The point is to extract as much value from the employee as possible. Companies are structured to maximize the value extraction. This doesn't necessarily mean work, however – which is what makes it so tricky. Sometimes it's more valuable to have an employee do nothing, or to do it in a wildly inefficient way (witness n work from home vs. return to office). It's absolutely all deliberate.
The point is to extract as much value from the employee as possible. Companies are structured to maximize the value extraction. This doesn't necessarily mean work, however – which is what makes it so tricky. Sometimes it's more valuable to have an employee do nothing, or to do it in a wildly inefficient way (witness n work from home vs. return to office). It's absolutely all deliberate.