It seems that every day someone tells me they want to work remotely, work from home.  That’s becoming less of an option for many.

There’s been an interesting shift, most noticeably in the last year or so, where companies that have moved to the Agile development process require ‘all hands on deck.’  Product decisions are made in the moment on a daily basis in a less documented, more interactive fashion.  Being on the phone is tough and doesn’t cut it over the long term.

Companies competing in the consumer electronics space, in e-commerce, mobile, and healthcare are all in fast changing industries.  Being present often means being able to be part of the change, providing opportunities to talk to people, to help shape the new programs.

To an employer, the business comes first.  If someone can do the work remotely from time to time, that’s usually fine.  But few will sign up to a fixed schedule or go too far in accommodating personal needs.  No one can guarantee that Fridays (or Thursdays or Mondays) are days that nothing critical will happen.  Like it or not, the best companies generally need everyone on deck together at least 70% of the time.