Why do companies want to return to the office?

Well I suppose climate initiatives, energy conservation, DE&I and similar schemes are always first to get cut when budgets are tight.

Companies dont give two figs about them.

Yes and no.

The headlines are always about 'company X forcing people back to the office' but the vast majority of people I know are still on WFH or hybrid arrangements.

The OP on this very thread is not about going to the office full-time but about one day per week, and he's really, really angry about it.

Is is inflexible or unreasonable for an employer to want people on site one day per week?

I clearly remember similar threads on here during and towards the end of COVID with lots of posters claiming that office work was a thing of the past and that employees should even be able to claim additional pay because they were saving their employer rent etc!
I was roundly abused for suggesting that many employers would look to get people back into the office when things settled back down …. and so it has proved!
For many (most?) businesses and roles, collocation of staff in an office for at least part of the week is viewed as being the ideal solution. Measuring productivity when people are working remotely is extremely difficult for many roles and collaboration and mentoring undoubtedly suffers in a fully remote scenario.
Our company has arrived at a compromise of 2-3 days a week on-site and I believe that that is reasonable and workable solution for most? And I speak as someone who moved 125kms from the office last year!
And at the end of the day, one always has the option of moving jobs if the T&Cs of the current one don’t suit!

Can't speak for everyone. Most of the people I know have had their days in the office increased but still have a few days wfh. For me it's still better than 5 days in the office.

Though I will say mostly I've no reason to be in the office. Though I don't mind being in the office, it's just the commute is a pita. Because the train can be jammed.

It's not hard to understand, it's simply down to lack of trust and they think they will have better control if people are on site.

The reasons they (and pretty much every company) give are just lies that management and HR concocted so ignore that.

My memory, is that it's not usually phrased like that, it's flexibility solely on the employees part to facilitate the business…

Kinda tone deaf not to realise that people won't be flexible back if they aren't respected by being shown the same flexibility in response.

If it was people's experience that coming into the office was for valid reasons they'd mostly just do it.

Too often being asked into the office (or meetings for that matter) is a tick box exercise, by someone who thinks that's putting ticks in boxes gets things done. As opposed to actually getting things done..

With respect you flip flopped between the OPs very specific example and sweeping generalisation.

The OP explained in his first post why its completely redundant for them to be in the office.

It's a tick box exercise. If the company wants you to waste a day on that kind of unproductive activity they totally can. So the OP has just has to accept it. But let's not pretend it's productive.

when I spoke about my own experience and that of most of my friends, your response was “I can’t speak for everyone”, so I thought a more specific example might help.

One day per week is absolutely reasonable and flexible. Every job will always have disgruntled and disruptive employees, it’s a fool’s errand trying to please everyone.

A sweeping generalisation about your friends and my experience is a different thing to a specific example from the OP.

Theres is a difference between coming onto the office one day for some useful purpose and coming into the office for one day to do exactly the same thing you do remotely. As in sit in remote meetings and calls all day.

That seems common sense no?

For my part I feel the days in the office are enabling my remote days. I just have to accept that. I have more flexibility than most.

I wish that my days in the office were used for networking or something different than I do remotely. But they aren't. I do like being in the office. But in my experience the one claiming it's better for communication are brutal at communicating in the office aswell. That's just my experience.

Sometimes, unfortunately, ticking the box is a requirement……..

Group meetings are a notorious way to waste a ton of time with no benefit. The more people in a meeting I find the less is achieved. In my experience 3 people is the max number for a meeting to be effective.

"not based on productivity"

Where are you getting that from? If the Google and Amazons of this world thought they'd make more money by having everyone WFH fulltime, they'd be the first to do it. The fact they are says it all really, remote work is hitting their profits.