If your employee isn’t paying attn during meetings and not performing well due to that, that’s a performance issue. Not a location issue.
If they’re not paying attn and are still performing well, maybe the meeting has no value.
Companies should provide the necessary equipment to do the job. That includes an adequate headset, camera, etc… Not providing a $50 headset is not a reason to enforce a commute.
I’ve had a remote managers and remote teams for almost a decade now. When I had an office to go to I was often less productive due to all the distractions. Being in a physical location makes it too easy for people to try and jump the queue and just walk over to my desk.
While I miss (and I very much do miss) the socializing aspect of a shared workspace it didn’t make me more productive.
My current job, which is completely remote, with a geographically spread out team, takes steps to mitigate the separation. Most work related convos take place in an open text channel unless they’re private. So you get that, “I heard you taking to Bob about XYZ”.
We use cameras on team meetings. It helps with the human connection as well as with being present when you can see other people and look them in the eye.