@Alison or you turn your suffering into art as Scott Adams does with Dilbert. 

To address the assumptions that people get more work done at work than they do away, here's an infographic on the biggest time wasters at work:

The New York Times is reporting that Marissa Mayer made this decision to make things less gloomy: Yahoo Says New Policy Is Meant to Raise Morale.

Problems at Yahoo: Too many layers of management, perception of uncoolness, Yahoo missed not one but two induistry trends -- mobile and social -- and empty offices and parking lots. 

Of those problems, only the last one can be addressed by bringing in people from remote offices. It could also be addressed by hiring temps. Or moving to a new office that's the right size. 

Alison, 

I never understood how people get work done in cubicles either. I do need my own working space, and it has to be preferably quiet. If I eventually add some noise it has to be my choice.

-Susan 

Mitch,

"I felt like I was in one of those alien zoos that Captain Kirk and Mr. Spock occasionally got dropped into."

That, or a fish tank. And people talk about distractions on the Internet.

-Susan

 Consumers follow trends -- and so does corporate management.

Just as likely that Best Buy had made their decision before and independently of Yahoo. Whether Best Buy breathed a sigh of relief when Yahoo beat them to punch in announcing is open for discussion. But for any other corporation with just a little bit of self respect with eyes wide open to put themselves in the same grouping as these very troubled companies might mean they are looking for sympathy from their customers or maybe a thumbs up from old fashioned hard liners.

You are so right, Jabailo.

Funnily enough, although I work most of the time in an open plan office, well over 90 percent of my communications with my onsite colleagues take place via email or IM.  Sure, there are some kinds of collaboration which take place face-to-face, and which it's necessary to be in the office for.  Most collaboration, however, takes place virtually--whether I'm in the office or at home.

I've never worked in a cubicle. At CRN, everyone had an office with four walls and a door. When I was promoted to managing editor, departments, I got one with a window that overlooked the parking lot! I never understood how people got work done in cubicles, given all the noise from phones, people coming and going, nearby chatter, and all the other (sometimes welcome) distractions. Not that I usually had my door closed and we all spent a lot of time in each other's offices, but I did have the ability to somewhat control my environment. I guess it's like everything, though, and you get used to cubicle life. 

That's a concern I have, too, Mitch. Consumers follow trends -- and so does corporate management. (Remember feng shui?) We've seen mass layoffs post-merger or the entry of new management. Now, perhaps, we're seeing telecommuter discrimination, an "easy" change for any new CEO, board member, CFO, or merger advisor to recommend. Like any trend, it's not for everyone. 

I'd take a look at their business models rather than how people are accomplishing tasks associated with the model. If you've got a great business, know exactly what you're doing, and everyone who works there knows what they're supposed to be doing and why they're doing it, I don't suppose it really matters whether they're at a corporate desk, at a home desk, on a plane or in a park: They are all working toward a common goal. When you have moving goal posts, ever-changing mandates, and people terrified that they're about to get fired, then productivity tanks -- no matter where your desk is situated. 

I'm willing to accept that Yahoo and Best Buy might have cultural problems that require the drastic approach of banning telework. Not every company is like every other. Telecommuting isn't for everyone. 

However, my concern is that this becomes a knee jerk reaction, and that every company that has two bad quarters in a row bans telecommuting as an empty gesture to make investors think the company is serious about change.