The last time people got together for a project kickoff a few years back they just sat around a conference table all on webex. I stayed home.
Unfortunately new management is taking away the remote option for new hires for the most part. Also some people based on where they live had to go back into the office.
For myself, I never felt a difference in work, other than I didn't have to have headphones on all the time to try and get any work done in a cube and no tie. I did find that it can lead you to feel 'alone' during the day when wife is at work and kids at school I guess. Though after getting a dog who wants to play and go out it's not as bad :-).
When I move on from this job, it will be VERY hard to not work at least some days remotely. There aren't a lot of jobs around here that offer that. That is a downside of doing this so long, it just becomes how you work and how your day is supposed to be. I've tuned my life around it.