Top countries that have good work-life balance

With increasing work pressures and the boundaries blurring between personal and professional lives, the talks about work-life balance have become all the more important. So much so that as per a report by Randstad, 57% of employees would not wish to take up a job that would impact their work-life balance. More recently, a report by Remote on the Global Life-Work Balance Index assessed the top 60 countries with high GDP and ranked them out of 100. Other parameters to judge the countries were sick leaves, healthcare facilities, happiness, average working hours, inclusivity and diversity, and more. Based on this the Global Life-Work Balance Index 2024 came up with a list of countries with healthy work-life balance. Here we list down some of the top countries from this list.

As per Global Life-Work Balance Index 2024, New Zealand has the best work-life balance. While the reasons that make it a country with the best work-life balance are many, some of them include a strong economy, 32 days of annual leave allowance, an 80% sick pay rate, and a universal health care system that is funded by the government.

A European country, Spain is known for its high amount of statutory annual leaves (36 days) and short average working week. For the unawares, Spain has a standard working week of 40 hours, which is generally five working days per week. Also, the maximum amount of working hours is 48 per week, and any time that is clocked in at work beyond this should be paid as overtime to workers.

One of the largest countries in Europe, France has one of the highest GDPs in the world. France is ranked at number 3 on the Global Life-Work Balance Index 2024 for various reasons, like: short working hours per week (i.e. 25.6 hours per week on average), high minimum wage, 36 days of annual leave allotted per year, and more. Moreover, France also has a “right to disconnect '' law, which legally permits employees to not check and respond to work emails after their working hours. Isn't that amazing?

Australia has the highest amount of minimum wage per hour, when compared to any other country, as per the Global Life-Work Balance Index 2024. It also has a good healthcare service for the public and 100% paid sick leave facility, which makes it one of the top countries with the best work-life balance.

When it comes to the Happiness Index, Denmark ranks number two in the world, right after Finland. Apart from this, Denmark also has several benefits for employees, like annual leaves of 36 days, diversity and inclusivity, 100% sick pay, free healthcare and education system, among others. And Denmark's culture also emphasis that people enjoy free time post work, thus promoting better work-life balance.

As per Remote's Global Life-Work Balance Index 2024, Norway stands at number six on the list of top countries with the best work-life balance. In Europe, Norwegians are known for their high happiness levels. In Norway, a standard work week is 37.5 to 40 hours, and beyond that employees need to be paid for overtime. Apart from this, employees in Norway get 35 days of paid sick leave every year and they also have a good healthcare system, which is funded by the government.