Advertisement

We need your help now

Support from readers like you keeps The Journal open.

You are visiting us because we have something you value. Independent, unbiased news that tells the truth. Advertising revenue goes some way to support our mission, but this year it has not been enough.

If you've seen value in our reporting, please contribute what you can, so we can continue to produce accurate and meaningful journalism. For everyone who needs it.

Alamy Stock Photo

Remote working Denis O'Brien reminded us of the outdated work practices we've left behind

Dr Catherine Conlon looks at the billionaire’s comments on remote working this week and says O’Brien is relying on the old mantra of work ethic over work-life balance.

I’LL SLEEP WHEN I’m dead,’ my son tells me when he’s working into the small hours. ‘Sleep is wasted time,’ he adds to justify his view.

Just two of the tropes we tell ourselves as we glorify hustle and sacrifice sleep like it’s optional, while we bow to the gods of power, money and success.

Sleep is your brain’s most productive state – the time when new brain connections are made and creativity is maximised. Memory, creative thinking and emotional resilience – all built at night.

‘You can train yourself to need less sleep,’ is another Capitalist mantra, when what happens is you normalise operating at half-throttle with a slower brain, more caffeine and lowered mood.

Now, businessman Denis O’Brien has weighed in, stating that remote work has destroyed Ireland’s work ethic and compromised productivity.

“This lark of people saying, ‘I’ll come into the office on Tuesday and Wednesday; otherwise, I’m going to be working at home,” is a load of nonsense,’ Mr O’Brien said at the Mazar’s Irish Investor Awards at the Mansion House in Dublin last Friday, where he was given a ‘lifetime achievement’ award.

‘I don’t employ those kind of people, and to be honest with you, I never will.’

Outdated work practices

This viewpoint is a handy little reminder of the working model we’ve been living with for decades — the post-WWII model of Capitalism that champions constant work, endless productivity and exponential growth — where office workers commute to the city from suburbia, clad in Mad Men-esque outfits of suits, ties, dresses and heels.

office-workers-walking-across-street-image-shot-2009-exact-date-unknown The outdated model of work where everyone commutes to the office, dressed in suits, clogging up traffic. Alamy Stock Photo Alamy Stock Photo

Add technology to this model, and the constant requirement to be ‘switched on’, and you reach the semi-dystopian point where everyone is burnt out, anxious and life has lost its meaning. Billionaires are growing in number, the global wealth distribution no longer makes sense, the planet and its resources are hanging on by a thread, and somewhere, in the dark of night, everyone begins to feel like something is broken. 

Many believe we are close to reaching that tipping point, if not already there. Newly elected Pope Leo XIV last week highlighted what he called ‘the dark nights of the world,’ which has normalised burnout, anxiety and a lack of meaning, leaving behind a systemic spiritual and emotional vacuum.

Laura Bambrick of the Irish Congress of Trade Unions (ICTU) this week reacted to O’Brien’s take on remote working, saying the billionaire’s comments show a disregard for work-life balance. Any employer insisting on five days in the office raises red flags, she said. Her comments reflect a more modern, balanced and tech-evolved view of the working week. 

Founder at 4 Day World, Dr Dale Whelehan, summed it up when he posted on LinkedIn that the world of work has become one of the new false gods. ‘That the human soul is being bent out of shape by our worship of success, speed, productivity, and performance.’

‘We are not just living through a mental health crisis,’ Dr Whelehan said.

‘We’re living through a failure of lived philosophy. We’ve built entire systems on the assumption that humans are machines.

‘Optimisable, Unemotional. Always on. And now, we’re cracking.

wall-street-us1987-michael-douglas-making-the-greed-is-good-speech-date-1987 Michael Douglas makes the 'greed is good' speech in Wall Street, 1987. Alamy Stock Photo Alamy Stock Photo

‘Climate crisis, inequality, and loneliness are not isolated problems. They are symptoms of a deeper misalignment: a world that values extraction over connection.

‘Speed over soul.’

Whelehan suggests that what is needed now is ‘a new spiritual architecture — for work, for time, for how we live.’

And it is not just hours spent in the office that have caused the spiral in health, resulting from a culture consumed by extraction and productivity. The drive for profit and growth at the expense of health, mental wellbeing and equity is the legacy of the last century. It is the idea that trickle-down economics works, but with rising costs of living, the jury is still out on that one. This approach has worked handsomely for the few, but it is not necessarily the healthiest model for the many. And as the health of the climate is rapidly declining, this is a working approach that no longer fits. 

New ways of working

There is mounting evidence of the health benefits of working from home or a hybrid model of working, including allowing people to eat more healthily, feel less stressed and have lower blood pressure, according to a recent large-scale research review.

