Companies don't need a cookie-cutter approach to the workplace. They need customized workplace solutions to meet their unique needs. In this regard, they will often find that the answer regarding mobility lies in a question of balance:

Virtually yes. On one hand, it's impossible to ignore the potential benefits of remote offices. First, a reduced office footprint results in significant reductions in the cost of real estate. Second, remote offices accommodate the legitimate needs of some workers to spend more time at home. Third, as globalization trends continue, this begs the need for more flexible work arrangements. Fourth, in addressing the productivity part of the equation, we should review industry studies, some of which show that telecommuters work more hours and more efficiently than in-house staff.

Virtually no.On the other hand, the challenges presented by virtual offices need careful attention. These include management and reporting issues, communication gaps, the chance to become disconnected, and the blurring between work and play. At the end of the day, people need to meet in person to develop meaningful connections; they need to see body language and hear inflections. They need to interact, to be part of a team and part of a process. For this to happen, mobile workers must return to the office at least on occasion. And the office they return to must be engaging, sustainable, and fun.

In this kind of environment, collaboration and teamwork will thrive. But this type of workplace—and the culture it fosters—doesn't just happen. It needs to be carefully planned and implemented so that mobile workers and, of course, your mainstay 9-to-5ers will actually want to come to work.

Robin Weckesser, managing principal at Cresa in San Jose, is the head of the office's Project Management group. The views expressed in this column are the author's own.