Younus Al Nasser, assistant director general of Smart Dubai, talks to an audience at Gitex about how the pandemic has changed the world of work. Pawan Singh / The National
Younus Al Nasser, assistant director general of Smart Dubai, talks to an audience at Gitex about how the pandemic has changed the world of work. Pawan Singh / The National
Younus Al Nasser, assistant director general of Smart Dubai, talks to an audience at Gitex about how the pandemic has changed the world of work. Pawan Singh / The National
Younus Al Nasser, assistant director general of Smart Dubai, talks to an audience at Gitex about how the pandemic has changed the world of work. Pawan Singh / The National

Coronavirus: Loyalty towards employers drops as pandemic shapes new worklife future


Kelly Clarke
  • English
  • Arabic

The economic impact of the Covid-19 pandemic has given rise to a "new generation" of flexible workers prioritising personal fulfilment over loyalty to an employer, experts said.

From job losses to pay cuts, the global workforce faced some of the toughest challenges brought about by the outbreak.

What it also did was act as a catalyst of change towards the way people work.

According to the ‘Future of Work’ report by Smart Dubai, unveiled as part of Gitex Technology Week, loyalty towards jobs and industries decreased among the majority, while the search for job fulfilment increased among millennials.

Individuals will no longer be tied to corporate structures, long-term roles or even fixed locations

“Individuals will no longer be tied to corporate structures, long-term roles or even fixed locations,” the report said.

“Employers are innovating to cater for these possibilities, while simultaneously exploring what it means to have the world’s talent as their recruitment pool.

“Companies need to adapt to a new generation of workers who are not enamoured with the concept of a one job for life.

“Instead, they need to prioritise personal fulfillment and learning over stability.”

Speaking at the unveiling of the report, Younus Al Nasser, assistant director general of Smart Dubai said the pandemic also normalised remote working. And he said it is here to stay.

Since the World Health Organisation declared the coronavirus outbreak a health pandemic nine months ago, this has been one of the biggest shifts in work trends.

According to a study by Global Workplace Analytics, a research firm on employment trends, remote workers will make up as much as 50 per cent of the entire workforce by the end of the year.

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Gitex 2020 - in pictures

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“In 2020, almost overnight, remote work became the norm,” the report said.

“As the number of infected individuals was rising around the world, governments and businesses detached from conventions of traditional work routines and embraced new business models.

“Currently being used as a lifeline for many businesses, remote working is expected to be highly adopted, even beyond the pandemic.”

Additionally, the pandemic has triggered a demand among employees to upskill in the workplace as digitisation takes hold.

The report stated that upskilling and reskilling opportunities “needed to be more accessible, fluid and agile” at an organisation.

And if opportunities to climb the ladder are not present in the workplace, employees are likely to look elsewhere for work.

Another bi-product of the pandemic has been the shift in job culture towards the “gig economy”.

This free market system sees companies hire independent workers for short-term commitments. A good example in the past few months has been the uptake in delivery drivers and bicycle couriers in cities like New York in the US and Sydney in Australia.

Experts expect more people to take up this kind of work alongside full time positions in the future to make extra income.

However, the coronavirus crisis has shed light on some of the struggles faced by gig workers as many have lost their income due to city lockdowns around the world.

Company profile

Name: Infinite8

Based: Dubai

Launch year: 2017

Number of employees: 90

Sector: Online gaming industry

Funding: $1.2m from a UAE angel investor

Company%20Profile
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Specs

Engine: 51.5kW electric motor

Range: 400km

Power: 134bhp

Torque: 175Nm

Price: From Dh98,800

Available: Now

World Cricket League Division 2

In Windhoek, Namibia - Top two teams qualify for the World Cup Qualifier in Zimbabwe, which starts on March 4.

UAE fixtures

Thursday February 8, v Kenya; Friday February 9, v Canada; Sunday February 11, v Nepal; Monday February 12, v Oman; Wednesday February 14, v Namibia; Thursday February 15, final

GOLF’S RAHMBO

- 5 wins in 22 months as pro
- Three wins in past 10 starts
- 45 pro starts worldwide: 5 wins, 17 top 5s
- Ranked 551th in world on debut, now No 4 (was No 2 earlier this year)
- 5th player in last 30 years to win 3 European Tour and 2 PGA Tour titles before age 24 (Woods, Garcia, McIlroy, Spieth)

Founder: Ayman Badawi

Date started: Test product September 2016, paid launch January 2017

Based: Dubai, UAE

Sector: Software

Size: Seven employees

Funding: $170,000 in angel investment

Funders: friends

ESSENTIALS

The flights

Emirates flies from Dubai to Phnom Penh via Yangon from Dh2,700 return including taxes. Cambodia Bayon Airlines and Cambodia Angkor Air offer return flights from Phnom Penh to Siem Reap from Dh250 return including taxes. The flight takes about 45 minutes.

