> The problem is, in 2020, employees took these remote-work policy changes as an "implied" promise. And that's where employees 'dun goofed. Unless they got permanent remote work in a written contract, this was all a temporary measure until the pandemic was over.
Legally, there was no "implied" promise as the company has to register in the state in which you're working in order to handle local taxes. That's not an implication. Also, many employees have been hired in the 3.5 years everybody was sent home and were hired as remote employees. Again, no implication. My personal anecdote, I've been identified as a full-remote employee with the appropriate updates to my employment status. Once again, that's not an implication.
Frankly, in many cases, these companies are in breech of contract. In some states that contract isn't worth the paper it's written on and in others, it does. Here's the thing - it's the state where the employee actually works who determines the enforcement of the contract. States benefiting from WFH are going to be more inclined to enforce those contracts.