That Workplace Experience Podcast

Bonus episode with Simon Jordan and Gerry Hopkinson

THEM Design Season 1 Episode 3

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0:00 | 33:03

In this first bonus episode of That Workplace Experience Podcast, host Dan Moscrop is joined by Simon Jordan and Gerry Hopkinson of We Make Progress — a design anthropology and experience strategy studio working across cities, venues and mixed-use developments.

Together, they explore a provocative idea:

What if we’ve been designing workplaces the wrong way around?

From fluid identity and hybrid work to the limits of “human-centric design,” this conversation challenges the assumption that efficiency equals growth.

They unpack:

  • The “Explore vs Exploit” theory of work
  • Why meaning matters more than corporate purpose
  • Why buildings shouldn’t organise people
  • How participation and stewardship shape long-term success
  • Why places should behave more like living ecologies than static systems

This episode steps back from a single project to examine the cultural forces reshaping work, cities and experience today.

Watch the episode and download the Workbook for a deeper dive into the episode, and We Make Progress. 

Video production and camera: Calum Lindsay

Camera: Miguel Santa Clara

Illustration: Phoebe Gitsham