Perspectives podcast series 3

Ep 4: Are office mandates a productivity killer?

Return-to-office orders could backfire on well-meaning managers, experts say.

May 02, 2025

Meet our speakers

Nathan Sri

Executive director, workplace and experience, JLL Work Dynamics
Nathan Sri
Executive director, workplace and experience, JLL Work Dynamics

Nathan leads the workplace experience practice at JLL. He has been involved in many transformation initiatives, some affecting workforces of 30,000+ people across Asia Pacific. He draws on his workplace experience, strategic thinking, and change management skills to enable positive people outcomes and sustainability agendas through human-centered design and change programming.

Kate Pilgrim

Managing director - Victoria & joint head tenant representation, JLL
Kate Pilgrim
Managing director - Victoria & joint head tenant representation, JLL

Over her 18 years working in Australian and international office markets, Kate has developed an acute understanding of landlord motivations and decision-making behaviours. She punctuated her tenure at JLL with a role in the office leadership team at Charter Hall, where she worked with corporate occupiers on their growth and retention plans. She also delivered investor presentations and provided strategic oversight of national leasing activity.

Tim O’Connor

Head of office leasing – Australia, JLL
Tim O’Connor
Head of office leasing – Australia, JLL

Tim leads a large team of leasing professionals across Australia to bring a strategic, proactive approach to matching businesses with buildings. He helps property owners optimise their financial performance and developers create strong legacies for our cities, using his broad international experience to deliver global connectivity and best practice.

Craig Knight

Doctor of workplace psychology, Identity Realization
Craig Knight
Doctor of workplace psychology, Identity Realization

Using commercial focus and scientific application, Dr. Knight has helped organisations realise increases in wellbeing of up to 40%, productivity of up to 32% and effective intelligence of up to 19%. He has conducted extensive research into hybrid working and offices to address the needs of the post-pandemic workplace, with one of his findings showing a 30% performance gap between happy and unhappy staff.

Transcript

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