groups, including allowing those with children to more easily balance their lives with work and broadening work opportunities for those with disabilities.
Commenters on TikTok were generally in agreement with Becca’s video, arguing that the true desire to get people back into the office was most likely related to real estate holdings rather than a promise of diversity.
“The big banks have invested a lot in commercial real estate rebounding,” one user wrote. “Prob just a coincidence.”
“You know that they’re saying this garbage to protect their investment in commercial real estate rental businesses,” a second claimed.
Others shared their love of remote work.
As one user offered, “My staff love remote and we have no plans to go back.”
The Daily Dot reached out to Becca via email and JPMorgan Chase via email.
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