I personally believe that people are more productive in person together, but there are some important caveats:
a. the commute must be quick and pain free
b. you must enjoy the people you work with
c. you must have work that is inherently collaborative, or at least partially collaborative. If it's not fully collaborative, you should work remotely part of the time.
d. perks, like an office gym, free lunch, are bonuses that the company can give to help you offset the time/expense of commutes. Free parking is a must.
If you don't have these things... the argument for working in person is low. You should either work somewhere else, or work remotely and save $$$ and time.
They are just another face on a screen. Completely ignores thousands of years of evolution that proves that people behave completely different when they are in the same room as someone.
As a silly, anecdotal example - consider the phrase 'smile in my face, then stab me in the back'. People are quick to talk trash about someone when they aren't in the same room, but act completely different when in person.
Executives rely on this to enforce favorable behavior in the workplace.
If you don't have these things... the argument for working in person is low. You should either work somewhere else, or work remotely and save $$$ and time.