Death to the cubicle!

I've worked in a "cube farm" for years, and going from an office with a view of the hills was a bit of an adjustment.  Having the office was not just nice, it allowed me to have 1x1s and small group meetings without having to go in search of a room.  Business became obsessed with real estate efficiency instead of worker efficiency and productivity when it converted to cubicles.  Which do you think is worth more? 

Before you get the idea that I'm upset about moving into a cubicle, no worries, I'm not.  From 2006-2008, I did most of my work remotely.  Though I had a cube, I was seldom anywhere near it.  My backpack and any place with wireless internet access was my office.  With WiFi and a cell phone, you can do business almost anywhere.

Working from home has steadily become more popular, especially with the availability of broadband internet in most areas of the country.  Email, instant messaging and video conferencing are enabled by the internet connection, and more companies are allowing work from home.  I have several on my team that do this, and so far, so good.  Each of them report a higher level of satisfaction in their job and with the company because of this.  They are also consistent in saying that they get much more done at home than at the office, and the quantity and quality of their deliverables backs this up.

I just read in Wired magazine that last year, reaseachers at Penn State analyzed 46 studies of telecommuting conducted over two decades and covering almost 13,000 employees. They concluded that working from home has "favorable effects on perceived autonomy, work-family conflict, job satisfaction, performance, turnover intent, and stress." The only demonstrable drawback is a slight fraying of the relationships between telecommuters and their colleagues back at headquarters — largely because of jealousy on the part of the latter group.  Read more here http://www.wired.com/culture/culturereviews/magazine/16-10/st_essay

Is your company leading or lagging in this?  Does your employer allow you to work from home?  I'd like to hear from you!