[bluefirebrand]

A lot of companies want the benefits of distributed teams, but also want to force everyone to come to offices and do conference calls in meeting rooms instead of work remote.

It's mind boggling to me. All I can think is that there is a lot of ego tied up in offices for some reason.

[civilized]

This was the first thing I noticed when I started working about a decade ago. Endless conference calls while people extolled the benefits of in-person interaction which wasn't even happening. As a result, I now have a healthy amount of cynicism about advocacy of office work. I take ICs who favor it at face value when they say it works better for them, but clearly, many of the most vocal advocates in management don't even care if any of the supposed benefits are realized.

[JamesLeonis]

Wall Street is pressuring everybody for Return to Office to shore up their collapsing commercial real estate holdings.

[PKop]

Not just wall street. All of the governments, and thus their budgets, where this real estate resides are completely dependent on property taxes and the overall commerce in the area which will collapse if people (and then secondary small businesses) just simply aren't there anymore.

[sangnoir]

Budget collapses would be karmic, given how many local governments court commercial real estate while neglecting residential real estate by not encouraging (or actively fighting) the development of new homes. Too many city halls decided that housing people who work in their city is someone else's problem, and would be quite happy with 0 new residents within city limits if it meant all new developments are commercial.

[garciasn]

And to further reduce headcount through silent layoffs.

[noisy_boy]

Because people with "people skills" need people in the office to justify their existence. It is beyond ego for them, it is about their survival.