Forced relocation is a component of companies rolling back remote work.
Not to mention new COVID-19 variants ripping through the workers and their families. I have too many friends who are now permanently disabled by their last round with the virus.
In my circles there is one person who lost her sense of smell, and another friend lost three elderly extended relatives but otherwise I haven't personally seen much more. Is this a more recent thing?
(Work remotely)
$200K/year is practically the poverty line. It's all because of real estate cost.
200k/yr for 1000sq ft is pretty comical though.
Because honestly, unless you hit it big somehow or already have a house in SF before, I don't see how an average salaried worker can afford a family home there. Settle down and making a new family is just near impossible.
Rent impacts more than just your personal rent. People only work on SF if they’re paid enough to make rent/cost of living so labor prices rise. Shops also need to cover rent and labor costs which then spirals.
You're not going to believe me, but you need to take an honest look at severity of current variants, availability of vaccines and treatments, and weigh that against how you want to live your life. You might reach the same conclusion, but it sounds like you're still fighting the last war.
It could also be the case that they're fine with the risk of covid when it comes to actually living life (travel, hanging out with friends and family), but doesn't want to take that risk just to make zoom calls in an office instead of at home.