New Study Ranks the Top 10 Countries with the Best Work-Life Balance

A fascinating global study by Remote revealed the countries with the best work-life balance right now and New Zealand found itself at the top of the list with an index score of 79.35. With a comparatively small population but exceptional benefits and working conditions lined up for its workers, the country appears to have a lot to teach the world at large. New Zealand’s work-life balance considerations have long been a matter of pride for its citizens; back in 2021, HSBC’s Expat Explorer named it the world’s top-ranking country with a future outlook and the third-best place for expats to work. From four weeks of paid annual holiday per year to 26 weeks of time off for new parents to care for their child, the country guarantees various quality-of-life elements that the rest of the globe is only able to offer in parts. 

Image – Freepik

Europe’s work-life balance metrics are currently leading the assessment of the quality of life rankings by country, with 6 of the top 10 countries in the list being from the European region. The United States was found all the way down at the 53rd position with a 37.47 index score out of 100.

Understanding the Countries with the Best Work-Life Balance 

Determining the best work-life balance countries is no easy task as there are a considerable number of factors at play in the list of considerations. The index score appears to be a consolidation of multiple factors, including statutory annual leave, minimum statutory sick pay percentage, minimum wage, healthcare system, happiness index, average weekly work hours, and LGBTQ+ inclusivity. Universal government-funded healthcare systems were a common factor among the top 10 countries with the best work-life balance, which is not surprising—healthy employees do make good workers. The top 10 countries on this list included:

1. New Zealand, Wellington (Index score: 79.35)
2. Spain, Madrid (Index score: 75.55)
3. France, Paris (Index score: 75.34)
4. Australia, Canberra (Index score: 73.71)
5. Denmark, Copenhagen (Index score: 73.67)
6. Norway, Oslo (Index score: 73.05)
7. Netherlands, Amsterdam (Index score: 69.14)
8. United Kingdom, London (Index score: 69.07)
9. Canada, Ottawa (Index score: 67.91)
10. Brazil, Brasilia (Index score: 67.73)

New Zealand’s position at the top among the countries with the best work-life balance comes as no surprise when you consider the working conditions it offers to its workers. The 32-day annual statutory leave policy remains quite impressive, especially compared to the U.S., where no fixed standards could be determined. New Zealand’s work-life balance is fueled by its policy of four weeks of annual leave after 12 months of continuous employment. Workers who get time to themselves, whether to recover from illness or relax and take a break, very obviously have more energy reserves to fuel their time back at work. Instead of trying to trudge through a difficult period while also working simultaneously, these workers are offered the opportunity to resolve, rest, and recover before taking up a task again. It is no surprise that a good work-life balance means a thriving workforce. 

The $15.04 minimum wage is also a much better offering than the average $7.25 seen within the U.S., more than double the number if the numbers are to be believed. Workers who can rely on a single job to make a decent living can focus on maintaining that particular role rather than trying to maintain multiple jobs at once. Inevitably, this improves their quality of life in comparison, allowing them to free up time to spend on tasks outside of their work. Having a Universal government-funded healthcare system doesn’t hurt either, allowing employees to check in on their health regularly before health conditions escalate to something severe.

Prioritizing the best work-life balance, countries are clearly those that have been prioritizing these conditions while planning policies that revolve around their workforce. Spain and France appear to be doing well with considerate statutory annual leave days, while Australia and Denmark’s 100 percent paid sick leave is admirable as well. Canada tops the list as the country that’s the most proactive with LGBTQ+ inclusivity, which is another critical consideration for building a safe and secure workplace where people are excited to work. The European work-life balance conditions provide a good idea of what a healthy work culture looks like and organizations worldwide need to become more proactive in matching up to these work conditions. 

Improving Work-Life Balance Within Your Organization

While these rankings of the countries with the best work-life balance give us a good understanding of the working conditions of the region and the general quality of life for workers, it does not however mean that every organization within the country knows how to match up to these standards or that every organization is limited by what the country standards are overall. The data from the study by Remote presents some obvious answers on what you could be doing as an organization—increasing pay, providing more time off, improving healthcare access, and reducing working hours are just some of the most successful ways of addressing employee well-being. However, these do not have to be the only options for improvement. There are many other ways to see the same results as these countries with the best work-life balance:

• Promote flexible work conditions and ensure the employee’s convenience is also taken into account
• Provide compensatory pay or alternate days off when workers have to work long hours 
• Consider 4-day workweeks and test its viability within your organization
• Establish flexible policies for paid time off 
• Encourage employees to take breaks in between work and respect their time away
• Encourage employees to use their vacation days and build a company culture that does not penalize them for making use of their vacation days
• Look into company policies on parental leave, childcare facilities, etc. to assist employees
• Create clear demarcations between work hours and personal time and encourage all employees to respect it—limit after-hour communications even via email
• Regularly review employee workloads and improve on labor division to ensure that no single employee is being left to handle all the work
• Review hiring needs regularly to make up for gaps in the labor force to avoid overburdening workers
• Be honorable about paying employees a fair wage—explore industry standards as well as your own organizational capabilities
• Promote deserving employees and help with career planning to ensure your employees’ commitment to the job

These are only the beginning of the considerations when it comes to improving the quality of life for your workers and ensuring their experience with work is a positive one. Happy and relaxed people make happy and enthusiastic employees and in order to have a healthy workforce, it is important to consider creating a workplace that prioritizes a good work-life balance for all employees.