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1. Individual Contributors are more effective at home without distractions.

2. Managers are more effective at the office where they can talk to people and discover information: "manage by walking around".

3. Why are managers / executives necessary and often paid more? Because their contribution affects the work of many other people. Managers' work operates with leverage (for good or ill).

4. If offices make managers more effective, and managers leverage their effectiveness over a large number of people, then the greatest good for the company is likely to be a return to in-person working environments.

It may take a while, but most of us will be going back.