“The big learning from the pandemic is that for work-from-home employees you need good performance-evaluation systems,” he added. “When employees are in the office you can see if they are working at the desks, typing or in meetings with colleagues. At home you can’t see this and we really don’t want creepy surveillance software as it is nasty and invasive.”
The second half of the quote above sums things up perfectly! The idea that you can gauge someone's performance/effectiveness by seeing them at their desks, typing or in meetings with colleagues is absurd at best and outdated and dangerous at worst.
I manage a globally dispersed team remotely and have no issue ever assessing their performance as they have clearly defined goals and the tools, skills and processes to achieve them. Watching people is not leadership, it's the direct result of a lack of clear expectations and trust in the team.