Now that COVID has kept a large number of technical types in a mostly remote working state, it really does feel like five days in an office thing is dead. I think very few manager types want to believe that and I think that there are probably a non-trivial minority of knowledge workers who enjoy spending many hours a day trapped in loud, crowded spaces with the colleagues. Regardless, I think it is dead and any company that tries to reimpose it on their work force will see their talent migrate away.
It is possible that I am just engaging in wishful thinking. I have never been keen on being in any of the office spaces in which I have been employed. Some were better than others - the ones where I had four walls and a door that closed were my favorites. The ones without any walls were my least favorites.
On the other hand, going to a space that is not my dinning room does have some advantages. I do like having some commuting time; ideally between 15 and 30 minutes. I also like knowing where work is and where work is not. Some offices have had amenities that were enjoyable like coffee and good snacks. I appreciate my house more when I return to it after some time away from it. Not being constantly tempted by TV and household chores is also a bonus.
There are work arounds to regain some of the pluses. My pre-work dog walk is pretty similar to a commute. Shutting the laptop is pretty close to leaving the office. Starbucks is a short drive.
One could wonder about what happens to corporate culture, developing work place friendships, or just the normal bonds of seeing the same people all the time. One could also wonder about what happens to the innovation that happens in the quick casual meet ups in the hallway. Personally, I think most of that is not as important as manager types seem to think. I tend to like keeping home and work separate and don't have tight bonds with co-workers. In some cases, seeing them day in and day out makes the relationships worse. Hallway innovation, in my experience, has never been a real thing.
For some jobs, the office cannot go away. Teachers, mechanics, doctors, etc all require an office. For us knowledge worker types, the office is at best a place to keep stuff and at worst an albatross.
I say lets leave them behind when we crawl out of our COVID holes.
