The 10 Countries With The Best Work-Life Balance: Yay for TRUE FREEDOM!!

[FayeforCure]

Yeah, true FREEDOM, and NOT just for the ultra-rich as we have it here in the US!!

And obviously, the "greatest country in the world," ie the US, is not part of those 10 countries!

Wow, those European countries provide more freedom for their people!

1. Denmark
2. Norway
3. Netherlands
4. Finland
5. Belgium
6. Switzerland
7. Germany
9. Portugal
10. France


The Huffington Post Harry Bradford  First Posted: 6/1/11 10:10 AM ET   Updated: 8/4/11 08:40 AM ET


In times of economic uncertainty, personal lives can often be forgotten to the pressures of the workplace, knocking the work-life balance out of whack.

That might be true now more than ever, but not for all countries. Recently, the Paris-based Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) released the Better Life Initiative, examining how various aspects of people's lives affect the general well-being of whole countries. And besides taking into account factors like housing and income, the OECD also looked at the work-life balance of each country.

The OECD's Better Life Index for work-life balance is compiled using three indicators: (1) the amount of time spent on personal activities; (2) the employment rate of women with children between 6 and 14 years of age; and (3) the number of employees working over 50 hours a week.

Habits vary among the 34 countries examined in the report. According to the data, Belgium has the most personal time, with an average of 16.61 hours a day, compared to the combined average of 15.46 hours. As for working mother's, Turkey has the least, with only 24 percent of women with children also holding down a paying job. And it's the Netherlands and Sweden that tied for the least-overworked population, with only 0.01 percent of their respective populations regularly working over 50 hours a week.

Overall the average person in OECD's countries works 1739 hours, or 217 work days a year, and spends 64 percent of their day on leisure and personal activities.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/06/01/top-ten-countries-with-work-life-balance_n_868224.html#s285271&title=1_Denmark

The US only scores 6.9 on the Work-life balance, compared to 9.1 for Denmark.

[Jdog]

The same countries also have more social and economic mobility...now that's a kicker. 

[manasia]

The same countries also have more social and economic mobility...now that's a kicker.

Jdog Social and Economic Mobility is Blasphemy in America!

[Dog Walker]

The same countries also have more social and economic mobility...now that's a kicker.

Jdog Social and Economic Mobility is Blasphemy in America!

But it used to be holy writ!  Most economic mobility now seems to be downward only.

[Beloki]

sigh.. this is the only thing that I do not like in the US. Even when I take unpaid leave to travel the world it really isn;t appreciated/understood by my boss or colleagues. Probably need to start my company to be able to have a better work/life balance.