This is what I’ve been saying. Its city politicians in big cities who are screaming at companies to make workers return to the office.
They have sort of somewhat tried to oblige as best they can all while knowing they’ll never get all that toothpaste back in the tube. So most of them are trying to get employees to at least accept a hybrid work schedule where they come in a couple days every week. They can only really get their junior employees to do this. The experienced workers/contractors and ones with very in-demand job skills just demand 100% remote or no deal and the companies have no choice but to accept it.
In time, companies are going to quietly not renew office leases and/or sell their office towers and just maintain very limited office space for limited purposes, meetings and presentations, etc.
Everybody knows its perfectly possible to run companies with almost everybody working remote. Big expensive Blue cities are in BIG trouble. Commercial real estate is going to take it right in the shorts.
I like hybrid. The best of both worlds. And junior employees (all 3 of my young adult sons work and LONG to be in an office) really need a little office time to learn the work and the culture, and they are the future.
One or two days a week in an office is enough.
Not MANUFACTURING, or the service industries.
Medical is a bit difficult as well.