The best places to live for work-life balance

As many adjust to working remotely and navigate the impacts of COVID-19, a new index ranks the cities which offer the best work-life balance to their citizens. Comparing data on work intensity, legislation and liveability, the index, released by cloud-based security developer Kisi, ranks cities around the globe.

The result is an index of 19 factors determining the work-life balance of 50 cities. Taking factors into consideration such as work-intensity, cities that made the shortlist were those with sufficient data-sets.

The index assessed each city’s overall work-life score based on measures such as the amount of time a person dedicates to their job—including total working hours, percentage of the overworked population, commuting times, and vacation time. Given the economic fallout from the pandemic, the latest unemployment figures and the percentage of people who have undertaken multiple jobs in order to get by were measured.

Despite its COVID-related restrictions, Melbourne ranked 24th on the list. Sydney took the top spot for Australia, at 21.

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The index also considers the extent to which citizens receive equal treatment, access to state-funded health and welfare programs, institutional support for equality and social inclusivity on gender and LGBTQ+ communities.

It also considers the impact of COVID-19 restrictions on movement, the overall economic impact, and the projected percentage change in employment as a consequence.

According to the 2020 index, Oslo in Norway took out the number one place as the city offering the best work-life balance. It was followed by Helsinki in Finland, and Danish capital Copenhagen ranked third. Germany was home to three cities that made the top 10: Hamburg, Berlin and Munich.

The index found the most overworked employees lived in cities Seoul in South Korea, Milan in Italy, and Budapest in Hungary.

2020 work-life balance index

With only two Australian cities in the top 50 – compared to, say, the 17 the United States have within the top 50 – it’s clear Aussie’s need a work-life shake-up. We’re a country of chronic overworkers, with most other cities in Australia sitting lower on the list specifically because people just love their job too much (or simply spend far too many hours in the office).

If you’re looking to get your work-life balance back into check, but aren’t sure where to start, here are some tips to try:

• Instead of working through your lunch, go for a walk around the block, or join a yoga class. Exercise is good for you, and it’ll help make your day less monotonous!
• Don’t buy lunch, make it. Teach yourself to cook simply the delicious lunch options: sushi, fantastic sandwiches, pasta – your imagination (and taste buds) are the limit
• Move closer to your job. Your work-life balance might be out because you simply cannot stand the traffic you’re forced to sit through every morning and night. If that’s the case, move closer to your job and enjoy walking or biking to work instead (check out places closer to your office here)
• Move away from your job. Some people might have the opposite problem to above – you live so close to the office it’s as though you never leave! If this is your problem, start searching for your new home at least 30-45 minutes away from your office: close enough that you can still get in easily, but far enough away that you don’t have to go in on the weekend if something goes wrong

Where do you think the other Australian cities ranked in the KISI index? Let us know in the comments below and we’ll tell you if you’re right or not!

Written: 7 December 2020

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