I refer to the article "Working from home but burning out" (Aug 11). I am a retiree who has seen the two extremes of working from home.

My son, who is in the banking sector, never fails to start work on time, and keeps the same work hours as he did before the pandemic.

He locks himself up in his room and takes lunch only during his official lunch break.

He works in isolation the whole day. When there is a need to go back to the office, he needs to make a prior application which is subject to approval.

I notice the feeling of relief on his face each time his application is approved.

Even though the office would have fewer colleagues for him to interact with, he still longs to go back to work in the office.

On the other hand, my son-in-law works as a cargo broker. He relies more on his cellphone and occasionally, his laptop. He does not need to stay put in a room.

He works in the basement of my house, and is not required to be on his laptop most of the time.

He sits freely on the sofa, with music and even the television set turned on.

He also goes for lunch at his own convenience, and takes breaks throughout the day.

So I believe it is the type of job one has that may stress out those working from home.

With many people already having taken their second dose of the Covid-19 vaccine, I hope that the authorities will allow more employees to return to work in the office soon.

Leng Kok Meng