AWS doesn't consider them sensitive, but some organizations do. My feeling is that I would rather avoid leaking any info about my AWS environments. Just because AWS doesn't think they can be dangerous doesn't mean someone else won't find a way.
I did this at a previous employer. I leveraged a Lambda functions and tags applied to instances to determine when they should be and when they should be off.
It's odd that regular testing wasn't part of a compliance framework for them. BC/DR testing has been part of every security/compliance framework I've worked with.
It's sad that this is framed as a zero-sum game. At my current role, the expectation is three days a week in the office, but no one freaks out if you end up working remotely for a week.
If I'm disconnected from the real-world impact of my job, I'm likely to think it's bullshit. That doesn't make it a bullshit job; that just means that I can't see how it fits into the bigger picture. Companies aren't going to keep people employed if they're not somehow contributing to profitability or growth.
I'm not sold on the idea that this is an either/or scenario. Classroom-based instruction is critical, imho, for social development, but having personalized learning as an option for areas of struggle (or areas of excellence) that proceeds at your own pace has been helpful for me (as an adult).