Obviously every place is different but I'm working for a small company (35 employees) in the western suburbs and it's extremely laid-back and flexible. My hours are technically 8-5 with half days on Fridays but I come and go as I please as long as I am working 9 hours per day (and half on Fridays). So I usually end up coming in from like 730-430, and even though I'm 19, I'm trusted to do my job and am not constantly being micromanaged or anything.
I had a similar experience last summer at a tech start-up downtown. I think a lot of it depends on the age of ownership. In both cases my superiors are generally young (<40) and have a more relaxed attitude about the little things. Their only concern is that I do the work I'm supposed to do and complete it within those 9 hour days. They don't care about the exact minutes I'm working, whether I do some work at home, or whether I'm wearing a tie. That's the way it should be in most places, IMO.