Do you really think that people in an office are putting in more hours than somebody working at home?

Good point, Alan! I think it's a decision made from fear, so they comeback to "better the devil you know than the devil you don't." The opposite of innovation.

I can't think of a company I've been in where work wasn't enhanced when people could socialize and take their own breaks. When rigid work habits were enforced, people took a lot of time figuring out how to circumvent them. (Which is pretty much exactly what we did in grammar school).