India, March 8 -- In 2020, Zoom became a verb, and work from home (WFH), a necessity.

In 2021, return to office (RTO) was a catchphrase that , some employees claimed, symbolised corporate greed that prioritised profit over their mental and physical health. Others pointed to the benefits of physical workplaces.

It is a debate that continues.

By 2024, chief executive officers of multi-million-dollar corporations, notably Amazon, JPMorgan Chase and Walmart, stressed that RTO was the way to go, though CEOs of smaller companies didn't agree. Over the past five years, the disruption to how we work and live has led to phenomena such as Om Nomis (online drinking sessions), workplace hangouts, quiet quitting, the Great Resignation and the Great...