[II2II]

The first thing that stuck out to me (emphasis added):

>> When I plead with my direct reports to please comply with the company policy of in the office 3 days a week

Someone higher up is the decision maker here. They are acknowledging a lack of empathy while implementing those policies and trying to explain why they may lack empathy in the process. Yet, at the end of the day, they are simply one of the people who has to ensure compliance.

> Imagine your last 30 years of not having to go in 5 days a week?

There are likely a lot of managers out there arguing against company mandates. The thing is, it is difficult to discuss their struggles with higher levels of management without creating a negative impact (or a negative impact of a different sort) in the workplace. So they have to carry out the orders without actually discussing how they feel about those orders with their reports.