Finance & economics | Only disconnect

The difficulties of policing remote work

Why bans on after-hours calls may not work

AS OFFICE LIFE approaches some sort of new normal, remote working is here to stay. Employers enjoy cost savings as they spend less on desks and floor space. For employees the promise is of time saved: spared of their commute, they can get their work done and focus on their families and hobbies. That, at least, is the idea. But, as many a remote employee knows, the boundary between work and home life can blur.

This article appeared in the Finance & economics section of the print edition under the headline “Only disconnect”

What would America fight for?

From the December 11th 2021 edition

Discover stories from this section and more in the list of contents

Explore the edition

More from Finance & economics

A person turns on a garden hose in an effort to save a neighboring home from catching fire during the Eaton Fire in Altadena, California, USA.

The Los Angeles fires will be extraordinarily expensive

They will also expose California’s faulty insurance market

The stars of the European Union flag falling down to the bottom of the flag.

Europe could be torn apart by new divisions

The continent is at its most vulnerable in decades


A bond flying away tied to a red balloon, in the spotlight.

How corporate bonds fell out of fashion

The market is at its hottest in years—and a shadow of its former self


An American purchase of Greenland could be the deal of the century

The economics of buying new territory

China’s markets take a fresh beating

Authorities have responded by bossing around investors

Can America’s economy cope with mass deportations?

Production slowdowns, more imports and pricier housing could follow