I think part of it is that many companies were not remote before the pandemic, and most of the companies issuing RTO mandates did not promote (or in many cases even allow) RTO pre-pandemic. Because the pandemic forced an abrupt shift to remote work, these companies had to adapt to remove work in order to keep working under pandemic conditions, but now that the pandemic is over, these companies want to return to the status quo ante. The pandemic environment was quite stressful for many people, and this could have impacted productivity. However, the companies issuing RTO mandates might not be interested in doing a more fine-grained analysis identifying what exactly caused those productivity losses.
In addition, while I enjoy being able to work from my apartment (though my company now mandates being in the office once per week, though pre-pandemic I worked in the office 3 days per week), I recognize that not everybody thrives under remote work. I live in a one-bedroom apartment by myself, and my apartment neighbors are not disruptive (at least during work hours). Working remotely would be more challenging if I had roommates, or if my neighbors were loud during the day; under those circumstances I'd have to look for alternative work locations such as libraries, coffee shops, or even rented private offices. Not all remote workers are highly paid, and not all remote workers are in situations where they can move to 2,000+ sq. ft. homes in the countryside. There's also something to be said about camaraderie, which is important for some companies and for some people and is harder to build virtually than in person.
I just wish the housing situation wasn't so messed up in much of the world's tech hubs....today's housing prices near offices, whether renting or purchasing, are brutal, forcing many people to make choices that have a degraded quality of life, such as long commutes, living in cramped conditions, and/or living in high-crime areas.
In addition, while I enjoy being able to work from my apartment (though my company now mandates being in the office once per week, though pre-pandemic I worked in the office 3 days per week), I recognize that not everybody thrives under remote work. I live in a one-bedroom apartment by myself, and my apartment neighbors are not disruptive (at least during work hours). Working remotely would be more challenging if I had roommates, or if my neighbors were loud during the day; under those circumstances I'd have to look for alternative work locations such as libraries, coffee shops, or even rented private offices. Not all remote workers are highly paid, and not all remote workers are in situations where they can move to 2,000+ sq. ft. homes in the countryside. There's also something to be said about camaraderie, which is important for some companies and for some people and is harder to build virtually than in person.
I just wish the housing situation wasn't so messed up in much of the world's tech hubs....today's housing prices near offices, whether renting or purchasing, are brutal, forcing many people to make choices that have a degraded quality of life, such as long commutes, living in cramped conditions, and/or living in high-crime areas.