When I started work I had two huge desks with office furniture behind me - my own working space. Seniors and managers had offices to work in and to hold meeting

When I started work I had two huge desks with office furniture behind me - my own working space. Seniors and managers had offices to work in and to hold meetings in. I shared a meeting room with about 10 other people. One of my colleagues left because the crowding and noise were intollerable. I thought it was really nice. After 25 years I had been promoted to Director level (6 steps) and now had a desk that afforded me 4 inches on each side of my elbows. There were maybe 50 people sharing the same meeting room space. All the offices were gone unless you were "executive" grade. It was hell on earth to work in. In hindsight I got nothing done for about three years because the working environment was just impossible. "Execs" were happy because they got efficiency savings on the floorspace. Then came covid. I was working from home. I cleared a space and set up a workstation (I was lucky to be able to do this I know). I went in on the monday morning I started work. I had cleared everything I needed to do by about 1:30 in the afternoon. I basically got 4 hrs a day back + travel. This improvement was sustained, and I was able to use it to actually contribute and create value and business rather than just putting out fires.