You can stay home and keep things the way they were, and management does not need to fire you or confront you because they can tell others (who were to meek to

You can stay home and keep things the way they were, and management does not need to fire you or confront you because they can tell others (who were to meek to stand up for themselves) that "he/she is working on it" indefinitely. They can save face as you not challenge their authority directly and also don't need to fire you because you pretend to be collaborating, and you going back to the office could happen any time soon. That's a really good approach, that's also what I'd use if I can't find a better alternative.