In bringing workers back to office, employers risk losing something more valuable

EARLY in the post-pandemic era, the nature of office work seemed to have changed for good. Covid-19 had shown that desk-bound work could be performed from a desk anywhere. The work-from-home revolution seemed so entrenched that it fuelled worries about the fate of commercial landlords and thinkpieces about the demise of central business districts.

Yet old habits die hard. From consulting to finance to Big Tech, corporate leaders started to feel the need to bring workers back into offices.

At first, the tone was a friendly one. Return-to-office advocates extolled the virtues of collaboration and promised to provide inviting, homely workspaces.