[UweSchmidt]

What's overlooked is that today's workforce is not ruled by a cadre of hardcore company people any more. Work from home is generally enjoyed on every level of the hierarchy. Likewise, even your boss's boss will have a family and share childcare responsibilities, which creates strong demands for flexibility and autonomy that are hard to argue against. This means, leadership doesn't want to, and can't really enforce return-to-office all that well.

So, unless I am missing something big, heavy-handed measures mandated from the CEO ultimately won't change modern workplace culture.

(If you like WFH though please do your part: Be productive and communicative from home and argue against return-to-office at any occasion to the full extent of your influence within the organization)

[Terr_]

That kinda assumes those CEOs will become subject to the same rules (and punishments) as the rank-and-file employees...

Moral suasion is nice to have, but plenty of corporate policies still get implemented without it.

In other words, I think you're overestimating the extent you which "bosses like it and do it" trickles down, especially when it's perceived as not enhancing the company's quarterly profits.