Work from home will last until employers, landlords and governments will get fed-up. Capitalism can't work from home. Less taxes, empty offices, empty trains (forget bars and restaurants) will get powerful people annoyed. Employees are... Replaceable.
Established big corporate employers like Amazon can potentially do something about it. But what can landlords do? And what can the government do?
In my opinion, landlords are powerful and can influence politics. Politics can concede or chip away from corporate. Money speaks loud and the machine needs to keep grinding. I can't see the corporate world, governments and lobbies being ok with the work from home tax saving, travel saving, restaurant saving implications.
Repress the freedom of others?? What in the world? How is going back to work in a work environment to do a job you are getting paid for considered a repression of freedom??
It makes sense that the intent is to trim headcount. Unless your job entails working hands-on on physical equipment then your job can more effectively be done remotely. In the not so distant future, Amazon warehouses are going to be staffed with just a few maintenance personnel.
Warehouses will do away with equipment operators and pick/packers while their maintenance dept will double in size.
If the quality and quantity of your work is good and you have a decent personality, any good boss will be happy to have you, regardless of where you work at/from. If your promotions are based, not on your work, but on your on-site availability to kiss ass till you're brown in the nose, find a better company to work for. (This does not apply to people squirting work from home, just as it does not apply to people squirting work at the water cooler in the office).
You are point blank stating that remote work is an unworkable concept that can't sustain. You're dead wrong. In fact, we have one family member that champions the concept of remote work and excels beyond most will ever achieve. And her employers ( she is both salaried and self employed ) are extremely happy with her. The repression of freedom is that you would like even productive remote work to be mandated to the office because you are jealous of the freedoms of others. Imagine if you were mandated to do all your trading in a cubicle that is a one hour commute each way. Should you do so because of your emotional need to condemn remote work ?
Both employer and driven employees will recognize if location is an issue in their work. However, for some, they specifically prefer the freedom of remote work or partial remote work and will simply move on if it's unworkable.