I have noticed a rise in articles and op-eds in outlets like the Wall Street Journal and Financial Times over the past few weeks about the renewed push by CEOs to resume in-person work for workers who went remote during the pandemic. They tend to give relatively vague reasons for why in-person is so important – things like mentorship, teambuilding etc. I don't really think many of these CEOs or their media mouthpieces actually care about this type of thing.
Is there a more obscure agenda driving the return to office push? Is it simply the commercial real estate industry freaking out about their rents?
I suspect there is a more subtle factor driving this: fear that giving too much freedom to workers could lead to organizing, “quiet quitting”, a retreat from consumerism, etc.
What do you guys think?