Annual leave, statutory sick pay, minimum wage boost countries' employee wellbeing
New Zealand has retained its position as the best country in the world for work-life balance, with an even higher score at Remote's Global Life-Work Balance Index this year.
The country received an 80.76 score out of 100, up from the 79.35 from last year's report.
The higher score stems from New Zealand's good rating in the new employee safety metric that was introduced in the index this year, according to Remote.
The report also attributed it to New Zealand's high minimum wage, annual leave entitlement of 32 days, and good score on the happiness index.
"Of course, it also boasts some of the world's most stunning scenery — an obvious draw for anyone planning to relocate to the country," Remote said in a media release.
Top countries for work-life balance
The second-best country for work-life balance is Ireland, with a 77.89 score in the index.
Its current ranking is a major jump from last year's 21st place, according to Remote, which attributed the country's position to its consistently well scores across the board.
"Backed by a universal government-funded healthcare system, Ireland also offers one of the highest minimum wages in the index. This country of just over five million people is also considered one of the safest in the world," Remote said.
The third slot is a tie between Belgium and Denmark, which both registered a 73.45 score in the index.
Belgium broke into the top 10 this year partly due to its updated sickness policies, and good scores when it comes to rate of pay and average hours worked per week.
Denmark also jumped to the third spot from last year's fifth place, which the report attributed to its happiness level and generous statutory annual leave entitlement of 35 days.
"Moreover, the country that brought the concept of 'hygge' to the world is considered one of the safest places to live, as well as one of the leaders in promoting LGBTQ+ inclusivity," Remote added.
Global Life-Work Balance Index
Remote looked into various criteria to determine the best places in the world for work-life balance. These criteria include the statutory annual leave, minimum statutory sick pay percentage, paid maternity and payment rate, as well as minimum wage.
The index also considered the country's happiness index, average hours per week per employee, LGBTQ+ inclusivity, and global peace index ranking.
"At Remote we are driven to promote the value and importance of a strong work-life balance and sustainable workplace culture. This inspired our Global Life-Work Balance campaign," said Barbara Matthews, chief people officer at Remote, in a statement.
"We chose to conduct an index study to compare statutory benefits and core metrics across the globe, providing an equal comparison that evaluates each country against the same criteria."
The full list includes:
- New Zealand (80.76)
- Ireland (77.89)
- Belgium (73.45)
Denmark (73.45)
- Canada (72.75)
- Germany (71.84)
- Finland (71.55)
- Australia (71.35)
- Norway (70.85)
- Spain (70.60)
"Everyone should be able to enjoy both personal fulfilment and professional success, no matter where they live," Matthews said. "The top countries on our global life-work balance list are leading the way for a brighter future of work by embracing this philosophy and offering the infrastructure to support it."
