Who Really Wins with Return-to-Office Mandates?

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.