According to a recent global study, the United Kingdom is among the countries with the worst work-life balance. This shows the disparity in employee welfare when compared to other countries.
The Work-Life Balance Report 2024 conducted by Access People, an HR systems specialist, part of The Access Group ranked the UK as the 34th best country out of 40 analysed. This raised concerns over the UK’s approach towards employee well-being.
Spain is ranked as the world leader in work-life harmony, according to the report. The UK comes close to the bottom of the rankings. Rankings were determined by factors such as bank holidays, the number of annual leave days paid, the full payment of maternity and paternity leaves, and the implementation four-day work week policies. These factors were a key factor in determining the rankings. Countries that scored higher on these factors were ranked nearer 100, which indicates a better work-life integration.
The UK offers 20 days, compared to the 25 days that France and Norway offer as statutory leave. In the UK, workers are entitled to only eight bank holidays compared to Spain and Iceland where they enjoy fourteen bank holidays each year.
Five-day workweek
Most UK employees work five days per week despite recent experiments with a four-day week. remote working and flexible options have grown since the pandemic. However, they haven’t been enough to improve the UK ranking.
The UK’s policies on maternity and paternity leaves also contributed to the low score. The UK, unlike some other countries that scored higher, does not pay full wages for parental leave. This, coupled with the lack of legislation regarding the four-day work week, further weakens its position on the index.
The study noted that UK Google searches for “work abroad visa” increased by 27 percent over the last year. This could be a reflection of growing dissatisfaction in the country with its work-life balance.
Charles Butterworth (Managing Director, People Division, The Access Group) commented on the findings and stressed the need for improved HR policies to improve work-life balance. He highlighted that a poor work-life imbalance can lead to decreased productivity and increased levels of stress. He also advocated the use HR software in order to identify and resolve issues within an organisation.
In the top 10, you’ll find Spain, France and Kazakhstan. The bottom 10 includes Canada, Switzerland, Mexico and China.
