{"id":64142,"date":"2026-05-09T19:29:06","date_gmt":"2026-05-09T19:29:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/people\/64142\/"},"modified":"2026-05-09T19:29:06","modified_gmt":"2026-05-09T19:29:06","slug":"jamie-dimons-reality-check-for-ambitious-workers-theres-going-to-be-a-grunt-part-to-every-part-of-a-job-get-over-it","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/people\/64142\/","title":{"rendered":"Jamie Dimon\u2019s reality check for ambitious workers: \u2018There\u2019s going to be a grunt part to every part of a job. Get over it\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"yf-1fy9kyt\"><a href=\"https:\/\/fortune.com\/company\/jpmorgan-chase\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:JPMorgan Chase;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" data-yga=\"{&quot;yLinkElement&quot;:&quot;context_link&quot;,&quot;yModuleName&quot;:&quot;content-canvas&quot;,&quot;yLinkText&quot;:&quot;JPMorgan Chase&quot;}\" class=\"link \">JPMorgan Chase<\/a> CEO Jamie Dimon didn\u2019t mince words in his message to workers: Get over the fact that work is hard.<\/p>\n<p class=\"yf-1fy9kyt\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/video\/live\/urn:li:ugcPost:7419729816624656384\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:Speaking;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" data-yga=\"{&quot;yLinkElement&quot;:&quot;context_link&quot;,&quot;yModuleName&quot;:&quot;content-canvas&quot;,&quot;yLinkText&quot;:&quot;Speaking&quot;}\" class=\"link \">Speaking<\/a> with Patricia Devine, JPMorgan\u2019s global head of corporate sales, at the Female Quotient lounge in Davos, Switzerland, Dimon laid out the harsh reality for workers striving for instant gratification: \u201cThere\u2019s going to be a grunt part to every part of a job. Get over it.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"yf-1fy9kyt\">Dimon\u2019s advice stands out in an era of growing disengagement among young workers, a demographic that recently showed notable declines in workplace engagement, according to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.gallup.com\/workplace\/654911\/employee-engagement-sinks-year-low.aspx\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:Gallup;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" data-yga=\"{&quot;yLinkElement&quot;:&quot;context_link&quot;,&quot;yModuleName&quot;:&quot;content-canvas&quot;,&quot;yLinkText&quot;:&quot;Gallup&quot;}\" class=\"link \">Gallup<\/a>, with Gen Z employee engagement dipping five percentage points between 2024 and 2025. A 2025 report from recruitment firm <a href=\"https:\/\/fortune.com\/company\/randstad-holding\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:Randstad;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" data-yga=\"{&quot;yLinkElement&quot;:&quot;context_link&quot;,&quot;yModuleName&quot;:&quot;content-canvas&quot;,&quot;yLinkText&quot;:&quot;Randstad&quot;}\" class=\"link \">Randstad<\/a> also shows the <a href=\"https:\/\/fortune.com\/2025\/09\/11\/job-hopping-gen-z-early-career-stay-one-year-in-role-disloyalty-development-ai-disruption-junior-roles-dissappearing-villains\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:average tenure;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" data-yga=\"{&quot;yLinkElement&quot;:&quot;context_link&quot;,&quot;yModuleName&quot;:&quot;content-canvas&quot;,&quot;yLinkText&quot;:&quot;average tenure&quot;}\" class=\"link \">average tenure<\/a> at a company for a Gen Z worker in their first five years of work has shrunk to just 1.1 years. This stands in stark contrast to the 2.9-year average tenure for baby boomers when they were early in their career. While the Randstad study attributes these short stints to a desire to grow rather than a matter of job hopping, Dimon says young people ought to see a job through to further their career. He didn\u2019t clarify how long he recommends a young person stay in a job.<\/p>\n<p class=\"yf-1fy9kyt\">\u201cDo not get a new job,\u201d Dimon said. \u201cSome people are always thinking, and they\u2019re ruining their lives because they should just enjoy what they\u2019re doing.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"yf-1fy9kyt\">Dimon critiques the much-lauded preference for work-life balance over other priorities, such as competitive compensation and benefits packages, or purpose-driven work. Work-life balance today <a href=\"https:\/\/fortune.com\/2025\/11\/17\/work-life-balance-outranked-pay-top-perk-peoeple-choosing-a-job\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:dominates;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" data-yga=\"{&quot;yLinkElement&quot;:&quot;context_link&quot;,&quot;yModuleName&quot;:&quot;content-canvas&quot;,&quot;yLinkText&quot;:&quot;dominates&quot;}\" class=\"link \">dominates<\/a> workplace discourse, and now outranks pay as a top motivator for job seekers, according to Randstad. Dimon has also <a href=\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/posts\/fortune_fortune500-activity-7333886615880146945-nq7s\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:said;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" data-yga=\"{&quot;yLinkElement&quot;:&quot;context_link&quot;,&quot;yModuleName&quot;:&quot;content-canvas&quot;,&quot;yLinkText&quot;:&quot;said&quot;}\" class=\"link \">said<\/a> work-life balance should be a priority for his workers, especially those with a family. But he says that to balance the two, one must \u201cwork smart.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"yf-1fy9kyt\">Still, nothing can replace hard work in the pursuit of career success, according to the CEO.<\/p>\n<p class=\"yf-1fy9kyt\">\u201cWork hard. There\u2019s no replacement,\u201d Dimon said. \u201cI still see a lot of people who think they can make a shortcut to a heroic \u2018something\u2019. It\u2019s almost never true.