I can’t speak for everyone, but this is my take:
I don’t need to be in an office to do my job, but I don’t mind BEING in the office. However, I do mind GOING to the office. There is a distinction. At my location, I have to drive to get to the office. If I take public transit, it adds over an hour to the commute and there are too many nutcases around. But gas is expensive, and I don’t live where the bank has a nice, big free parking lot to park my car. For those of us in downtown metro areas, it’s costs hundreds a month just to park to sit in an office we don’t need to be at in the first place. When RTO happened, it essentially took thousands in take home pay out of my pocket.
Again, once I get to the office, it’s fine. I don’t mind seeing people and all that. (I will not do volunteer activities, however. I’m not cleansing any bank’s reputation with the public when I know they come up with bs excuses for why they can’t even pay their own employees full cost of living adjustments). I don’t know what management doesn’t understand about this. Gas prices are too expensive, parking is too expensive, the mediocre turkey sandwich at the lunch place down the street, that somehow costs $15 now, is too expensive, and if I bring my lunch from home I’m buying groceries that are also too expensive. Now, deep down in my heart, I know that management doesn’t care. But they will someday.