20 Countries with the Worst Work-Life Balance in the World, the United States is Third

Illustration (Freepik/@loseyourself)

YOGYAKARTA - In the past, working overtime until late at night or even on weekends was considered a sign of high dedication to work. However, it is now beginning to change, working more on smart work rather than hard work. A successful career does not have to sacrifice health and personal life.

Therefore, not a few countries have started to improve by implementing more humane working hours. However, there are still countries that continue to prioritize hard work over employee welfare. This phenomenon has been highlighted in various global studies, one of which was conducted by Remote.com. The results were quite surprising, because many large countries fell into the category of countries with the worst work-life balance.

20 Countries with the Worst Work-Life Balance

The study conducted by experts from Remote.com analyzed 60 countries with the largest economies in the world to see how balanced the work-life balance of employees is. Each country is assessed from various indicators that reflect employee well-being.

Boredpanda reported that there are a number of factors that serve as indicators for assessment. Among them, the number of annual leave guaranteed by law. In addition, sick leave policies are also taken into account, including whether workers still receive a salary when they are sick.

Average working hours per week are also included as an important indicator in determining the balance of life. Countries with long working hours, especially if they are added to overtime, generally have poor work-life balance.

Economic factors such as minimum wages also have a major impact on workers' quality of life. Low wages often force workers to work longer to meet their basic needs. On the other hand, access to health services is also an important assessment in this ranking.

For example, in this study, Hong Kong ranked first as the country/region with the worst work balance. The work culture in Hong Kong prioritizes job security and financial stability over the balance between work and personal life.

Financial culture in Hong Kong is very competitive. As a result, workers use their high salaries to pay for luxury services to get rid of stress. However, in the end they have to work longer to finance this luxurious lifestyle.

Another example is the United States, which is also on the top list. This country is the only advanced economy without federally mandated paid leave or paid maternity leave.

Here is a list of the 20 countries with the worst work-life balance in the world based on a study conducted by Remote.com:

Hong Kong Philippines (Manila) United States (Washington, D.C.) India (New Delhi) Kazakhstan (Nursultan) United Arab Emirates (Abu Dhabi) Mexico (Mexico City) Algeria (Algiers) Morocco (Rabat) China (Beijing) Bangladesh (Dhaka) Qatar (Doha) Iraq (Baghdad) Ethiopia (Addis Ababa) Egypt (Cairo) Nigeria (Abuja) Russia (Moscow) Turkey (Ankara) Iran (Tehran) Pakistan (Islamabad)

Those are the 20 countries with the worst work-life balance in the world. Many of these countries are still grappling with long working hours and minimal labor protection. This is a serious challenge towards a healthier and balanced work life.

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