Who Really Wins with Return-to-Office Mandates? Artwork

The Missing Middle with Mike Moffatt and Sabrina Maddeaux

Welcome to the Missing Middle, a podcast about why the middle class in Canada is disappearing. We hope to help you understand why life is becoming unaffordable for so many in this country, and what can be done to reverse course.

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The Missing Middle with Mike Moffatt and Sabrina Maddeaux

Who Really Wins with Return-to-Office Mandates?

September 17, 2025 • Cara Stern, Mike Moffatt, and Meredith Martin • Season 1 • Episode 127

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