[theList] Work Calls After Hours? Unthinkable in Copenhagen

Ranking of Cities for 'Work-Life Balance' Considering Wage Levels

What are the conditions for a happy workplace? High salaries, friendly colleagues, and a horizontal organizational culture come to mind, but recently the hot topic has been 'Work-Life Balance' (WLB). WLB is an abbreviation for 'Work and Life Balance,' which first appeared in the UK in the late 1970s but began to be used in the 1980s in the US to mean the balance between an individual's work and personal life.

Since the COVID-19 pandemic, the importance of one's own life has increased, and the trend of 'WLB' is spreading worldwide. Based on an analysis of a report by the financial media MoneyNerd, US economic media CNBC has selected the cities with the most harmonious work-life balance in the world. This report considered factors such as living costs, average salaries, and the number of employment opportunities in various countries.

5th place - Zurich, Switzerland

[Image source=Pixabay]

When you think of Switzerland, beautiful natural scenery often comes to mind. Despite being a small country with a population of about 8 million, Switzerland is known as one of the best countries to live in due to its high quality of life. This is closely related to the culture of strictly separating work and personal life.

In Switzerland, unnecessary overtime is rare, and there is a strong atmosphere of consideration for family, so it is a principle not to contact employees outside working hours. Instead, during working hours, employees must focus strictly on work. This means no smartphone use or internet surfing during work hours. Also, if overtime is unavoidable, it is compensated with overtime pay or time off.

4th place - Oslo, Norway

[Image source=Pixabay]

Oslo, located on the coast of Norway, is frequently mentioned as a city with a good work-life balance. Last year, Oslo ranked first in a list of cities with the best work-life balance selected by the US technology company KISI.

In Norway, overtime, extra shifts, and additional work are virtually impossible. Norwegian labor law prohibits total working hours from exceeding 40 hours over 7 days, except for a few jobs requiring shift work.

Most companies also adhere to a 37.5-hour workweek over 5 days, set through voluntary agreements between labor unions and employers, so actual working hours are known to be less than the legal limit.

Additionally, paternity leave is actively used in Norway. If an employee faces disadvantages or dismissal due to taking parental leave, they can claim compensation.

3rd place - New York, USA

[Image source=Pixabay]

New York is a city full of busy people. Despite being complex and ever-changing, the trend toward pursuing work-life balance has grown stronger recently. This is because workers, after experiencing the COVID-19 pandemic, desire a balanced life more than money. This trend is expected to lead to the increasing adoption of a four-day workweek in New York.

Strikes demanding better working conditions are also becoming more active. In September last year, about 15,000 nurses across Minnesota and Wisconsin went on strike for three days, calling for an end to excessive labor through increased staffing.

2nd place - Amsterdam, Netherlands

Like Norway, the Netherlands is one of the countries where overtime is uncommon. Notably, in 2017, the Netherlands ranked first in the OECD's work-life balance index, drawing attention as only 0.5% of all workers were found to have worked overtime.

The average weekly working hours in the Netherlands is one of the lowest in the world at 30.3 hours, less than 7 hours per day on average. Also, 70% of Dutch women aged 15 to under 64 are employed.

1st place - Copenhagen, Denmark

[Image source=Pixabay]

Denmark is one of the countries that values work-life balance the most. Therefore, there are many systems in place to guarantee WLB, and above all, a culture that prioritizes WLB is already well established within companies.

Danish workers typically spend time with their families after leaving work on time. Hence, they neither send nor receive work-related communications outside working hours. Such contacts outside work hours are considered rude behavior.

However, no one criticizes them for 'lack of loyalty to the company.' It is believed that being fully recharged at home leads to higher work efficiency when at the workplace.

Especially in Denmark, there is a culture called 'Hygge,' which means 'coziness' in Korean. Danes find happiness in simplicity and modesty and contemplate how to live. In other words, they think more deeply about their own lives than about their jobs.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.