There are other ways to do this. I would much rather spend the commute time engaging in local social activities where I live than being forced into a car or pu

There are other ways to do this. I would much rather spend the commute time engaging in local social activities where I live than being forced into a car or public transport for multiple hours a week, just to spend 40 hours in a grey box which is a worse working environment than the one I have at home. This way you can build stronger local ties, rather than remote ties which are likely to evaporate next time you move job, or even department.