I think that the biggest issue here is that blanket statements (that end up becoming policy due to PERSONAL bias) of "WFH is bad" or "WFH is the only way it should be" by Managers and Executives just don't make ANY sense.
You cannot apply the same paradigm to the entire company.
Some positions NECESSITATE in-person activities and/or collaboration. I cannot use the on-site labs from home.
Some thrive on it, even if it can be done remotely (as the last TWO YEARS have proven), like meetings, brainstorms, etc.
Other positions don't need in-person work AT ALL (like some software development/deployment, maintenance, etc).
Companies today need to start to take a good, hard look at the pros and cons of EACH scenario (or department) and see WFH as what it really is: an opportunity to reduce costs, increase morale and retention, and even reduce the impact we have on the environment, instead of falling back on Boomer-ish sentiments like: "Well, that's the way it was in my day" and "It's always been done this way, so suck it up, Snowflakes..."
Yes, mostly.
The group I lead is really 2 closely related functions that are quite different in operation. One can be done largely, but not entirely from home. The other is more the other way round.
We've learned from experience that some tasks are best done at home - more specifically, in a quiet place without many or all of the usual distractions & interrupts.
Others are significantly hampered, slowed, by the WFH situation.
So a mix - work from home for those tasks that best benefit from it, and in the office for those other tasks. Thankfully for us we can pretty much plan around this, and individuals can plan some of their personal activities & tasks around this too, for a much better work-life balance.
I'm fortunate that my boss, as well as I, are more interested in the quality of the work done, and much less so about how, where etc... And my team appreciate it, and I appreciate their flexibility in return.
There are some practical challenges. IT/IS support has been a real problem, taking weeks at times to get relatively minor things sorted because we can't just go down to tech support when the problem arise. They're doing a lot of their work remotely, and it has caused significant project delays for us. It's not their fault, they're not bad folk.
Other practical challenges include working from home with very young kids in the home at the same time and with nobody else available to look after the kids properly. Child care is hideously expensive in most countries & states. It's become a significant challenge, mitigated in large part in the short term by massive flex on working hours, but it's not sustainable. Some people are going to have to decide on how they want their home/personal lives to be, and accept the fact that on occasion their employers simply can't accommodate them.
I know for certain client-facing functions we've had many colleagues leave because they can't juggle the intensity of their tasks with child care & home schooling duties - exacerbated by dealing constantly with very angry & emotional clients wondering where, when or even if their orders will be fulfilled and to what extent, due to the global supply chain shortages.
So this is not a simple situation requiring a simplistic solution.
Looking at each role, department etc and with an eye to a hybrid model is, I think, the reasonable & balanced way forward. What will be a speed break to some of the desires are the various laws & regulations focused on preventing discrimination in various domains.
