The UK’s poor work-life balance is revealed

New research has shown that the UK is ranked poorly in terms of work-life balance when compared to other countries. It ranks 34th out 40 nations.

Access People, a specialist in HR systems, has conducted a report on the Work Life Balance Report 2024. The report found that Spain is leading the world in terms of work-life balance while the UK lags behind in several areas.

The report looked at a number of factors, including paid annual leave policies, bank holidays and maternity/paternity leave.

These criteria were used to assign a score of 100 for each country. The UK’s overall score of 34, despite the introduction of hybrid work patterns, placed it at the bottom 10 despite the advent. Spain was ranked first with a score 58, followed by France with 55. The UK scored higher than the US (33) China (31) and India (3).

The UK’s lower ranking in the table is largely due to its annual leave and bank holiday policies. Top-ranking nations like France and Norway provide 25 days of leave. The UK only offers 20 days (28 if you include bank holidays). Bank holidays are relatively few in the UK, at only eight. This is in comparison to countries like Spain and Lithuania that have 14 bank holidays. Finland has 39 holiday days, while Greece has 37.

In addition, the UK’s paternity and maternity leave policies have caused it to be ranked lower than other countries because employees are not paid their full salary during this period. This, along with the absence of legislation regarding the four-day work week, caused the UK’s ranking to fall in the bottom half, below countries like Ireland, Austria and Portugal.

The UK pays mothers for a period longer than the 19-week average in the OECD. The average rate of payment is lower in the UK than many other countries, where paid leave is shorter. Austria, Estonia France Germany Poland Hungary Portugal Turkey Slovenia and Slovenia all pay their employees full salaries for 14 to 24 weeks. In contrast, there is no federally mandated maternity pay in the US. Some states, such as California, offer paid leave of up to 8 weeks at a rate of about 2/3rds earnings.

This report shows that the number of searches for “work overseas visa” in the UK has increased by 27%. Many workers are likely to be searching for work in countries with better policies on work-life balance.

Charles Butterworth is the managing director of Access Group’s People Division. He said that employers have a misconception about the relationship between a healthy balance between work and life, and a reduction in employee output. He added that “in reality, it’s a poor work-life imbalance that can directly cause both of these problems.”

Access People’s report reveals the top 10 countries in terms of work-life balance.

1. Spain (57.92%)
2. France (54.89)
3. Kazakhstan (52.63)
4. Lithuania (52.16)
5. Iceland (52.09)
6. Japan (50.43)
7. Norway (49.36).
8. Luxembourg (48.49)
9. New Zealand (48.30 )
10. Austria (47.83%)

The 10 worst countries for work-life harmony:

1. Canada (25.53)
2. Switzerland (27.68)
3. Mexico (30.55)
4. China (30.75).
5. USA (33.12
6. India (33.81)
7. UK (34.00 Pounds)
8. Australia (34.43)
9. Ireland (34.63)
10. Romania (34.86)

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