Dimon Explains Why He Avoids Reading Texts at Work

JPMorgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon has revealed his unique approach to phone use at work. He explained that he never reads text messages during the day. He also keeps all notifications turned off. The banking executive says this practice helps him maintain deep focus. It allows him to fully engage in meetings. It also helps him avoid the distractions that can impede productivity in high-pressure professional environments.

“I don’t have notifications,” Dimon told CNN’s Erin Burnett in an interview. “If you sent me a text during the day, I probably do not read it. The only notifications I get is from my kids. That’s it. When they text me, I get that.” Dimon, 69, added that he does not carry his phone around the office and keeps it in his office while attending meetings or walking through the building.

“When I go to my meetings, I did the pre-reads and I’m 100% focused on us, what you’re talking about, why you’re talking about it, as opposed to I’m distracted and I’m thinking about other things,” he said, emphasizing that his approach allows him to concentrate fully on discussions and decisions.

Businessman is typing on a computer | Source: Pexels

Dimon has consistently criticized poor meeting etiquette. At Fortune’s Most Powerful Women Summit in October, he called using phones during meetings “disrespectful” and a “waste of time.” He added, “If you have an iPad in front of me and it looks like you’re reading your email or getting notifications, I’ll tell you to close the damn thing.” According to Dimon, meetings should have a clear purpose, and checking emails or being distracted demonstrates inefficiency, a lack of respect, and can diminish overall productivity.

The JPMorgan CEO has also voiced concern over changes in workplace behavior, particularly among younger employees. In a leaked audio recording earlier this year, Dimon criticized Gen Z workers for relying on work-from-home days and failing to show full participation in meetings. “Don’t give me this s--- that work-from-home Friday works ... I call a lot of people on Fridays, and there’s not a goddamn person you can get a hold of ... I’ve had it with this kind of stuff,” Dimon said. He also criticized managers who use work-from-home privileges to multitask or disengage during Zoom calls. “And if you don’t think that slows down efficiency, creativity, creates rudeness – it does,” he said.

Experts have supported Dimon’s view that constant phone use can negatively affect workplace interactions. Anastasia Dedyukhina, a digital wellbeing expert, told CNBC Make It that frequently checking a smartphone reduces the quality of conversations with colleagues and friends. A 2023 survey by Reviews.org found that Americans check their phones an average of 144 times a day, illustrating the pervasiveness of digital distractions.

Black mobile phone on a brown table | Source: Pexels

Dedyukhina explained that even the presence of a phone nearby can be mentally disruptive, as notifications act as highly stimulating cues that pull attention away from the task at hand. Harvard University associate professor Alison Wood Brooks also noted that focusing fully in meetings, including asking follow-up questions and paraphrasing what others say, not only improves comprehension but also helps individuals appear smarter, more engaged, and more likable in professional settings.

For Dimon, avoiding phone distractions is not simply a personal preference but a professional strategy designed to enhance performance and maintain a high standard of workplace engagement, setting an example for employees across JPMorgan Chase and beyond.