The hotels

Rooms at the Raffles Le Royal in Phnom Penh cost from $225 (Dh826) per night including taxes. Rooms at the Grand Hotel d'Angkor cost from $261 (Dh960) per night including taxes.

The tours

A cyclo architecture tour of Phnom Penh costs from $20 (Dh75) per person for about three hours, with Khmer Architecture Tours. Tailor-made tours of all of Cambodia, or sites like Angkor alone, can be arranged by About Asia Travel. Emirates Holidays also offers packages. 

The specs: Fenyr SuperSport

Price, base: Dh5.1 million

Engine: 3.8-litre twin-turbo flat-six

Transmission: Seven-speed automatic

Power: 800hp @ 7,100pm

Torque: 980Nm @ 4,000rpm

Fuel economy, combined: 13.5L / 100km

Sole survivors
  • Cecelia Crocker was on board Northwest Airlines Flight 255 in 1987 when it crashed in Detroit, killing 154 people, including her parents and brother. The plane had hit a light pole on take off
  • George Lamson Jr, from Minnesota, was on a Galaxy Airlines flight that crashed in Reno in 1985, killing 68 people. His entire seat was launched out of the plane
  • Bahia Bakari, then 12, survived when a Yemenia Airways flight crashed near the Comoros in 2009, killing 152. She was found clinging to wreckage after floating in the ocean for 13 hours.
  • Jim Polehinke was the co-pilot and sole survivor of a 2006 Comair flight that crashed in Lexington, Kentucky, killing 49.
The specs

Engine: 1.6-litre 4-cyl turbo and dual electric motors

Power: 300hp at 6,000rpm

Torque: 520Nm at 1,500-3,000rpm

Transmission: 8-speed auto

Fuel consumption: 8.0L/100km

Price: from Dh199,900

On sale: now

MOUNTAINHEAD REVIEW

Starring: Ramy Youssef, Steve Carell, Jason Schwartzman

Director: Jesse Armstrong

Rating: 3.5/5

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Volvo ES90 Specs

Engine: Electric single motor (96kW), twin motor (106kW) and twin motor performance (106kW)

Power: 333hp, 449hp, 680hp

Torque: 480Nm, 670Nm, 870Nm

On sale: Later in 2025 or early 2026, depending on region

Price: Exact regional pricing TBA

SPEC%20SHEET%3A%20APPLE%20IPHONE%2015%20PRO%20MAX
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Leaderboard

15 under: Paul Casey (ENG)

-14: Robert MacIntyre (SCO)

-13 Brandon Stone (SA)

-10 Laurie Canter (ENG) , Sergio Garcia (ESP)

-9 Kalle Samooja (FIN)

-8 Thomas Detry (BEL), Justin Harding (SA), Justin Rose (ENG)

Profile of VoucherSkout

Date of launch: November 2016

Founder: David Tobias

Based: Jumeirah Lake Towers

Sector: Technology

Size: 18 employees

Stage: Embarking on a Series A round to raise $5 million in the first quarter of 2019 with a 20 per cent stake

Investors: Seed round was self-funded with “millions of dollars” 

RACE CARD

4pm Al Bastakiya – Listed (TB) $150,000 (Dirt) 1,900m

4.35pm Dubai City Of Gold – Group 2 (TB) $228,000 (Turf) 2,410m

5.10pm Mahab Al Shimaal – Group 3 (TB) $228,000 (D) 1,200m

5.45pm Burj Nahaar – Group 3 (TB) $228,000 (D) 1,600m

6.20pm Jebel Hatta – Group 1 (TB) $260,000 (T) 1,800m

6.55pm Al Maktoum Challenge Round-1 – Group 1 (TB) $390,000 (D) 2,000m

7.30pm Nad Al Sheba – Group 3 (TB) $228,000 (T) 1,200m

The%20specs
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Kanye%20West
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