The pandemic has prompted a mass global study in remote working, which shows that while some are coping, others are clearly not. Bloomberg
The pandemic has prompted a mass global study in remote working, which shows that while some are coping, others are clearly not. Bloomberg
The pandemic has prompted a mass global study in remote working, which shows that while some are coping, others are clearly not. Bloomberg
The pandemic has prompted a mass global study in remote working, which shows that while some are coping, others are clearly not. Bloomberg

(Over)working from home: Why we need to get better at switching off when in remote mode


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The ability to work from home has, for many years, prompted a certain amount of envy. The stereotype of an average home-working day involves getting up late, frequent naps, half an eye on the telly, long lunches and knocking off early. It’s an understandable supposition to make; after all, our homes are generally more pleasant than our workplaces.

But Covid-19 has been chipping away at that stereotype. During the pandemic, those able to work from home have realised that the comforts and conveniences can come with drawbacks – the most unexpected of which being a longer working day.

In recent months, a rise in the use of cloud platforms (collaborative workspaces, messaging, videoconferencing) has generated a wealth of data about working patterns across the world. Many sources confirm that working from home means working later. This can distort work-life balance and, in extreme cases, lead to stress and burnout – in a setting that's supposed to be about relaxation and recuperation.

At some point you need to pack your stuff up and say 'work is finished'. You also have to ask yourself what's most important?

Tech companies began to notice the shift in late March. Service provider NordVPN analysed usage of its business platform and noticed that certain European countries were putting in as much as two extra working hours a day, and up to three in the US. The blurring of the line between work and domestic life meant employees logging in late at night, with new spikes of activity detected in the early hours of the morning.

These findings were echoed by a study done by Microsoft, published in July, showing that its employees’ working hours were lengthening by about four per week.

Earlier this month, software company Atlassian revealed data comparing usage in January and February with April and May; again, workdays were significantly longer. "Companies and employees need to adjust their practices to this new world," wrote Arik Friedman, the data scientist behind the Atlassian study. "We need to find effective ways of switching off, or risk burning out."

Working from home isn't all about long lunches and midday naps for many. Unsplash
Working from home isn't all about long lunches and midday naps for many. Unsplash

These findings come as no surprise for academics who have studied the impact of working from home. "I've interviewed across a range of organisations, private, public and voluntary, and they all come to the same conclusion," says Christine Grant, a researcher in the psychology of remote working and author of a new book, Agile Working and Well-Being in the Digital Age.

“Technology is favourable in that it’s accessible and allows flexibility, but it has to be self-managed, otherwise it can become detrimental, particularly for certain types of personality. It demands from you, it takes from you, and can result in cognitive weariness.”

In August, the World Economic Forum sat up and took notice. In a blog post, it highlighted a report by the US National Bureau of Economic Research, which showed that employees across North America, Europe and the Middle East, were sending more emails, attending more meetings and, on average, working 48 minutes longer every day.

Why? The act of leaving work premises – which usually signifies the end of that day – is absent and, Grant says, the technology facilitating remote working is hard to set aside. "We've become slightly invisible, and as a result, we can find ourselves working past normal hours without any kind of controls in place," she says.

Christine Grant, researcher and the author of 'Agile Working and Well-Being in the Digital Age'. Christine Grant
Christine Grant, researcher and the author of 'Agile Working and Well-Being in the Digital Age'. Christine Grant

“For some people, setting boundaries between home and work just isn’t possible. But at some point you need to pack your stuff up and say ‘work is finished’. You also have to ask yourself what’s most important? Yes, you might be highly productive, but should you be taking a more holistic view of your life?”

In some ways, it’s reflective of the adage that work expands to fill the time available, and those who find it difficult to set boundaries will inevitably see their hours lengthen. Last month, survey platform Blind showed that the majority of respondents from tech companies such as Amazon, Facebook, Intel and Google, reported a negative trend in work-life balance. Exacerbating this, says Grant, is the anxiety surrounding the economic fallout from Covid-19 and a fear of unemployment.

“People feel the need to work as hard as they can to show that they’re increasing productivity, and to feel worthwhile and valued.”

There is perhaps a parallel with presenteeism, where employees are reluctant to take time off sick because they don’t want it on their record. The onus, Grant believes, is on managers to understand that when people are ill, they are ill, and when the work day is over, it’s over. “[Setting boundaries] is up to the individual to some extent,” she says, “but organisations have a duty of care to their staff to make sure that they take sick leave, they take annual leave, they don’t overwork.” This, she believes, would help to avoid what she describes as a “well-being time bomb”.

The pandemic has, in effect, prompted a global experiment in remote working. The technology enabling it has created detailed data on how we use it, and very clearly shows that while some people are coping, others are clearly not.

“This is not a one-size-fits-all problem,” says Grant. “We all have different ambitions and different pressures. I’m really making the case for a more holistic view of the individual and their circumstances, and hoping that in future we’ll work in a more agile way. A way that takes account of the benefits of working from home, but also ameliorates some of its problems.”

