The Work-Life Balance Report 20248 revealed that Spain is leading the way when it comes to work-life balance – while the UK lags behind in 34th place out of the 40 countries analysed in the global report.

Analysing factors including the number of paid annual leave days, the number of bank holidays, the amount of fully paid maternity and paternity leave days, and four-day working week policies, an index score out of 100 was calculated for each country – with scores closer to 100 ranking higher on the list.

Coming in at number 34, the UK was in the bottom 10 of the countries in the report. In the last year, Google searches in the UK for ‘work abroad visa’ have risen by 27%, which could reflect the country’s position in the index as people look to explore opportunities in other countries.

In terms of minimum number of days of annual leave, and number of bank holidays, the UK scored in the middle of the list. Offering 20 days of statutory annual leave to workers, this is lower than countries who ranked in the top 10, such as France and Norway, which both offer 25 days per year.

In particular, the number of bank holidays is low in comparison to other countries which ranked higher up the order. The UK offers eight bank holidays to workers, while many other countries on the list, such as Spain, Lithuania and Iceland, have 14 bank holidays.

Despite trialling a four-day working week, it is still most common for full-time UK employees to be working five days a week, but flexible working can be seen across the workforce, with the majority of businesses offering employees the opportunity to follow a hybrid working pattern or work remotely for a portion of the week, following the pandemic.

The UK’s maternity and paternity leave offerings also caused it to fall short in the rankings, since it does not offer employees their full wage during this time. Along with the lack of legislation on the four-day working week, this caused the UK to find itself in the bottom half of the index, below the likes of Ireland, Austria, Portugal and Poland.

The top 10 countries for 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 bottom 10 countries for work-life balance:

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)
8. Australia (34.43)
9. Ireland (34.63)
10. Romania (34.86)

Charles Butterworth, Managing Director of the People Division at The Access Group, comments on the research:

“There are numerous factors which influence the desirability of work-life balance within a country. Different countries have their own specific HR policies, varying greatly in terms of minimum amount of paid annual leave days, the number of annual bank holidays, and the amount of maternity and paternity leave days where workers receive a full wage.

“A common misconception among employers is that a healthy work-life balance will lead to a decrease in employees’ output and productivity, but in reality, it’s poor work-life balance that can directly contribute to both of these issues, due to the excessive levels of stress that it can cause.

“Fortunately, HR software can empower companies to address recurring problems that contribute to work-life imbalance, with actionable insights and efficient tools. By gathering employee feedback, and pinpointing areas for improvement, these issues can be addressed, by implementing programmes that promote a healthy work-life balance, such as employee self-serve time-off requests or annual leave purchase employee benefits such as Holiday Trading.”

*Conducted by Access People, part of The Access Group,

https://www.theaccessgroup.com/en-gb/blog/hcm-work-life-balance-report-2024/