While remote workers are more likely to eat snacks, drink more, smoke more and put on weight, the research suggests that employers who believe that people working from home are lazy are mistaken. The research found that people who work from home are less likely to take sick leave and more likely to work longer hours, including evenings and weekends.

The research was funded by the National Institute for Health and Care Research Health Protection Research Unit in Emergency Preparedness and Response, a partnership between the UK Health Security Agency (HSA), King’s College London and the University of East Anglia. It considered 1,930 research papers on home working, teleworking and other types of hybrid working.

Lead author, psychiatrist Neil Greenberg at King’s College London, said the study showed that workers and employers needed to consider home working with the same seriousness as office working.

‘In the old days of office working, people realised that if you put everyone in the same room with no sound proofing, it was all unpleasant, and you didn’t have a very productive workforce.

‘Now that we’ve shifted to a home working culture,’ Prof Greenberg said, ‘it makes sense for organisations and the government to make sure that people who are home working are doing it in as effective a way as possible.

middle-aged-asian-man-working-at-home-telecommuting-concept Alamy Stock Photo Alamy Stock Photo

The review, published in the Journal of Occupational Health (2024), examined the working environment at home, the effect on workers’ lives and careers and the effect on their health.

Overall, the research concluded that the working environment varied depending on the amount of space at home, available equipment and how much control workers had over their day.

Higher income workers found working at home more satisfactory, and those with more responsibilities, including childcare or housework as well as those living alone, often found it stressful.

Generally, people tended to be more productive at home, particularly for more creative projects and less so for more repetitive tasks. Career prospects, however, were also a concern, with employees feeling they might be missing out if not seen to be in the office.

man-working-from-home-remote-working-online-in-the-garden Alamy Stock Photo Alamy Stock Photo

In terms of health, younger workers and females in particular benefited from healthier eating with more fruit, vegetables and homemade meals in their diet. Overall, the review found that home workers tended to have less physical activity in their day, and some of the studies showed that almost half of employees working from home had gained weight.

Greenberg suggested that for home working to be effective, staff training for both managers and employees is essential.

‘There’s a great adage in science that at some point we need to stop admiring the problem and actually think about the solution,’ Prof Greenberg said.

Getting the balance right

Since the Covid pandemic ended in 2022, some companies such as JP Morgan have refused to accept hybrid working, insisting that workers return to the office full-time. Prof Greenberg is succinct in his views on this.

‘If companies like JP Morgan are afraid that people at home will be slacking, or won’t be doing a good job, and they can’t keep an eye on them, then I think that is an outdated concept.’

As with fossil fuels, it seems that the concept of the full-time office environment, no matter what Denis O’Brien or JP Morgan think or want, is gone. In an era of online work and burgeoning AI, full-time office work is likely to become a stranded asset.

What we do know is that, in terms of home working, a one-size-fits-all approach does not work. The review suggested that staff training is essential, including considerations of a home office and ergonomic supports; establishing boundaries between work and home life; relevant training in software and systems for working; and maintenance of a healthy lifestyle while working from home.

Training for managers should include: specialised training for managing staff who are working from home; training on awareness of telework challenges; consideration of financial compensation for staff; ensuring provision of appropriate equipment; discussion of career progress opportunities; and consideration of good communication, social opportunities and optimised working arrangements to enhance wellbeing.

Denis O’Brien’s comments reflect an outdated industrial mantra that was designed to count, standardise and extract. But thankfully, people have changed. People want lives that are more nuanced. Lives where people are recognised as individuals with time to create and imagine. To put their children to bed and pick them up from school, and sit down together in the evening. To live in harmony with their communities and the Earth that created them.

A hybrid mix of working at home and in the office allows that to happen. Sitting in an office five days a week, clogging up the roads with traffic and bad air or following a one-to-two-hour commute does not. The old ways taught us how to work, but not how to live well. Time to embrace a new world of work that enhances productivity within the confines of health and wellbeing.

Dr Catherine Conlon is a public health doctor in Cork and is former director of human health and nutrition, safefood.

Readers like you are keeping these stories free for everyone...
A mix of advertising and supporting contributions helps keep paywalls away from valuable information like this article. Over 5,000 readers like you have already stepped up and support us with a monthly payment or a once-off donation.

Close
33 Comments
This is YOUR comments community. Stay civil, stay constructive, stay on topic. Please familiarise yourself with our comments policy here before taking part.
Leave a Comment
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Jp Cleary
    Favourite Jp Cleary
    Report
    May 15th 2025, 7:19 PM

    My own opinion is that Denis O’Brien couldn’t care less about ordinary workers.