Jewel of the Expo 2020

252 projectors installed on Al Wasl dome

13.6km of steel used in the structure that makes it equal in length to 16 Burj Khalifas

550 tonnes of moulded steel were raised last year to cap the dome

724,000 cubic metres is the space it encloses

Stands taller than the leaning tower of Pisa

Steel trellis dome is one of the largest single structures on site

The size of 16 tennis courts and weighs as much as 500 elephants

Al Wasl means connection in Arabic

World’s largest 360-degree projection surface

On the menu

First course

▶ Emirati sea bass tartare Yuzu and labneh mayo, avocado, green herbs, fermented tomato water  

▶ The Tale of the Oyster Oyster tartare, Bahraini gum berry pickle

Second course

▶ Local mackerel Sourdough crouton, baharat oil, red radish, zaatar mayo

▶ One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest Quail, smoked freekeh, cinnamon cocoa

Third course

▶ Bahraini bouillabaisse Venus clams, local prawns, fishfarm seabream, farro

▶ Lamb 2 ways Braised lamb, crispy lamb chop, bulgur, physalis

Dessert

▶ Lumi Black lemon ice cream, pistachio, pomegranate

▶ Black chocolate bar Dark chocolate, dates, caramel, camel milk ice cream
 

THE CLOWN OF GAZA

Director: Abdulrahman Sabbah 

Starring: Alaa Meqdad

Rating: 4/5

UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
UPI facts

More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions

UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
CHATGPT%20ENTERPRISE%20FEATURES
%3Cp%3E%E2%80%A2%20Enterprise-grade%20security%20and%20privacy%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%E2%80%A2%20Unlimited%20higher-speed%20GPT-4%20access%20with%20no%20caps%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%E2%80%A2%20Longer%20context%20windows%20for%20processing%20longer%20inputs%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%E2%80%A2%20Advanced%20data%20analysis%20capabilities%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%E2%80%A2%20Customisation%20options%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%E2%80%A2%20Shareable%20chat%20templates%20that%20companies%20can%20use%20to%20collaborate%20and%20build%20common%20workflows%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%E2%80%A2%20Analytics%20dashboard%20for%20usage%20insights%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%E2%80%A2%20Free%20credits%20to%20use%20OpenAI%20APIs%20to%20extend%20OpenAI%20into%20a%20fully-custom%20solution%20for%20enterprises%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Ferrari 12Cilindri specs

Engine: naturally aspirated 6.5-liter V12

Power: 819hp

Torque: 678Nm at 7,250rpm

Price: From Dh1,700,000

Available: Now

Visit Abu Dhabi culinary team's top Emirati restaurants in Abu Dhabi

Yadoo’s House Restaurant & Cafe

For the karak and Yoodo's house platter with includes eggs, balaleet, khamir and chebab bread.

Golden Dallah

For the cappuccino, luqaimat and aseeda.

Al Mrzab Restaurant

For the shrimp murabian and Kuwaiti options including Kuwaiti machboos with kebab and spicy sauce.

Al Derwaza

For the fish hubul, regag bread, biryani and special seafood soup. 

Conflict, drought, famine

Estimates of the number of deaths caused by the famine range from 400,000 to 1 million, according to a document prepared for the UK House of Lords in 2024.
It has been claimed that the policies of the Ethiopian government, which took control after deposing Emperor Haile Selassie in a military-led revolution in 1974, contributed to the scale of the famine.
Dr Miriam Bradley, senior lecturer in humanitarian studies at the University of Manchester, has argued that, by the early 1980s, “several government policies combined to cause, rather than prevent, a famine which lasted from 1983 to 1985. Mengistu’s government imposed Stalinist-model agricultural policies involving forced collectivisation and villagisation [relocation of communities into planned villages].
The West became aware of the catastrophe through a series of BBC News reports by journalist Michael Buerk in October 1984 describing a “biblical famine” and containing graphic images of thousands of people, including children, facing starvation.

Band Aid

Bob Geldof, singer with the Irish rock group The Boomtown Rats, formed Band Aid in response to the horrific images shown in the news broadcasts.
With Midge Ure of the band Ultravox, he wrote the hit charity single Do They Know it’s Christmas in December 1984, featuring a string of high-profile musicians.
Following the single’s success, the idea to stage a rock concert evolved.
Live Aid was a series of simultaneous concerts that took place at Wembley Stadium in London, John F Kennedy Stadium in Philadelphia, the US, and at various other venues across the world.
The combined event was broadcast to an estimated worldwide audience of 1.5 billion.

While you're here
Key facilities
  • Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
  • Premier League-standard football pitch
  • 400m Olympic running track
  • NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
  • 600-seat auditorium
  • Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
  • An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
  • Specialist robotics and science laboratories
  • AR and VR-enabled learning centres
  • Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
BRIEF SCORES

England 228-7, 50 overs
N Sciver 51; J Goswami 3-23

India 219, 48.4 overs
P Raut 86, H Kaur 51; A Shrubsole 6-46

England won by nine runs

Living in...

This article is part of a guide on where to live in the UAE. Our reporters will profile some of the country’s most desirable districts, provide an estimate of rental prices and introduce you to some of the residents who call each area home.

How to get there

Emirates (www.emirates.com) flies directly to Hanoi, Vietnam, with fares starting from around Dh2,725 return, while Etihad (www.etihad.com) fares cost about Dh2,213 return with a stop. Chuong is 25 kilometres south of Hanoi.
 

Brolliology: A History of the Umbrella in Life and Literature
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