About 31 per cent of the Emirati employees expect to work from home permanently even after the pandemic subsides, according to a new survey.
Almost 27 per cent of respondents said they want to come back to the office full-time after the pandemic, said the survey that was conducted by US-based Zoom Video Communications to gather the viewpoints of Emiratis on the popularity of live streaming platforms and the future of work.
Nearly 38 per cent individuals expect a blended model of work that will see employees working from both offices and homes.
“The pandemic has introduced rapid and dramatic shifts in how people work … changing habits and opening new opportunities for the work environment,” Derek Pando, international and partner marketing at Zoom, said.
The video conferencing service provider did not disclose the sample size of the respondents, of which 68 per cent were males and 32 per cent females.
But to continue the hybrid model of work, respondents said it was important that such platforms continue to be available.
Nearly 83 per cent of the Emiratis said it is very important to have such platforms while 6 per cent said they can manage without them.
More than 70 per cent said access to video communication platforms should be allowed permanently in the UAE and 66 per cent expected this move will boost the country’s economy and innovation.
The UAE temporarily eased restrictions in March on the usage of Voice Over Internet Protocol (VoIP) platforms including Microsoft’s Skype, Google Hangouts and Zoom to facilitate remote work and distance learning amid the coronavirus pandemic.
The move has helped platforms such as Zoom, which has been used for entertainment, fitness and education, garner a massive user base.
Zoom's user base in the UAE grew 900 per cent to reach 1 million within a month after the country authorised its use in March. Within the first week after the ban was lifted, Zoom gained 100,000 new free and paid users in the UAE.
“We value the region’s focus on digital transformation, particularly true in the UAE where the government’s ambition to fast track its digital economy gives us full confidence in the potential that this market represents for Zoom,” Sam Tayan, managing director for the Middle East and Africa at Zoom, said.
Wicked: For Good
Director: Jon M Chu
Starring: Ariana Grande, Cynthia Erivo, Jonathan Bailey, Jeff Goldblum, Michelle Yeoh, Ethan Slater
Rating: 4/5
Earth under attack: Cosmic impacts throughout history
- 4.5 billion years ago: Mars-sized object smashes into the newly-formed Earth, creating debris that coalesces to form the Moon
- 66 million years ago: 10km-wide asteroid crashes into the Gulf of Mexico, wiping out over 70 per cent of living species – including the dinosaurs.
- 50,000 years ago: 50m-wide iron meteor crashes in Arizona with the violence of 10 megatonne hydrogen bomb, creating the famous 1.2km-wide Barringer Crater
- 1490: Meteor storm over Shansi Province, north-east China when large stones “fell like rain”, reportedly leading to thousands of deaths.
- 1908: 100-metre meteor from the Taurid Complex explodes near the Tunguska river in Siberia with the force of 1,000 Hiroshima-type bombs, devastating 2,000 square kilometres of forest.
- 1998: Comet Shoemaker-Levy 9 breaks apart and crashes into Jupiter in series of impacts that would have annihilated life on Earth.
-2013: 10,000-tonne meteor burns up over the southern Urals region of Russia, releasing a pressure blast and flash that left over 1600 people injured.
Overview
What: The Arab Women’s Sports Tournament is a biennial multisport event exclusively for Arab women athletes.
When: From Sunday, February 2, to Wednesday, February 12.
Where: At 13 different centres across Sharjah.
Disciplines: Athletics, archery, basketball, fencing, Karate, table tennis, shooting (rifle and pistol), show jumping and volleyball.
Participating countries: Algeria, Bahrain, Comoros, Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Morocco, Oman, Palestine, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Syria, Tunisia, Qatar and UAE.
About Proto21
Date started: May 2018
Founder: Pir Arkam
Based: Dubai
Sector: Additive manufacturing (aka, 3D printing)
Staff: 18
Funding: Invested, supported and partnered by Joseph Group
UAE v Zimbabwe A
Results
Match 1 – UAE won by 4 wickets
Match 2 – UAE won by 5 wickets
Match 3 – UAE won by 25 runs
Match 4 – UAE won by 77 runs
Fixture
Match 5, Saturday, 9.30am start, ICC Academy, Dubai
Company profile
Name: Back to Games and Boardgame Space
Started: Back to Games (2015); Boardgame Space (Mark Azzam became co-founder in 2017)
Founder: Back to Games (Mr Azzam); Boardgame Space (Mr Azzam and Feras Al Bastaki)
Based: Dubai and Abu Dhabi
Industry: Back to Games (retail); Boardgame Space (wholesale and distribution)
Funding: Back to Games: self-funded by Mr Azzam with Dh1.3 million; Mr Azzam invested Dh250,000 in Boardgame Space
Growth: Back to Games: from 300 products in 2015 to 7,000 in 2019; Boardgame Space: from 34 games in 2017 to 3,500 in 2019
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