The term "remote work" is one that excites the average developer and irritates some executives. I do believe that the best way both parties can meet each other halfway is by understanding why a lot of developers like the idea of working remotely. David Seidman (an IT professional and Quora superstar writer that I've followed for years) captured this succinctly on Quora when he outlined some of the perks of remote working. Having worked remotely for over a month now I can attest to all of them.
COMMUTE IS A REALLY BIG CHALLENGE FOR DEVELOPERS
The issue of commute is one that is considered a necessary evil by many, depending on where you live, you either get to work within 15 minutes or 3 hours. Time spent in traffic is one of the most productive hours of the human body (if you're a morning person). In terms of securing accommodation, the average developer has to play a game of opportunity cost; get a place close to work and pay a princely sum or get a more affordable home and spend valuable time in traffic. With remote work, people don't have to engage in this intellectual gymnastics as they live wherever they want to.
WORKLIFE BALANCE IS BECOMING MORE OF A PRIORITY TO STAFF
Also, the issue of work-life balance has been subject to intense debate, some say it's a mirage, other's say it's possible. With remote working conditions, it becomes really possible to have family time and get work done (mostly because you save time commuting). I personally enjoy walking my baby brother to school, a luxury I didn't enjoy previously and couldn't quantify till I started enjoying it. David also mentioned time for hobbies as a reason why remote work works (pardon my pun) and you realize that with more time on one's hands it becomes possible to engage in other activities that are outside one's professional life. A very underrated reason why remote work is a very attractive proposition is that one is more likely to eat healthy at home than at work. With a lot of fast food being advertised and seemingly accessible, it's easier to engage in binge drinking and eating unlike when one is home.
IT IS POSSIBLE TO CREATE A WIN-WIN SOLUTION
Be that as it may, it's important to also understand that people like being able to see and interact with their colleagues from time to time, spending too much time at home can feel very cagey and I feel it offers organizations an opportunity to provide more valuable packages to staff. If you noticed, most of the reasons why developers like to work remotely can be tied to issues that stem from accommodation challenges, directly or indirectly. Organizations that are able to provide some form of accommodation that is close enough to work while allowing them to close at reasonable hours don't exactly have challenges with retaining staff. I won't pretend to know so much about how taxes work or how managing corporate organizations work but I do know that corporate executives can find a way to provide accommodation conditions that encourage staff to adopt a hybrid work system.