I don't _think_ I get high from controlling an office environment (not sure what that means) but I sure miss white boards and in-person collaboration.
I guess my ideal would be 2 or 3 days remote and the rest in office.
There really is no remote alternative that isn't super expensive or lacks the responsiveness of in-person.
If they're more efficient, then it just sucks for you.
If they're not more efficient, then there's a business case for bringing the worker bees back to the hive.
Umm, what? Having been a manager and an IC I don't see a white board as a crutch at all, I see it as a highly effective tool for a specific set of problems.
I definitely prefer working at home when I'm heads down, I know what the problem is and I just need to crank out a solution. When I'm designing the solution to a problem with a group of people, or heck even just trying to fully clarify the problem, having an in-person session is just much more productive and efficient. What's more, having now done lots of remote design/problem solving sessions, both as the leader of the meeting and the participant, I find them always less effective in every way when there are at least 3 people in the meeting.