We went to permanent remote work just before the pandemic. I am very happy with it, I commuted 45 minutes each way for 20+ years, and am glad to be done with that. I live in a walkable area, and sometimes go 2-3 days without getting in a car.
That said, I am very, very thankful for my years working in person and in an office with other people. At this point in my career and in my role, working from home is great, but I can't imagine not having that experience of in-person collaboration, meetings, and process of being at work vs. being at home. I feel like modeling how more senior people worked and handled themselves was important to me, and people seeing how I worked was important. It seems like working from home effectively is way more possible when you've already established your work style in person.
I'm not surprised that most companies saw that their employees that went remote were still productive. But I'm not sure that is indicative of what it will be like 10-15 years from now with lots of employees who have never worked in a traditional setting first.
That said, the younger workers that we have hired remote only have not been a problem, but it's only a few. It's weird to me to think about never having that experience and how your work style and habits develop without it.
I do miss being around people somewhat, but my office was mostly all business with little small talk or socializing, so it wasn't that hard to give up. I've had previous jobs with much more camaraderie, and can imagine that would have been a very difficult change to adapt to.