CLEAR THINKING, LESS FLUFF

Vivienne Groves 19/9/25 Vivienne Groves 19/9/25

It’s not where you work, but why.

As job demand eases and power swings back to employers, CEOs are making their message clear. They want workers in the office. Or as some call it, “working from work”.

Proponents of mandatory office returns typically deploy three main arguments: the need to lift employee productivity, the importance of coaching junior employees, and the benefits of spontaneous collaboration and “corridor conversations”.

Vivienne Groves 1/7/25 Vivienne Groves 1/7/25

Keep pay simple. Motivate with meaning.

Think back to the financial year just passed: Was your best work motivated by your individual performance incentive? If your salary had been commensurate but fixed, would you have been less effective? And was all the time and energy you spent on performance bonuses for your team really worth it?

In some jobs – think sales – the case for performance-based incentives is more obvious. But if the work you do is more intangible – strategic, creative, collaborative – can your contribution really be accurately determined?

“They worked together with us to find the solution that best fit our problem. They did not squeeze our problem into their most preferred solution.”

Chief People & Culture Officer (2021—2024), Crown Resorts
“Viv precisely asks the right questions to quickly comprehend situations, and structure problems. She then rapidly collaborates to co-create pragmatic options and solutions.”

Commercial Director (2018—2021), SEEK
“Ero Co makes nebulous problems feel doable, not because they do it for us, but because they bring the expertise and cut through to help us see how we can solve the problem.”

Culture Director (2025—), Worley
"Viv brings both energy and intellect. She cares about business performance as well as individual performance. She genuinely brings both a people and a strategy lens to her work."

Senior HR Business Partner (2018-2020), SEEK

CLEAR THINKING, LESS FLUFF

It’s not where you work, but why.

Keep pay simple. Motivate with meaning.

“They worked together with us to find the solution that best fit our problem. They did not squeeze our problem into their most preferred solution.”

“Viv precisely asks the right questions to quickly comprehend situations, and structure problems. She then rapidly collaborates to co-create pragmatic options and solutions.”

“Ero Co makes nebulous problems feel doable, not because they do it for us, but because they bring the expertise and cut through to help us see how we can solve the problem.”

"Viv brings both energy and intellect. She cares about business performance as well as individual performance. She genuinely brings both a people and a strategy lens to her work."