How Energy Crises and Gen Z Are Reshaping Iran’s Work Culture
WANA (Aug 30) – The work system in Iran is entering a new era. On one hand, the aftermath of the recent war and the damage inflicted on power and oil infrastructure have confronted the country with daily crises, such as energy imbalances and the potential for fuel price increases, prompting the government toward strategies like commuting management and remote work.
On the other hand, this situation aligns with the preferences of the new generation of workforce (Gen Z)—a generation that views long urban commutes as a waste of time and prefers flexible work models. Together, these two trends have reactivated a process that originally began during the post-COVID era.
Planning for Remote Work and Amending Outdated Administrative Laws
Regional tensions and pressure on energy infrastructure have led Iran’s top managers to prioritize consumption management through remote work and administrative law reform, rather than heavy price-based solutions.
Although these plans have not yet been codified into a permanent, unified law, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian outlined the dimensions of this management-oriented perspective during a recent television interview, pointing to the successful experience of remote work during the war period and the government’s winter plans:
“I have also spoken with the heads of the branches of government to close some offices in winter and continue their activities via remote work. In this case, at least less electricity, gas, and gasoline will be consumed, and commuting will decrease as well. Many tasks can be performed remotely,” Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said.
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He went on to recall the practical implementation of this method during the war, noting that remote work saved approximately 15% to 20% in resource consumption at the time, and despite the closure of many offices, the public faced no serious issues.
He emphasized that today, this work model can also be implemented without reducing employee salaries, but the main obstacle lies in current laws that require an employee to be physically present for 8 hours—laws that require necessary coordination and interaction to amend.
These statements indicate that the highest level of the country’s executive branch has accepted the need to revise traditional administrative laws and transition toward official remote work to manage resources.
Private Sector Taking the Lead
While government bodies are reviewing legal reforms and drafting frameworks, the private sector has acted much faster. For employers, remote work is no longer merely a response to emergency conditions, but rather a “formula for cost reduction and optimization”:
Reduction of Operating Costs and Utility Bills: The physical absence of staff causes a sharp drop in the consumption of electricity, water, gas, and the company’s central internet, which currently impose high costs on organizations.
Reduced Depreciation of Equipment and Infrastructure: Physical maintenance, depreciation of computer systems, office furniture, heating/cooling equipment, and daily catering expenses are minimized.
Elimination or Downsizing of Rent: Many startups and technology-driven companies have adopted a “Fully Remote” model—an approach that completely eliminates the need to rent large, expensive offices in major cities, allowing company capital to go directly toward product development and employee salaries.
Access to Nationwide Human Capital: Under a remote work model, employers are no longer restricted to hiring from a specific geographical area or dealing with Tehran’s traffic, enabling them to leverage top talent across the entire country.
Generational Synergy and the Experience of Young Workers
This work model has been welcomed most warmly by “Gen Z”—a generation that views this approach as an opportunity to boost productivity:
Focusing on Work Results Instead of Attendance Hours: Young workers regard sitting in heavy traffic and dealing with office politics as a waste of time, believing that focusing at home improves the quality of their work.
Establishing Work Boundaries at Home: Although working remotely within a family environment carries its own challenges (such as the blur between personal and professional boundaries), the young workforce has managed to deliver optimal output by creating dedicated workspaces and practicing boundary setting.
The Hybrid Model (A Few Days at Home, A Few Days at the Office): The new generation’s goal is not to sever connection with others entirely; rather, they favor hybrid models (2 or 3 days of in-person presence per week) to maintain team connection while directing their main energy toward the core work.
A Bridge Between Experience and Innovation: Adapting to this new model requires a shift in habits for more experienced management teams who have been accustomed to physical presence for years. However, the flexibility of veteran managers coupled with the digital skills of the younger generation is creating a new balance in workplaces.
The real-world experiences of young professionals active across various sectors reaffirm this trend:
“In the beginning, working from home was very difficult; my family had no concept of ‘working behind a laptop in a room’ and constantly thought I was unemployed or just having fun, leaving the boundary between my personal and professional life completely blurred. But by setting a strict schedule and defining specific hours, it has now settled in for them, and they realize that my focus is much higher at home without wasting two hours of my day in traffic.” — Sara, 24, UI designer at a private company
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“We work with managers born in the 1970s and 1980s who were accustomed to an in-person system for years. There was some initial resistance, but when they saw that project outputs under remote work didn’t decline—and actually became faster and more precise—they showed flexibility themselves. Now we have a hybrid model that creates the best balance.” — Amir, 22, software developer
A Win-Win Equation for Everyone
Iran is presenting an experience of social and structural adaptability. The shift toward remote work may have initially accelerated due to fuel imbalances and environmental pressures, but the winner of this process is the entire work ecosystem:
the government finds avenues for resource management and the reform of outdated laws, employers optimize operational and administrative costs, and the new generation operates within a framework tailored to modern demands.
