I'm no expert but it seems like we keep subsidizing both coal mining & coal burning, as well as creating legal obstacles for better energy technology, for the sake of propping up an industry with a lot of jobs.
I feel like, lately, there's been a big effort to keep these things going in spite of greener energy options being more and more affordable just so we don't put a lot of people out of work.
A lot of it really is about what kind of personality you are. I think there are too many people who need external motivation to get in the zone to get things done.
I'm not that person. I would love to work 100% remote, where I can work in my own space without distractions. I'm actually way more productive when I get to work from home (at least with the more low-level tasks like actually coding) -- and from a more selfish perspective, I can slice up my day more efficiently and get my work done WHILE ALSO getting my own things done (exercising during lunch hour and using my own shower!)
But TBH I think the most effective option would be to provide an office and sort of let people come and go as they please, maybe with some incentive to get them into the office on average 2 days a week -- for all of the things others have mentioned here, like collaboration, small talk around the office, "hey can you look at this?", etc. etc. Those things are important, and even though I hate coming into the office, I've noticed lately that there have been a number of days when I was working from home and my team had a lot of pings going back and forth trying to figure things out, and I thought it would've been a lot easier to just pop into the office until the issues were resolved.
I feel like, lately, there's been a big effort to keep these things going in spite of greener energy options being more and more affordable just so we don't put a lot of people out of work.