The impact that COVID-19 has had on the UAE’s office culture and widespread use of remote working practices could persist once the pandemic has been brought under control, according to the Dubai Future Foundation.

Common in most regions around the world, remote working (also known as work-from-home) concerns employees that are able to perform the functions of their role from their residence one or more days per week. Some of the advantages that an employee can benefit from including less time spent commuting, reduced stress that can be experienced in an office environment, and increased satisfaction.

A study done by Global Workplace Analytics found that remote workers have grown by 140 per cent since 2005. Owl Labs, a leader in immersive video conferencing technology, reported that 16 per cent of global companies are exclusively hiring for remote job opportunities. By 2028, a study by UpWork, a work-from-home platform, estimates 73 per cent of all department will have remote workers.

Prior to the outbreak, the UAE had one of the lowest work-from-home rates in the world at around 10%, far lower than those seen in countries such as the UK (68%), Netherlands (75%) or Germany (80%), the Dubai Future Foundation report stated. The global average currently stands at 62%.

The report, the first in a series published by the Dubai Future Foundation analysing the impact of COVID-19 and challenges to the business community, looks into the future of work in the aftermath of the pandemic and the regulatory implications and work models arising from remote working.

Khalfan Belhoul, CEO of Dubai Future Foundation said: “The launch of these reports comes as part of the Foundation’s efforts to better navigate and anticipate the future of the vital sectors in Dubai and the UAE in light of the current global health challenges, as well as seeks to provide recommendations and future outlooks to mitigate and address these challenges.”

Belhoul continued in stating that the reports would be used to determine a clearer outlook of Dubai’s future, with analysis into the future of work, policies and regulatory requirements in order to ensure business continuity and new working models that can be exported on a global basis.

One of the key lessons that business has been coming to terms with as light of the pandemic is the need to decentralise operations and creating a structure that allows more distributed and agile work practices.

The Foundation’s report reveals that remote working is common in sectors such as IT, marketing, some forms of retail and app development. Other benefits to business include reduced office costs and a reduction in carbon footprint.

Further, the report states that HR policies will need to adapt to the current situation, focusing on employee happiness and productivity. In the longer term, employers will need to consider whether working remotely may be beneficial for employees and whether jobs can be automated or digitised to allow for more multi-disciplinary work.

With a clear directive from the government in order to contain the virus outbreak, public entities, private companies and all educational bodies in the UAE have already been working remotely. Given the current situation, flexible working has opened wider questions around the nature of work, including that of whether a permanent office workspace is actually necessary.

Abdulaziz AlJaziri, Deputy CEO and COO of Dubai Future Foundation considers that the shift imposed by the current changes towards working remotely raises many questions on the meaning and nature of work.

“One of which is whether there is an actual need of physical workspace, the nature of employee relationships, how will HR police adapt whilst ensuring employees’ productivity and happiness and finally the potential widespread of events and seminars going digital,” Al Jaziri says.