Working from office one or two days a week is productive 'sweet spot', says Harvard study

A study has shown people who work in the office only one or two days a week are the most productive.

The report, commissioned by Harvard Business School, said people who spent most of their time working from home, with a day or two at the office, performed best.

The paper was based on research involving 130 administrative employees in a live test.

Workers were split into three groups over nine weeks, with one group spending no more than eight weeks in the office.

Intermediate hybrid work is plausibly the sweet spot, where workers enjoy flexibility

Harvard Business School report

Another spent nine to 14 days in the office, while the third group was in the office for more than two weeks.

The group that was in the office for two days a week produced the highest quality of work.

"Intermediate hybrid work is plausibly the sweet spot, where workers enjoy flexibility and yet are not as isolated compared to peers who are predominantly working from home,” the researchers said.

The findings of the Harvard report, published last month, were in stark contrast to a global trend of company executives calling for employees to return to the office en masse.

New York City Mayor Eric Adams met more than 100 chief executives in February to discuss ways to get staff back at their desks.

“We can’t keep kicking the can down the road,” he told Forbes magazine.

"Let's start out with a three-day work week, to let people see how safe it is to come back to work, then we cycle back into a five-day week.”

He said the lack of people commuting to work was hurting his city’s economy.

US Financial Services company Citigroup also made vaccinated staff return to the office, for at least two days a week, in March.

A report published by Microsoft in March said about 50 per cent of companies wanted staff to return to working five days a week in the office. The survey canvassed the opinions of more than 31,000 workers worldwide in January and February.

Job candidates arriving in Dubai 'demand flexible working'

Dubai's post-pandemic boom has made it one of the most visited places in the world today. Further to that, the city has seen tens of thousands of new residents arrive to settle down. Reuters
Between late 2020 and spring 2022, the city's population grew by close to 100,000 people. Karim Sahib / AFP
Lifestyle and a growing jobs market has attracted many residents to flashy communities such as Jumeirah Beach Residence. Reuters
Population growth is a major part of Dubai's 2040 Urban Plan, which seeks to boost the population to 5.8 million. Chris Whiteoak / The National
There are plans to physically expand Dubai, creating new beaches and parks for the larger population. The government wants 60 per cent of the city to be green parks and reserves. Photo: Dubai Media Office
$The past two years have \seen a rush of foreign investors looking to buy new property in places such as Palm Jumeirah, where prices have risen significantly. AP Photo / Kamran Jebreili$
The past two years have \seen a rush of foreign investors looking to buy new property in places such as Palm Jumeirah, where prices have risen significantly. AP Photo / Kamran Jebreili
Landmarks such as Bluewaters Island and Ain Dubai, the world’s largest observation wheel, have put Dubai on the map as a global lifestyle destination. Reuters

In Dubai, which has reported a post-pandemic economic boost and a flood of new professionals and families arriving, recruiters say many job candidates expect flexible working.

“I don’t think companies have that much of a say in it any more,” said David Mackenzie, group managing director of recruiters Mackenzie Jones.

“Candidates are demanding flexible working conditions. It’s one of the very first things they are asking about in interviews at the minute.”

Most companies, in line with global trends, introduced working-from-home models during the Covid-19 pandemic.

But a recent report from recruitment agency Hays said working from the office full-time was again the most common working practice in the UAE.

It found more than 40 per cent of companies had staff back in the offices about five days a week. But in a demonstration of the divide between executives, the next most popular was complete flexibility to work from home or the office (20 per cent).

Working from home for two or three days a week was adopted by 12 per cent of companies, with 7 per cent allowing staff to work from home one or two days a month.

Operating from home one day a week was offered by 6 per cent of companies that took part in the survey.

“There is no doubt that flexible working is here to stay, with many professionals considering it a critical benefit in deciding where to work," said Sarah Dixon, managing director of Hays in the Gulf.

“However, there is no standardised trend as to what organisations offer their employees in the region and it is likely this will continue to be the case.

“There is an attitude of needing people back into the workplace to justify the cost of the office."

'We can't fit everyone in the office any more'

One hurdle is that many companies are locked into long-term rental contracts for their offices.

Others, which had more flexibility with their rental contracts, have downsized their offices and moved to smaller premises.

Digital communications agency Create Media Group, in Dubai, significantly increased its staff level during the pandemic, adding 100 new employees.

Instead of moving to bigger offices to accommodate the influx of staff, it has introduced a desk-sharing policy.

“We are not able to fit everyone into the office on the same day,” said Tom Otton, managing partner of Create Media Group.

“Now we rotate different teams on different days and use it more as a hub.

“We had planned to move to bigger offices after the pandemic but the rotation has been so successful we have ditched that idea.”

UAE salary guide 2022: in pictures

The Vile

Starring: Bdoor Mohammad, Jasem Alkharraz, Iman Tarik, Sarah Taibah

Director: Majid Al Ansari

Rating: 4/5

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How to apply for a drone permit

Individuals must register on UAE Drone app or website using their UAE Pass
Add all their personal details, including name, nationality, passport number, Emiratis ID, email and phone number
Upload the training certificate from a centre accredited by the GCAA
Submit their request

What are the regulations?

Fly it within visual line of sight
Never over populated areas
Ensure maximum flying height of 400 feet (122 metres) above ground level is not crossed
Users must avoid flying over restricted areas listed on the UAE Drone app
Only fly the drone during the day, and never at night
Should have a live feed of the drone flight
Drones must weigh 5 kg or less

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Karwaan

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Starring: Irrfan Khan, Dulquer Salmaan, Mithila Palkar

Rating: 4/5

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Starring: Bill Skarsgard, Jaeden Lieberher, Sophia Lillis, Chosen Jacobs, Jeremy Ray Taylor

Three stars

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On sale: Now, deliveries expected later in 2025

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Last 10 NBA champions

2017: Golden State bt Cleveland 4-1
2016: Cleveland bt Golden State 4-3
2015: Golden State bt Cleveland 4-2
2014: San Antonio bt Miami 4-1
2013: Miami bt San Antonio 4-3
2012: Miami bt Oklahoma City 4-1
2011: Dallas bt Miami 4-2
2010: Los Angeles Lakers bt Boston 4-3
2009: Los Angeles Lakers bt Orlando 4-1
2008: Boston bt Los Angeles Lakers 4-2

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

Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.

Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.

“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.

Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.

“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.

Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.

From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.

Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.

BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.

Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.

Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.

“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.

Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.

“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.

“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”

The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”

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%3Cp%3EAverage%20amount%20of%20biofuel%20produced%20at%20DIC%20factory%20every%20month%3A%20%3Cstrong%3EApproximately%20106%2C000%20litres%3C%2Fstrong%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3EAmount%20of%20biofuel%20produced%20from%201%20litre%20of%20used%20cooking%20oil%3A%20%3Cstrong%3E920ml%20(92%25)%3C%2Fstrong%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3ETime%20required%20for%20one%20full%20cycle%20of%20production%20from%20used%20cooking%20oil%20to%20biofuel%3A%20%3Cstrong%3EOne%20day%3C%2Fstrong%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3EEnergy%20requirements%20for%20one%20cycle%20of%20production%20from%201%2C000%20litres%20of%20used%20cooking%20oil%3A%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3E%E2%96%AA%20Electricity%20-%201.1904%20units%3Cbr%3E%E2%96%AA%20Water-%2031%20litres%3Cbr%3E%E2%96%AA%20Diesel%20%E2%80%93%2026.275%20litres%3C%2Fstrong%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A