Work-life balance is essential for mental health, relationships and productivity, giving people the time they need to enjoy life outside of work. Yet in many countries, work-life balance is almost non-existent, and some offer workers little or no mandatory vacation time.
However, one European country has been ranked highly for its “work-life balance” and is being recommended for those looking to move abroad and enjoy a bit more life outside of work.
Experts at William Russell looked at several European countries, analysing factors such as average working hours to find out which countries have the fewest working hours and days.
Based on the survey, the experts concluded that Germany is the “country with the best work-life balance”, with employees working an average of 1,340.9 hours per year, or 178 days per year, 500 hours less than top-scoring Greece.
“With fewer working hours per year, parents have more time to relax, spend time with their families or simply deal with tedious household chores,” experts from William Russell said.
Work-life balance is an important aspect of German work culture, and it’s often said that Germans are good at maintaining a healthy balance between their professional and personal lives.
In Germany, citizens are entitled to a minimum of 20 days of vacation under the Federal Holidays Act, as well as generous maternity and childcare benefits and numerous public holidays.
However, a 2022 report from The Local suggested that not all Germans are satisfied with their work-life balance.
The survey, commissioned by Novotel and collecting responses from 5,000 adults in Germany, Britain, the Netherlands and Poland, found that German respondents were the least satisfied with their work-life balance, with 58 percent saying it was about work and just 42 percent saying it was about leisure.
In comparison, Brits reported spending 55 percent of their time on work and 45 percent on their personal life. In Poland, the figure was exactly half, 50/50.
British expats posted on Reddit explaining the differences between working culture in Germany and their experience in the UK. They said: “Compared to the UK, I work shorter hours, get paid more, and have better social security. On paper, the two countries have similar worker protections. However, I see this being followed much more strictly in Germany. For example, on my site, everyone clocks in and out and has a record of their working hours, regardless of whether they work hourly or salaried.”
“This approach avoids the typical UK rule of ‘your working hours are nine to five, but you’re expected to be at your desk by 8.30 and if you have to do something by the end of the day that means midnight’.”
“The above behaviours are not typically tracked in the UK and therefore cannot be regulated.
“My examples are purely anecdotal – not all German companies are heavenly places to work and certainly not all British companies are so awful – but in general they fit the experiences of people I know.” [SIC]
