'You'll be fired if...': JPMorgan Chase's strange mandate to new analysts confuses netizens

JPMorgan Chase has issued a strange mandate to new employees, telling them that if they accept an offer with another company in the first 18 months of their employment, they will be fired. The investment banking firm sent an email to the new joining analysts, in which CEO Jamie Dimon warned them that "accepting future-dated job offers with another company before joining us or within your first 18 months", will lead to a "notice and your employment with the firm will end," Fortune’s Eleanor Pringle reported.

The email starts by telling them that because of the "reduction in their analyst program" to 2.5 years, "new joinees can avail quicker opportunities within the firm."

It further tells them that to succeed in the program, their "full attention and participation are essential. Attendance at all training sessions, meetings and obligations is required."

"Missing any part of the training program may lead to removal from the program and termination."

The email goes on to talk about their search for a new job, which should be "done on your own time and should not interfere with your responsibilities."

CEO Dimon believes that grads who accept an analyst role at JPMorgan, only to leave for private equity within a few years is are practising unethical behaviour.

The email was only sent to new joiness in the US, and not elsewhere.

Social media users were stunned to see the strange "welcome letter", with many of them saying it is a warning sign. "If an employer sends you a ‘welcome letter’ that reads like a threat, take the hint and run," one user wrote.

According to a 2025 State of the Graduate report from the job website Monster, found that 80 per cent of graduates worry about job security in the current financial environment. They are looking for jobs in sectors that showed resilience during recent economic challenges, Fortune reported.

This means that not many would be looking to leave JPMorgan Chase. However, factors like a toxic workplace and a healthier work-life balance might prompt them to quit, according to Monster.