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By Giulia Carbonaro
Senior Reporter
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The Iran war is causing some countries to shift to four-day work weeks and embrace remote work as they try to alleviate the energy crisis unleashed by the closure of the Strait of Hormuz.
It is a revolution that can only be compared to that forced by pandemic-era lockdowns between 2020 and 2022, when millions of people were suddenly discouraged from heading to their workplace.
But while a few years ago it was a deadly virus which turbocharged change, this time it is the soaring price of oil as a result of the conflict in the Middle East which is compelling governments to take action, especially in those regions that rely the most on oil from the Gulf.
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Why It Matters
Since the start of the conflict on February 28, crude oil prices have climbed above $100 per barrel. This week, Brent crude oil—the global benchmark—briefly hit $119 per barrel, close to its highest since the start of the war.
The rise is closely linked to the chokehold that Iran has imposed on the crucial Strait of Hormuz—where one fifth of the world’s oil normally transits—over the past month. Things could get worse, as the last shipments to have left the Strait of Hormuz before the war started are expected to arrive at their destinations in the coming days.
Countries Turning to Four-Day Weeks to Save Fuel
Pakistan
In Pakistan, the government has asked 50 percent of its staff to work from home on a rotating basis. The country’s prime minister, Shehbaz Sharif, recommended private businesses implement the same arrangements.
“The entire region is currently in a state of war,” Sharif said.
Philippines
Soaring oil prices have forced the Philippines, which imports 98 percent of its oil from the Gulf, to declare a national emergency and introduced several measures trying to save fuel and relieve residents.
Local governments in the country have shifted to four-day work weeks to conserve energy and minimize commuting, asking staff to limit travel “to essential functions only.”
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Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka, which imports 60 percent of all its energy needs and heavily relies on the Strait of Hormuz, also moved to a four-day workweek in mid-March and declared Wednesday a holiday for most public institutions in an attempt to slash petrol use.
All state universities, including schools and universities, are now following a four-day workweek, while essential services like hospitals remain open according to the previous schedules.
Private institutions have also been invited to shift to a four-day workweek. The country has also introduced a ration system for petrol, similar to what it did in 2022.
Countries Turning to Remote Work Returns as Energy-Saving Tool
Egypt
The country’s government has encouraged non-essential workers to work from home one day a week to lower the number of commutes, while also asking shops, restaurants, and cafes—with the exception of hotels and tourist attractions—to close at 9 p.m. each night.
Thailand
In Thailand, civil servants have been asked to take the stairs instead of the elevator, work from home for as long as the conflict continues, and wear short-sleeved shirts instead of suits as they ask them to reduce air conditioning use.
Vietnam
In Vietnam, the government has called on businesses to let employees work from home to “reduce the need for travel and transportation,” calling on people to “ride bicycles, carpool, use public transport, and restrict personal vehicle use when unnecessary.”
The country has also temporarily waived its environmental protection tax on petrol and diesel.
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United Kingdom
While the United Kingdom has not introduced a four-day work week, the largest union representing civil servants in the country has recently urged ministers to let them work from home.
The Public and Commercial Services Union wrote that the Iran war is “pushing up costs for workers who are already struggling to make ends meet,” The Sun reported.
What Happens Next
Oil prices surged by nearly 7 percent on Thursday after President Donald Trump said the night before that the war will likely continue in the next two to three weeks, during which the U.S. will bomb Iran “back to the Stone Ages.”
The Strait of Hormuz will reopen “naturally” when the conflict is over, he said, showing little solidarity or pity for countries struggling with low oil reserves and soaring prices.
“To those countries that can’t get fuel, many of which refuse to get involved in the decapitation of Iran…build up some delayed courage, go to the Strait and just take it.” Trump said.
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