    267
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute dave forde
    Favourite dave forde
    Report
    May 16th 2025, 3:45 PM

    @John doe:

    1
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Jb Walshe
    Favourite Jb Walshe
    Report
    May 15th 2025, 7:07 PM

    Respect to the Ben & Jerrys boss,Ben cohen

    174
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute ecrowley ecrowley
    Favourite ecrowley ecrowley
    Report
    May 15th 2025, 7:23 PM

    @Jb Walshe: Not to derail an article, but fair play to him, especially considering his ethnicity.

    146
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute 8LLwCLed
    Favourite 8LLwCLed
    Report
    May 16th 2025, 6:16 AM

    @John doe: sure he took the money when he sold up. He can say what he likes.

    5
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Kevin O Brien
    Favourite Kevin O Brien
    Report
    May 15th 2025, 7:26 PM

    Was Denis ,Fine Gaels Lowrys preferred bidder that time

    152
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Buster Lawless
    Favourite Buster Lawless
    Report
    May 15th 2025, 7:08 PM

    A good, fair & well balanced article/ viewpoint. I simply cannot figure why / how or it should make an iota of difference to an employer exactly WHERE the work is done from……….provided productivity & results remain static or improve. I get that it ‘may’ be beneficial to hook up with colleagues once in a while ( see the white of their eyes so to speak) but the traditional 9 to 5 in an office miles away is thankfully an outdated Idea

    110
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute J H
    Favourite J H
    Report
    May 15th 2025, 7:38 PM

    @Buster Lawless: is it outdated though? Still plenty of jobs out there that need people to be present. I don’t think remote working builders, nurses would ever take off. It’s a niche area. But they said on the radio the other day that the novelty of remote was coming to an end but people wanted incentives I.e planned activities and leisure areas. I thought wow, I always thought that a pay cheque was enough of an incentive. It’s not for everyone but nice to have the choice if it really helps you have a good quality of life.

    23
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Kev Kerr
    Favourite Kev Kerr
    Report
    May 15th 2025, 7:46 PM

    @Buster Lawless: see the whites of their eyes? What are you going to do, shoot them?

    16
    See 4 more replies ▾
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Buster Lawless
    Favourite Buster Lawless
    Report
    May 15th 2025, 7:56 PM

    @J H: mmmmm…… Can never see heart surgeons working remotely ……. obviously, the article relates to those who it can & does work well for

    13
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Buster Lawless
    Favourite Buster Lawless
    Report
    May 15th 2025, 8:00 PM

    @Kev Kerr: lol, very good but seriously it IS great to hook up, brainstorm, grab a coffee occasionally with peers & colleagues……. Maybe I’m a wee bit olde skool but there are some interactions that are better suited to face-to-face

    11
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Alan
    Favourite Alan
    Report
    May 15th 2025, 10:21 PM

    @Buster Lawless: that’s because you don’t keep up with the news. Remote surgery is well established.

    5
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Dia M
    Favourite Dia M
    Report
    May 16th 2025, 5:20 AM

    @Buster Lawless: there are actually a lot of surgeries that can be done remotely through robotics haha

    6
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Sickof thisshit
    Favourite Sickof thisshit
    Report
    May 15th 2025, 7:07 PM

    I’ll informed comments that are ignorant of today’s workloads. Showed us he’s in a world he no longer understands.

    136
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Alan d
    Favourite Alan d
    Report
    May 17th 2025, 7:12 PM

    @Sickof thisshit: He is 100% correct Dennis .

    1
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute honey badger
    Favourite honey badger
    Report
    May 15th 2025, 8:00 PM

    How many days a year is the bauld Denis domiciled in Malta?

    58
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Brian Hunt
    Favourite Brian Hunt
    Report
    May 15th 2025, 11:25 PM

    @honey badger: Probably none at all, it’s a tax dodge for the elite!

    18
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Nikki Swift
    Favourite Nikki Swift
    Report
    May 15th 2025, 8:33 PM

    During COVID when it suited some employers to allow staff to work from home they were only delighted to send out laptops to keep their business open and keep staff in jobs so why can’t it keep going, if it saves staff money(they have no travel expenses) and the work is getting done what difference does it make

    52
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute J H
    Favourite J H
    Report
    May 15th 2025, 7:49 PM

    I imagine it’s very difficult for Denis to understand remote working but he doesn’t actually realise he does it himself every day. It only affects a small sector the majority of us show up and work whether it be offices, hospitals, building sites, airports, shops, lorry drivers, bus drivers, taxis and hospitality sector. Definitely a generation of small business owners find it difficult which I can understand because it’s all they ever knew. I could do my job remotely but I’d hate it. Love getting dressed and going to the office and most days are a good laugh and I like the change of scenery. It wouldn’t suit my job or me.

