Truth: Working from home doesn't work for every industry or profession.
Very simple example, we didn't empty our hospitals and say all doctors and nurses could work from home did we? And we didn't switch all hospital appointments to only video/phone consultations did we? No. So it's fair to say anyone with a brain can make that distinction or at least accept it as a universal truth in the discussion.
My personal situation is I've allowed myself and my team freedom to work from home 100% of the time if we want. However, after having done that all through Covid it was pretty apparent that their were shortfalls and gaps that could not be addressed. We all agreed having nominated days where people show up to the office (Mon-Wed) was the best thing to do. However, we wouldn't mandate it and still allow flexibility for outlying cases - like car maintenance, child support, poor weather. And I can honestly say the difference in the team is evident in spades. The amount of things you pick up through osmosis and just over hearing what your colleagues are up to, or catching things earlier because there's an overlap just can't be measured. And there is also the wellbeing benefit of actually seeing your staff and how they are coping, picking up on changes in behaviour. The lift in morale and building that team togetherness is a massive NET positive too. When you're in proximity, you can have multiple plates on the go as well, like 4 or 5 conversations about different things, remote working is very much about direct, sequential contact streams. Remote working has saturated the convenience and efficacy of 'instant messaging' thsat was once it's benefit.
I would take any study/polls with a pinch of salt right now as well (either for or against productivity). The baseline data is poor, the economic shift is making everyone miserable and isn't a true comparison of pre-pandemic levels. Currently any poll is just a referendum on whether people like WFH and if they want to keep it or return to the offfice full time - there isn;t even nuance on being able to pick apart hybrid working.
Most of this debate becomes polarised because people approach it from a individual productivity point of view. But really, it should be about efficiency and gains. MDT working is better together in an office. And we've tried to emulate that virtually - like have an open teams session with people on camera but it's just not the same, and it doesn't work the same. Put those same 5 people in an office with desks and the contrast is stark.
For those industries where it works, I don't think anyone is waving flags objecting to it. But those companies who choose to have staff return to work (either full time or hybrid) don't automatically become cartoon villains. At least not to anyone with any sort of basic grasp on logic and understanding. There are valid reasons for people to return to work, even more so if you're working at one of the most prestigious game studio's in the world.