Those pushing return to office have drank so much of the Kool-Aid that compliance with policy is worth any cost. You must keep collaborating and allegedly being productive in person.
After a year line managers were not enforcing it, despite repeated reminders
They started counting badge-ins, and lowering performance ratings for managers with reports not showing up.
They had to force the managers to act, almost none of them thought it was needed.
The actual in-person collaboration in the office: 50-100 person open space office with everyone wearing noise canceling headphones all the time to drown out everyone else talking in zoom/teams calls, not talking to anyone in person, reading reddit and watching youtube on the second monitor while waiting to clock out for the day.
Nah it comes from them trying to keep their real estate "investment" relevant.