What Are

The Middle East’s

Working From
Home Habits?
By Forbes Middle East Team

APRIL 2020
 WORKING FROM HOME

At the beginning of April, Forbes Middle East conducted a

survey to gauge how people in the Middle East feel about
working from home, asking a series of questions related to their
habits, the tools they use, their challenges, and the support they
receive from employers. The results are an indication of some of the
most common working from home practices in the Middle East.
• 65% of respondents were male, and 35% female.
• 34% of respondents were aged 36-45 years of age, 27% aged
26-35, and 20% aged 46-55. Only 4% were below 25 and
3% were over 65.
• Respondents were from different sectors, with no one industry
having more than 10% representation.
• 9% of respondents are heading their businesses as CEO,
managing director, or president. Then 16% are managers, and
18% are leading business units. The rest were spread over
founders, analysts, executives, etc.

Image from shutterstock.com

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Productivity either stays the same

or improves from home
More than three quarters of respondents
work as well or better at home, with
42% saying that they are just as
productive working at home as they are
in the office, and 34.3% saying that
their productivity has increased while
working from home. Only 20.9% were
less productive at home than in an office,
and 2.8% say they do not get anything
done while working from home.

How productive are you while working from home?

42%
2.8%
34.3%
20.9%
Image from shutterstock.com

As productive as office More productive than office

Not at all productive Less productive than office

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Companies are providing

communication tools, but not
financial incentives
Over half of respondents said that their companies have set up a
centralized communication channel for the whole team, showing
that keeping the business connected and active is of high priority.
However, just 14.9% said their companies had offered financial
incentives during these trying times. More than a quarter of
respondents said that their companies had provided them with
safety gear. Of those that answered “other,” a working from home
policy was the most common answer.

What measures have your company

put in place during this time?
9.6%
14.9%
50.1%
25.4%
Set up a centralized communication channel for the whole team Provide financial support

Provide safety, health and sanitation gear (masks, vitamins, sanitizers, etc.) Other

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Bad internet connection and

environment are more of a
barrier than communication
The answers to this question were fairly widely distributed,
with 23.9% saying that distractions are the biggest challenge.
Unstable internet connection and the surrounding environment
were a challenge to 18.9% and 19.1% respectively. Only 17% of
respondents found communication to be a problem, which is a
testament to the effectiveness of the latest technology being used.
Of those that answered “other,” kids and family was the most
common answer.

What is your biggest challenge while

working from home?

21.1%
23.9%
17%
19.1%
18.9%
Distractions (TV, Food, Bedroom, etc.) Communication

Unstable internet connection Environment Other

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People are taking the lockdown

seriously—most go out no more
than once a week
People are taking the
lockdown seriously. About
38.3% of respondents go
out just once a week, and
26.8% go out less than
that, with 13.4% going
out just once a month. Just
6.1% go out every day.

How many times do you go out to run

errands during isolation?

38.3%
28.8%
6.1%
13.4%
13.4%
Image from shutterstock.com

About once a week Once a month

Few times a month Few times a week Every day

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Most people try

to keep the same
routine, but have
made a few changes
More than half of respondents have tried
to keep the same routine, but a few things
have changed. An additional 10% have
been successful at keeping the exact same
routine. Almost a third have changed their
routine completely.

Apart from not going to office, how much

has your daily routine changed?

10.2% 57.4%
32.4%
Image from shutterstock.com

I have tried to keep my usual routine, but a few things have changed

Everything has changed including when I eat, sleep, shower etc. My routine is exactly the same

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More people meditate first thing in

the morning than go on social media
While the answers to this question are fairly distributed, they are
quite surprising. Just 17.4% of people start their day reading the
news. Less surprisingly, 29% start their day with a coffee, and
22.8% start off reading their emails. Starting the day with some
mindfulness, 9.3% of respondents meditate first thing in the
morning. Only 7.7% access social media after waking up. This
shows that people are trying to cultivate good habits, prioritizing
mental health over social media.

How do you start your day during isolation?

22.8%
29% 9.3%
7.7%
13.8% 17.4%
Make coffee Check emails Meditate

Social media Read the news Other

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Reading is the most common

non-physical activity
This one is not
surprising—37.7% of
respondents read in
their spare time, 14.3%
play games, and 18.1%
are taking an online
course. Of those that
answered “other,”
watching TV was the
most common answer.

Other than working how do you keep your mind

active during isolation?

18.1% 20.7%
14.3%
37.7%
9.2%
Image from shutterstock.com

Reading Writing Playing games

Taking online classes Other

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Home exercise is the most common

physical activity
Less than half of respondents are
exercising, with 22.8% getting
their physical activity through
cleaning. While 19.8% of the
respondents cook, just 7.3%
are learning new skills. Among
the 9.7% answering “other,”
running outside was the most
common response.

How do you keep your body active during isolation?

9.7% 40.4%
7.3%
19.8%
22.8%
Image from shutterstock.com

Home exercise Cooking Cleaning

Learning new skills Other

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Most people work in a room

separate to common areas
The large majority
of respondents
work in a quiet
and separate room
to stay away from
distractions, but
only 4% switch
off their phone
notifications.

How do you stay away from distractions while

working from home?

4%
13.9% 64.8%
17.3%
Image from shutterstock.com

I work in a quiet and separate room I turn off my phone notifications

I avoid staying in common areas (living room, kitchen, etc) Other

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WhatsApp is the most commonly-

used app on mobile phones
WhatsApp is the most used app on
peoples’ mobile phones, followed by
Instagram. As this was an open-ended
question, the overall lack of variety in
answers was unexpected. A surprising
78.4% of respondents reported using
just three apps on their phones.
From the 21.6% of respondents that
answered “other,” answers varied
across games, trading apps, email, etc.

What mobile apps do you use the most during isolation?

15% 21.6%

24%
39.4%
Image from shutterstock.com

WhatsApp Instagram Zoom Other

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Microsoft Teams and Zoom are the most-

used business communication apps
While 31% of respondents use
Microsoft Teams as their primary
business communication app,
answers to this question were far
more fragmented than they were
with mobile apps. Around 29%
of answers were made up of a
variety of different apps, including
30 people saying email/Microsoft Outlook. Another 20 people
answered with Skype, while 15 stated Google Hangouts.

What software are you using to communicate/work

with your teammates?

16%
31%
24%
29%
Image from shutterstock.com

Microsoft Teams Zoom WhatsApp Other

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Conclusion
From this survey we can conclude that working
from home is likely to continue, even after the
health risks are reduced, as respondents feel that
productivity is better at home than in the office,
and communication is not a significant barrier
due to technology. The biggest challenge will be
personal—that is to stay away from distractions—
although social media and games do not appear
to be a significant drain on productivity. Video
conferencing tools have surged in popularity and
are driving this new digital focus.

Image from shutterstock.com

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