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>      A generational reset     <\/p>\n<p class=\"yf-1fy9kyt\">Young workers are entering a dramatically different workforce from that of older generations. Many Gen Zers came of working age during the COVID pandemic and have assumed remote or hybrid work as the norm. However, Dimon has said that mindset may be detrimental to career growth, <a href=\"https:\/\/fortune.com\/2025\/05\/16\/jpmorgan-ceo-jamie-dimon-return-to-office-gen-z-workers-management\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:telling;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" data-yga=\"{&quot;yLinkElement&quot;:&quot;context_link&quot;,&quot;yModuleName&quot;:&quot;content-canvas&quot;,&quot;yLinkText&quot;:&quot;telling&quot;}\" class=\"link \">telling<\/a> Gen Z workers \u201cyou can\u2019t learn from your basement,\u201d after urging corporate workers to return to full-time in-person work, adding the move would push workers to innovate.<\/p>\n<p class=\"yf-1fy9kyt\">Yet, Gen Z\u2019s defiance may not be about laziness. Part of the backlash is structural. Junior opportunities <a href=\"https:\/\/fortune.com\/2025\/11\/18\/gen-z-college-students-ai-proof-job-cheat-code-double-majoring-university-campuses-on-the-rise\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:are dwindling;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" data-yga=\"{&quot;yLinkElement&quot;:&quot;context_link&quot;,&quot;yModuleName&quot;:&quot;content-canvas&quot;,&quot;yLinkText&quot;:&quot;are dwindling&quot;}\" class=\"link \">are dwindling<\/a> for young workers as entry-level skills are increasingly becoming automated, leaving a void where traditional early growth used to take place. In another interview with The Economist at the World Economic Forum meeting in Davos, Dimon <a href=\"https:\/\/fortune.com\/2026\/01\/22\/jpmorgan-chase-ceo-jamie-dimon-ai-layoff-income-assist-workers-elon-musk-sam-altman-universal-basic-income\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:advised workers;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" data-yga=\"{&quot;yLinkElement&quot;:&quot;context_link&quot;,&quot;yModuleName&quot;:&quot;content-canvas&quot;,&quot;yLinkText&quot;:&quot;advised workers&quot;}\" class=\"link \">advised workers<\/a>: \u201cDon\u2019t put your head in the sand,\u201d in the face of AI automation.<\/p>\n<p class=\"yf-1fy9kyt\">\u201cIt is what it is,\u201d he said, as he admitted he\u2019d <a href=\"https:\/\/fortune.com\/2026\/01\/22\/jpmorgan-chase-ceo-jamie-dimon-ai-layoff-income-assist-workers-elon-musk-sam-altman-universal-basic-income\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:probably hire fewer workers;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" data-yga=\"{&quot;yLinkElement&quot;:&quot;context_link&quot;,&quot;yModuleName&quot;:&quot;content-canvas&quot;,&quot;yLinkText&quot;:&quot;probably hire fewer workers&quot;}\" class=\"link \">probably hire fewer workers<\/a> in the coming years because of AI.<\/p>\n<p>     Having an open mind and establishing purpose   <\/p>\n<p class=\"yf-1fy9kyt\">Aside from telling workers to work hard, talk succinctly, and develop empathy, Dimon advised workers to remain open-minded, especially in an era in which career trajectories are swiftly changing.<\/p>\n<p class=\"yf-1fy9kyt\">\u201cBe open-minded about relationships, changing jobs, trying something different,\u201d he advised. \u201cThen you\u2019ll have a great career.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"yf-1fy9kyt\">Dimon also emphasized the necessity of purpose in a career. The \u201cgrunt work\u201d he implores workers to face isn\u2019t necessarily a hurdle, but a step on the road to accomplishment. He says purpose can be found in a variety of professions, not just in banking and finance, but in teaching or caregiving.<\/p>\n<p class=\"yf-1fy9kyt\">\u201cWhen they say \u2018the pursuit of happiness\u2019 in the Declaration, this was about accomplishing something in life, doing something meaningful,\u201d Dimon said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"yf-1fy9kyt\">This story was originally featured on <a href=\"https:\/\/fortune.com\/2026\/01\/23\/jamie-dimon-reality-check-gen-z-workers-grunt-work-get-over-it\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:Fortune.com;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" data-yga=\"{&quot;yLinkElement&quot;:&quot;context_link&quot;,&quot;yModuleName&quot;:&quot;content-canvas&quot;,&quot;yLinkText&quot;:&quot;Fortune.com&quot;}\" class=\"link \">Fortune.com<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"JPMorgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon didn\u2019t mince words in his message to workers: Get over the fact that&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":64143,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[164],"tags":[805,806,37769,7676],"class_list":{"0":"post-64142","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-jamie-dimon","8":"tag-jamie-dimon","9":"tag-jpmorgan-chase","10":"tag-randstad","11":"tag-young-workers"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@people\/116546277350574313","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/people\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/64142","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/people\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/people\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/people\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/people\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=64142"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/people\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/64142\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/people\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/64143"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/people\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=64142"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/people\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=64142"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/people\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=64142"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}