In this episode of The Missing Middle, Sabrina Maddeaux and Mike Moffatt break down Ontario’s new return-to-office mandate and the big banks’ similar policies, asking what they really mean for younger workers and families already facing high housing costs, long commutes, and stagnant wages. They explore the trade-offs between productivity, commuting, and control, while producer Meredith Martin joins to share her perspective as a former union leader on mentorship, collaboration, and what might be lost if remote work fully takes over.
Chapters
00:00 Introduction
01:15 Return to office mandates: An overview
04:22 What Premier Ford’s RTO mandate is trying to achieve
05:15 Impact on younger workers and families
06:55 Disconnect between RTO mandates and ESG targets
09:26 Meredith thinks humans should see each other IRL
12:43 The role of mentorship and social interaction at work
15:20 Debating how much office culture has changed
research/links:
Productivity During and Since the Pandemic
The Post-Pandemic Workplace: The Experiment Continues
Number of Canadian commuters increases for fourth straight year in 2025
Romance in the work place:
Esther Perel on How Technology Is Changing Love and Work | Prof G Conversations
New SHRM Survey: Workplace Romance 2023
Mixing work with pleasure: Two-thirds of Brits have been romantically involved with a colleague
Return to the Office:
Amazon Tells Corporate Workers to Be Back in the Office 5 Days a Week
Executives and Research Disagree About Hybrid Work. Why?
Hosted by Mike Moffatt & Cara Stern & Sabrina Maddeaux
Produced by Meredith Martin
This podcast is funded by the Neptis Foundation and brought to you by the Smart Prosperity Institute.
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