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."
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.
“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.”
World Cup final
Who: France v Croatia
When: Sunday, July 15, 7pm (UAE)
TV: Game will be shown live on BeIN Sports for viewers in the Mena region
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Read more about the coronavirus
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League semi-final, first leg
Bayern Munich v Real Madrid
When: April 25, 10.45pm kick-off (UAE)
Where: Allianz Arena, Munich
Live: BeIN Sports HD
Second leg: May 1, Santiago Bernabeu, Madrid
The specs
Engine: 4.0-litre V8 twin-turbocharged and three electric motors
Power: Combined output 920hp
Torque: 730Nm at 4,000-7,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed dual-clutch automatic
Fuel consumption: 11.2L/100km
On sale: Now, deliveries expected later in 2025
Price: expected to start at Dh1,432,000
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WHAT IS A BLACK HOLE?
1. Black holes are objects whose gravity is so strong not even light can escape their pull
2. They can be created when massive stars collapse under their own weight
3. Large black holes can also be formed when smaller ones collide and merge
4. The biggest black holes lurk at the centre of many galaxies, including our own
5. Astronomers believe that when the universe was very young, black holes affected how galaxies formed
The Details
Article 15
Produced by: Carnival Cinemas, Zee Studios
Directed by: Anubhav Sinha
Starring: Ayushmann Khurrana, Kumud Mishra, Manoj Pahwa, Sayani Gupta, Zeeshan Ayyub
Our rating: 4/5
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
The Sand Castle
Director: Matty Brown
Stars: Nadine Labaki, Ziad Bakri, Zain Al Rafeea, Riman Al Rafeea
Rating: 2.5/5
Why are asylum seekers being housed in hotels?
The number of asylum applications in the UK has reached a new record high, driven by those illegally entering the country in small boats crossing the English Channel.
A total of 111,084 people applied for asylum in the UK in the year to June 2025, the highest number for any 12-month period since current records began in 2001.
Asylum seekers and their families can be housed in temporary accommodation while their claim is assessed.
The Home Office provides the accommodation, meaning asylum seekers cannot choose where they live.
When there is not enough housing, the Home Office can move people to hotels or large sites like former military bases.
SPEC SHEET
Display: 10.4-inch IPS LCD, 400 nits, toughened glass
CPU: Unisoc T610; Mali G52 GPU
Memory: 4GB
Storage: 64GB, up to 512GB microSD
Camera: 8MP rear, 5MP front
Connectivity: Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 5.0, USB-C, 3.5mm audio
Battery: 8200mAh, up to 10 hours video
Platform: Android 11
Audio: Stereo speakers, 2 mics
Durability: IP52
Biometrics: Face unlock
Price: Dh849
The specs: 2019 Chevrolet Bolt EV
Price, base: Dh138,000 (estimate)
Engine: 60kWh battery
Transmission: Single-speed Electronic Precision Shift
Power: 204hp
Torque: 360Nm
Range: 520km (claimed)
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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Abu Dhabi race card
5pm Abu Dhabi Fillies Classic Prestige | Dh110,000 | 1,400m
5.30pm Abu Dhabi Colts Classic Prestige | Dh110,000 | 1,400m
6pm Abu Dhabi Championship Listed | Dh180,000 | 1,600m
6.30pm Maiden | Dh80,000 | 1,600m
7pm Wathba Stallions Cup Handicap | Dh80,000 | 1,400m
7.30pm Handicap (TB) |Dh100,000 | 2,400m
BRIEF SCORES
England 353 and 313-8 dec
(B Stokes 112, A Cook 88; M Morkel 3-70, K Rabada 3-85)
(J Bairstow 63, T Westley 59, J Root 50; K Maharaj 3-50)
South Africa 175 and 252
(T Bavuma 52; T Roland-Jones 5-57, J Anderson 3-25)
(D Elgar 136; M Ali 4-45, T Roland-Jones 3-72)
Result: England won by 239 runs
England lead four-match series 2-1
TICKETS
Tickets start at Dh100 for adults, while children can enter free on the opening day. For more information, visit www.mubadalawtc.com.
Racecard
5pm: Al Maha Stables – Maiden (PA) Dh80,000 (Turf) 1,600m
5.30pm: Wathba Stallions Cup – Maiden (PA) Dh70,000 (T) 1,600m
6pm: Emirates Fillies Classic – Prestige (PA) Dh100,000 (T) 1,600m
6.30pm: Emirates Colts Classic – Prestige (PA) Dh100,000 (T) 1,600m
7pm: The President’s Cup – Group 1 (PA) Dh2,500,000 (T) 2,200m
7.30pm: The President’s Cup – Listed (TB) Dh380,000 (T) 1,400m
Red flags
- Promises of high, fixed or 'guaranteed' returns.
- Unregulated structured products or complex investments often used to bypass traditional safeguards.
- Lack of clear information, vague language, no access to audited financials.
- Overseas companies targeting investors in other jurisdictions - this can make legal recovery difficult.
- Hard-selling tactics - creating urgency, offering 'exclusive' deals.
Courtesy: Carol Glynn, founder of Conscious Finance Coaching
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
GAC GS8 Specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
Power: 248hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 400Nm at 1,750-4,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 9.1L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh149,900
BMW M5 specs
Engine: 4.4-litre twin-turbo V-8 petrol enging with additional electric motor
Power: 727hp
Torque: 1,000Nm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 10.6L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh650,000
War 2
Director: Ayan Mukerji
Stars: Hrithik Roshan, NTR, Kiara Advani, Ashutosh Rana
Rating: 2/5
The years Ramadan fell in May
Specs
Engine: Electric motor generating 54.2kWh (Cooper SE and Aceman SE), 64.6kW (Countryman All4 SE)
Power: 218hp (Cooper and Aceman), 313hp (Countryman)
Torque: 330Nm (Cooper and Aceman), 494Nm (Countryman)
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh158,000 (Cooper), Dh168,000 (Aceman), Dh190,000 (Countryman)
Company profile
Name: Steppi
Founders: Joe Franklin and Milos Savic
Launched: February 2020
Size: 10,000 users by the end of July and a goal of 200,000 users by the end of the year
Employees: Five
Based: Jumeirah Lakes Towers, Dubai
Financing stage: Two seed rounds – the first sourced from angel investors and the founders' personal savings
Second round raised Dh720,000 from silent investors in June this year
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Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
BIGGEST CYBER SECURITY INCIDENTS IN RECENT TIMES
SolarWinds supply chain attack: Came to light in December 2020 but had taken root for several months, compromising major tech companies, governments and its entities
Microsoft Exchange server exploitation: March 2021; attackers used a vulnerability to steal emails
Kaseya attack: July 2021; ransomware hit perpetrated REvil, resulting in severe downtime for more than 1,000 companies
Log4j breach: December 2021; attackers exploited the Java-written code to inflitrate businesses and governments
Abandon
Sangeeta Bandyopadhyay
Translated by Arunava Sinha
Tilted Axis Press
The specs
- Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
- Power: 640hp
- Torque: 760nm
- On sale: 2026
- Price: Not announced yet
Our legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
Our legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Akeed
Based: Muscat
Launch year: 2018
Number of employees: 40
Sector: Online food delivery
Funding: Raised $3.2m since inception
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
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