Binary Tree (www.binarytree.com) is a Virtual Company, every employee works from home. Over 80 employees in 20+ different states and 5 different countries all collaborate in a very productive and profitable company. All contribute to the success of the company. Employees are surveyed annually, and needless to say employee morale and job satisfaction levels are in the top 2% of nation wide companies similarly surveyed. This model works Some companies require employee onsite attendance (manufacturing companies, warehouses, retail and restaurants, etc) and working from home may only be an option for a few employees. (Sales, accounting, marketing folks may work remotely part of the time, at least). Many knowledge companies (IT, software services, etc) can be completely built around the Virtual Company model, and actually work better that way.
Think of the time saved by not commuting, think of the energy saved, think of the office rent and overhead saved. Compared to the average commute in New Jersey, employees are saving over 4 hours of time per week and over 400 gallons of gasoline (not to mention tolls or mass transit costs, wear and tear on autos, etc) each by working from home. Think about the ability to recruit the best talent anywhere, not just around the physical office location.
The Unified Communication tools commonly available tie folks together in ways that have never been possible before. IM and text messaging are used by folks under 35 more often than email, or phone calls. Email is used for more office communications than phone calls, and face to face meetings. Communication has never been easier, and more ubiquitous. For a Knowledge Worker the office is wherever you are.
Start think Virtual.