That was a great post on your part.
I would clarify myself by simply saying that areas where working from home provides direct value to the employer, it should be encouraged.
And for employers, to provide value to employees by offering a work from home option even on a limited basis has great value both in real-time reductions in stress to existing employees, and serving as a recruitment and retainment tool.
It is interesting-the chair of my department was far ahead of the “work from home” game months before the pandemic, and was doing it largely as a “Quality of Life” incentive. So when the pandemic hit, and there was that short period where we didn’t know much about it yet, we were ready to have certain people working from home. We had employer supplied secure firewalls and workstations installed at home, and were ahead of things.
My point is that, where it can be applied, work from home privileges can and should be encouraged it it advances the efficiency and financial health of the organization. (I deliberately say “the organization” and not “the worker”. If the individual worker is happier and can be just as efficient, that is a happy byproduct. But it should not be the driver.)
It is not a panacea, or a “one size fits all”.
I haven't heard of any employer mandating a 5x a week in the office "return to office" policy. They're all hybrid. To be sure, bank tellers, waitresses, bowling alley repairmen, and train engineers must be at work. But white collar workers driving a desk for a living, management should optimize their productivity.
There are many guys who simply cannot manage people unless they're in person. There are other leaders who can run things remotely with great efficiency. I believe the latter type of leader will win the day.