In the example I gave they were working longer hours to get in front of their workload, so that they would be less stressed in the coming weeks and could tackle things more effectively.
Note being "logged in" doesn't mean you're working.
In this specific instance they took around 3 hours of breaks over the period. It wasn't a "one off" in the sense that a 55-60 hour working week is something that is likely to happen several times a year. However if you assumed a 70+ hour week would be even an occasional occurance then you'd be wrong and I was unclear.
In terms of pay the specific member of staff received a £15k bonus in recognition of his work, but no he didn't receive "overtime" specifically.
Again they are not flogging themselves and I didn't say some are working most of their waking hours whilst others are 10% productive. Each member of staff has an individual load so one person falling behind only effects their outcomes and future workload. I said that some staff work more productively from home, but most do not. A minority of staff use the quieter environment and lack of commute a great opportunity to get in front of their workload. Their 90+ minute daily commute is used instead to work and the flexibility allows them to work in "batches" that they find works for them, rather than a "normal" solid 9-10 hours when the office is open. Most staff however are less productive.
This is getting extremely off topic either way. It was merely a comment as to why I don't believe we'll see a widespread change in WFH post Covid.
I don't think any of that is off topic at all.
It's relevant as it informs your point of view. Working that many hours in the short-term on condition you will be rewarded with a decent bonus is a different thing altogether to what I assumed was going on.
However, I would fundamentally disagree with counting the hours previously used for commuting as business hours.
However, the way you've described how your business runs isn't the norm in my experience. We are being strongly urged to only work our regular hours and to take our breaks as we would have taken them in the office.
In my line of work, we will most definitely keep up the working from home aspect where it suits both the employee and the business and productivity is a factor in that decision-making process.
Most likely it would be some kind of hybrid as I feel some things can only be done face-to-face especially when setting up projects with new or existing clients where a knowledge transfer is needed.
Personally I'd need at least one day in the office a week.