These countries have the best work-life balance in Europe
What is this 'work-life balance' you speak of? Does that mean holiday? According to a recent study by TotallyMoney, a UK-based credit comparison website, Scandinavian countries consistently earn top marks for work-life balance, followed by other countries across the continent. Taking into consideration factors like average hours worked per day, time devoted to play, and total bank holidays, here are the 10 best countries for those looking to inject a little more leisure into their lives.
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iStockBelgium
Feel like your work seeps into your personal life too much? Maybe you should move to Belgium. Workers here enjoy an average of 8.6 hours of free time per day – which trumps their 7.4-hour work days. Locals really value quality family time, getting home in time for dinner each night and taking a full month-long vacation over the summer to coincide with school breaks.
iStockAustria
Many offices in Austria have an 8-5 workday - except for Fridays, when employees are encouraged to go home at 3pm. Never-ending 'summer Fridays' aside, the country is also one of the best in the world for people looking to relocate; according to a recent study, 80 per cent of expats in Austria said their work-life balance improved since moving there (compared to the 53 per cent global average). We imagine those epic Alpine views could have helped tip the scales.
iStockGermany
The German government has several regulations in place to make sure its citizens don't overwork themselves. ('You will have fun!') Its shop closing law (or Ladenschlussgesetz) strictly regulates when stores open and close each day, with most places shutting down around 6pm. and not opening at all on Sundays. And the work-hour regulations (Arbeitszeitgesetz) say you can't put in more than 48 hours a week - or work Sundays or national holidays.
iStockLuxembourg
Working on Sundays is outlawed in Luxembourg (exceptions include maintenance and security jobs), which is a government restriction we can get behind. The country also scores well in the sleep and holiday departments, with citizens getting an average of 7.2 hours of shut-eye per night and a minimum of five weeks paid annual leave – in addition to national holidays.
iStockSpain
A country with early afternoon siestas has that work-life thing down (naps are proven to increase productivity). If you need another reason to find employment in Spain, how does an annual holiday allowance of 30 days sound?
AlamyFrance
Tied with Spain, the country spends the most time - 9.3 hours per day – devoted to free time and relaxation. Perhaps that's why cafés seem perpetually full of blissful people with cigarettes or drinks? In 2017, France also introduced a law that allows workers the 'right to disconnect' from after-hours work emails.
Jenny ZarinsFinland
At first glance, work hours in Finland look pretty similar to those in the USA or UK: Monday to Friday, 8-5. The difference? Their lunch breaks are one to two hours long (perhaps reindeer meat takes longer to digest?). Don't forget that this nation gave its citizens four 'Nature Days' to celebrate its 100th birthday outside, so it clearly has something figured out.
iStockNetherlands
Although the Netherlands only give workers nine bank holidays per year, they compensate with the shortest work week of all the countries surveyed (30.3 hours!). Add to that 20 annual holiday days and extremely generous parental leave policies, and you'll wonder how anyone gets anything done. (It sounds wonderful.)
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iStockSweden
We’ve been envious of the Swedes for a while now, and their work lives are one of the main reasons. First there's fika, a late-morning coffee paired with pastries that offices pause to enjoy every day around 11am. That tradition, paired with 16 months of paid family leave and a whopping 14 bank holidays per year, helped earn the country the no. 2 spot on the list.
iStockDenmark
Denmark balances salary against cost of living well, and average daily work hours (6.6 per day) way outnumber leisure hours (8.8 per day). No surprise there – this is the home country of hygge, after all. According to US News & World Report, this is also the best country in the world for raising children. Both mothers and fathers are entitled to 23 weeks of parental leave, plus mothers get an extra four weeks of leave before the expected due date.