Traffic congestion in Kuwait: Is it time for remote work?
There is no disagreement that developing, maintaining, and enhancing the efficiency of Kuwait’s road network is essential. The numerous road and street repair and improvement projects currently underway, both internal and external, are part of efforts to improve infrastructure and better serve road users in the future. However, the simultaneous execution of these works at multiple sites has made traffic congestion a daily reality for many citizens and residents. Commuting to and from work has become a journey that consumes significant time and effort. The problem is that congestion is no longer just a matter of a few minutes of delay that can be easily overcome; in some cases, it amounts to hours spent daily by employees traveling between home and work. A day begins with early preparation to avoid traffic bottlenecks, followed by a long journey to reach the workplace. At the end of the workday, employees face another potentially more difficult journey. Between these two commutes, there is time, energy, and focus that could otherwise be invested in work, family, and rest.
Therefore, the current phase calls for considering flexible and temporary solutions to alleviate pressure on the roads, while road repair and development projects continue. One of the most prominent solutions is expanding the implementation of remote work for positions whose nature allows tasks to be completed electronically. It is not necessary for an employee’s physical presence at the workplace to be a permanent condition for job completion, especially given the digital transformation underway in both government institutions and the private sector. Many roles can be largely performed from home using electronic systems without affecting workflow, provided that relevant authorities establish clear mechanisms for monitoring, measuring productivity, and assessing the quality of work.
This can be implemented in an organized manner, such as allowing employees to work from home one or two days a week, or according to a system determined by the nature of each organization, while maintaining on-site attendance for tasks that require physical presence. In this way, technology can be leveraged to address a daily problem, rather than being limited to processing electronic transactions. These proposals do not, in any way, imply a retreat from road development projects. On the contrary, they are supportive measures that can be applied during the project implementation period until the works are completed and their results are evident on the ground.
The nature of life and work has changed, with phones and computers becoming tools for completing many tasks that previously required personal attendance. Therefore, addressing congestion should not rely solely on increasing the number of lanes or building new roads and bridges; it must also include managing employee movement, working hours, and leveraging digital transformation. Ultimately, an employee’s time is part of the state’s productivity. Time spent stuck in traffic is not merely lost time for the individual employee; it can also affect their activity, focus, family life, and performance quality.
With road repair projects continuing, this may be an appropriate opportunity to trial a more flexible work model that combines physical attendance, remote work, and flexible working hours, under guidelines that ensure sustained productivity and do not hinder the interests of clients and visitors. Why not turn the current congestion crisis into an opportunity to rethink work practices and give employees the option to work from home or choose different working hours, provided the nature of their job allows it? Reducing the number of cars on the roads during peak hours could be one of the simple solutions that helps Kuwait navigate this phase with minimal loss of time and effort.
Waleed Ibrahim Al-Khabeizi
