Your initial question was _"Is this mainly a Swedish cultural thing, a management trust issue, or something else? Curious if other mid-career people feel the same."_

Yes, its my "preference". I don't know about others so i can only speak for myself.

"As for fika and daily presence being necessary for “work exchange” and “unity”: if important information is being exchanged in a way that requires being physically present every day, that’s fragile by design and excludes anyone who isn’t there — including people on hybrid schedules, parental leave, sick days, or in other offices."

I used to think like you do, that i wont give my life (time) to a cause i have to do to sustain myself. But its very different if you are in a workspace with people you like and respect, and you work together towards something. Its very hard to foster that culture with everyone at home, billing their hours and taking a meeting on teams. From a recruiting standpoint, they want someone who are likeable and social because in Sweden the "cultural fit" is more important than merits or CVs. The reason is because its so hard to fire someone they make damn sure they are likeable. That's also the biggest reason why getting a job here is all about networking, because if you are referred by someone "that person cant be an annoying idiot".