As an old guy, who has run an engineering business with a large office, I suspect that the cost of the lease is not really that important (maybe 5% of opex) as

As an old guy, who has run an engineering business with a large office, I suspect that the cost of the lease is not really that important (maybe 5% of opex) as long as productivity (labor + resources -> income) is maintained. Therefore, I suspect that the real concern is that there are no trusted management schemes, business processes or work cultures in place to keep up productivity (and quality) when the entire staff is working remotely. Management fears that the result will be less control and lower productivity. In short, they want to be able to walk into someone’s office or workspace and look someone in the eye.