At my current company, I work a hybrid schedule, coming into the office 3 days a week and working from home 2 days a week. During times when new variants of Covid peaked, I worked fully from home and definitely preferred that lifestyle. However, I do not have any issues getting to the office so it is not a huge deal to me, but considering my work is all on the computer it just doesn't feel necessary that I should come in.
I am one of the younger employees in my office and am also in perfect health, so going into the office doesn't really negatively affect me apart from just being an inconvenience. However, I had a conversation with a coworker who has been with the company for around two decades, and is in his sixties. He has not yet gone into the office since the start of the pandemic, since he has health issues that cause him to be immunocompromised and thus it would be dangerous for him to be around people if there is a chance of him getting Covid (or any other illness that could be detrimental). He told me today that he may be thinking of leaving, since the company essentially told him he has to start coming in or else he will be terminated. In my opinion, that's super cruel, since not only has he done so much for the company and should be allowed some compromise, but also it is medically necessary that he works from home during a pandemic.
I seriously just don't understand the obsession with companies needing everyone to come back into the office, when employees can get everything done just fine from home. This is seriously messed up and I really hope this coworker finds a better job elsewhere.