PAXboy I am totally befuddled by your post.
You do realise these people elect to commute in their own time, and at their own cost?
To use your example of HKG. You fly overnight to LHR. Landing at 05:00. Spend 24+ hours in digs. Report for work at midday to go to .... LAX. Land back into LHR at midday, ish. Hang around until the HKG leaves in the evening, and sleep all the way home.
I could not do it. For me that is madness, but for a few, it suits them.
I know of a few people who do it because of family reasons. Wife and the children live in a far away sunny place, and she refuses to live in the UK.
If you think the UK is bad, the Americans do it all the time. And to a far greater extent.