I've been tempted to weigh in on the pros and cons of telecommuting but this article from www.readwriteweb.com has it all covered.
1. No Commute - no argument there. Others in our office suffer the commute more than I do. Ok, everyone who does not live in downtown, midtown, or Tempe suffers a LOT.
2. Flexibility - well, meeting the plumber or the AC person would also justify this reason. It's not all about taking care of the kids, some of us have to take care of our pets :)
3. Saving money and the environment - I wouldn't have thought of the environment angle myself, but it is worthy.
4. Increased productivity - this should be #1 in the list. If you have one employee or five who rely on you, you can appreciate the decrease in interruptions. If you have one person or five whose company you enjoy, you are practically double dipping in the productivity gains when you take a day away and work from home.
1. Brainstorming is difficult - reluctantly conceeded. I am one of those who thinks that if I buckle down and get to work, it will get done faster, while in reality, just discussing or explaining what I am doing to someone else inevitably leads to breakthroughs.
2. You never leave work - this is purely a self discipline issue. Work is just work, just something you do to afford a life. Granted, loving your job can get in the way of this concept, but it can be done with discipline.
3. Entropy is after you - I've posted about this topic in the past, albeit from a slightly different view point, but it is true. As I sit here for hour number twelve in front of the computer, I can't deny it.
The best news of all, there really is no ugly. The good is worth managing or mitigating the bad. If you haven't tried it, you must do so. I remember my first experience of telecommuting, like it was yesterday and so will you.