Merxwire
05 Jan 2023, 14:19 GMT+10
Denmark, one of the happiest countries in the world, works an average of 18 days a month and 34 hours a week. The Danes always maintain a work-life balance while maintaining high employee productivity. Learning their views on work may make us work happier.
(Photo via unsplash.com)
Taipei, TAIWAN (Merxwire) - Denmark, one of the happiest countries in the world, has a leisurely pace of life and is full of Nordic culture. Danes work 18 days a month and 34 hours a week, maintaining a work-life balance. In the work-life balance ranking released by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), it won first place. The Netherlands, Norway, and Belgium are next, and the United States ranks 28th. With a seemingly leisurely working attitude, its one-hour work productivity is better than the USA, ranking fifth in the world. How to work happily like the Danes?
Arbejdsglde means "happy work" in Danish. Even though this is a common working trait of the Nordics, it was created by the Danes. One of the reasons that make them work happily is the Jante Law they follow. Jante Law is an important core spirit of Nordic enterprises and society for groups, which means that everyone is an individual and hopes that everyone can be treated equally.
The students in primary school in Denmark can call their teachers by their first names, because they believe that everyone is an equal individual, regardless of gender, age or rank. Applied in the workplace, it reduces the class relationship between the superior and subordinate, the communication is smoother, and it is better to express or accept good opinions. It is not based on the opinions of senior personnel or supervisors, and there is less sense of oppression in the company. Of course, the working environment will be much more comfortable.
Another important concept that affects Danes' work attitude is "Hygge". When the Danes proposed the concept of Hygge, everyone's first impression was a cozy life, including food, red wine, scented candles, thick wool socks, etc which make your life more comfortable. But in fact, Hygge is not only to make yourself comfortable, but also to pay attention to the spiritual satisfaction and ritual sense brought by material things, and to care more about the feelings of family and the close group relationship.
So the Danes combine all the elements mentioned above naturally to practice this simple and balanced life. They leave work early every Friday because they want to spend time with their families. They will ask for leave to stay at home when the child is born and sick. It is not difficult for them to pick up their children after class and enjoy afternoon tea with their parents every week. Government policies also support this kind of life, allowing them to spend enough time with their families after work, interact and share, and when they return to the office, they can concentrate on their work.
(Photo via pexels.com)
(Photo via pexels.com)
We cannot say that the working environment for Danes is completely stress-free. According to a study conducted by the Department of Occupational Medicine at Herning University Hospital, 1 in 10 Danish think, they feel stressed from work, especially civil servants, lawyers, and financial staff. In recent years, the increase in communication software, popular 3C equipment, and remote work mode has prevented Danes from fully enjoying their time outside of work, and has also increased the frequency of working from home. In addition, foreign high-level intellectuals and professional immigrants also made them feel pressured.
But their outlook on life and work attitude, as well as the friendliness of the entire environment to workplace happiness, are indeed better than those of many countries, and they are worth learning for us. Imagine a work life that can accommodate a family, where you can freely express various ideas to stimulate the spark of progress, and you can also choose to switch jobs to meet new challenges. We can't say it's the best environment, but it seems to make us happier at work.
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