    52
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Cunningham Oliver
    Favourite Cunningham Oliver
    Report
    May 15th 2025, 9:09 PM

    I can work 2 days a week at home. I do 1 day a week at home. Still get the work done and hives me a better work/life balance. Denis O’Brien and a lot of top CEO’s hate us having workers right. They can do one. Hybrid working works for some industries. End of.

    40
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Fergus O'Donnell
    Favourite Fergus O'Donnell
    Report
    May 15th 2025, 8:21 PM

    A truly lost soul.

    34
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Paul Garvey
    Favourite Paul Garvey
    Report
    May 15th 2025, 7:47 PM

    any view on working from prison ?

    20
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Alan
    Favourite Alan
    Report
    May 15th 2025, 10:21 PM

    @Paul Garvey: already done via mobile phone

    7
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Minnie Mouse
    Favourite Minnie Mouse
    Report
    May 15th 2025, 10:46 PM

    Dennis O’Brien. Michael Lowry T.D., Why is that I cannot think of one of the without thinking of the other? Strange. Oh, wait…….Moriarty

    18
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute John Moore
    Favourite John Moore
    Report
    May 16th 2025, 3:13 AM

    Hmmn how did Denis become a billionaire again? Maybe we could ask Michael Lowry. How he has the nerve to comment on anything let alone people’s work practices I don’t know. Some people just have no shame.

    23
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute rose sheridan
    Favourite rose sheridan
    Report
    May 16th 2025, 6:49 AM

    @John Moore: Home is full of distractions…a few years back my gp left the consulting room ( where i was in mid consultation ( nothing serious) to greet his kids coming from school…normal (yes) focused (no)

    1
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute rose sheridan
    Favourite rose sheridan
    Report
    May 16th 2025, 6:57 AM

    @John Moore: we need to listen to job creators(Denis OBrien &Michael O’Leary) a proportion of the ” remote” jobs will no longer exist in the near future for humans(AI) so who/what will be the future job creators?

    2
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Kevin O'Brien
    Favourite Kevin O'Brien
    Report
    May 15th 2025, 11:38 PM

    I work in hospitality. So my personal experience doesn’t count. I can’t work remotely. My girlfriend has a good corporate position in a multinational bank. She works from home half the week, the other half she is 10 blocks away in the north American headquarters of said bank. She has some days at home that she has an easy and relaxed day and doesn’t have to be dialed in for the whole time, as long as the days work is done. At other times she is going from 7am, to deal with counterparts in Europe, and doesn’t stop for 12 hours or more. It will never apply across the board but if the company has put the procedures in place and they manage them correctly it is the way forward for certain industries

    14
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute JP
    Favourite JP
    Report
    May 15th 2025, 8:31 PM

    Leave Denis O Brian aside. It’s obviously a good thing when civil service unions don’t want it to end. Another symptom of covid. So many people don’t want to work since then.

    11
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Minnie Mouse
    Favourite Minnie Mouse
    Report
    May 15th 2025, 10:48 PM

    The well fed head on the fkr

    16
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute S Os
    Favourite S Os
    Report
    May 16th 2025, 5:04 PM

    It’s always middle aged men with wives at home, helicopters and enough money to hire nannies and cheifs that think WFH is a bad thing. You will rarely hear a woman with kids , a full time job and an hour commute say its a waste of time. I have found you get more work and loyalty from WFH staff as they can be flexible, are less stressed from no commute and are saving a fortune doing from home exactly what they do in work

    5
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Eugene Sol
    Favourite Eugene Sol
    Report
    May 16th 2025, 3:56 PM

    Brilliant article Dr. Catherine Conlon, my current employer is trying to push me out due to my wfh contract I could get during the covid time, nightmare things happening during 1.5 years, and it is terrible experience. Managers want to have slaves, see their heads, and this is main attribute of almost all companies. We live in time where people who manage other peoples, do not have enough skills and competences to do so, but the do. This frog like O’brien says us how to live and work, what to do and how spend time, I wish the world will show them the true, and allow people decide themselves where and how to work.

    3
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute S Suilleabhain
    Favourite S Suilleabhain
    Report
    May 17th 2025, 1:58 AM

    Denis oBribe

    1
Submit a report
Please help us understand how this comment violates our community guidelines.
Thank you for the feedback
Your feedback has been sent to our team for review.

Leave a commentcancel

 
JournalTv
News in 60 seconds