It's a lot less baffling when you start looking at it as managers trying to control things. Managers don't feel in control if they don't feel like they know what people are doing, and they don't feel like they know what people are doing unless they can see those people in person. Emphasis on feel. At this point I think it's evident that managers can collect all the information they need remotely in most cases--it just doesn't feel that way to managers.

If you look through my post history, you'll see I'm generally not on the side of administration, but this is one case where I'm a bit sympathetic. When things are going well it's easy to stay calm. But when things are going poorly, it's hard to shake the feeling that there's a solution you're missing because you're not there to see it.

But ultimately I think going back in person is bad for everyone, both employers and empoyees.