According to the latest study, Singapore ranked 32nd among 40 cities when it comes to work-life balance. Singapore is ranked higher than the other three Asian cities considered - Hong Kong, Tokyo, and Kuala Lumpur. The top five cities ranked best in overall work-life balance were Helsinki, Munich, Oslo, Hamburg, and Stockholm are the top cities ranked in overall work-life balance.

On the other hand, Singapore comes second in the ranking of top overworked cities in the study. This shows the current status of people working more than their dedicated working hours in their respective jobs. These consider a various parameter such as vacation days taken, paid maternal and parental leave, and the share of full-time employees working more than 48 hours per working week.

Cities were also scored on the basis of twenty factors. Besides work intensity factors, these included factors related to society and institutions, such as gender equality and access to mental healthcare; and city liveability factors such as safety, outdoor spaces, and air pollutants. 

CEO of Kisi, Bernhard Mehl, said that he hopes the study highlights the need for more research into optimizing the well-being of citizens in order to counter the psychological and economic costs of workplace stress.

"Despite living in an era where unprecedented advancements have been made in technology and connectivity, we have failed to address the most everyday aspect of enhancing our everyday lives - finding the balance between work and leisure," he said.

Other findings  highlight coming office on time, Washington D.C. and Hong Kong starting at the latest time of 10.30am and those in San Diego starting earliest at 8.09am. Singapore workers begin at 9.34am on average, according to the study.

 The average full-time employee worked just 38.9 hours a week in Oslo, compared with 46 hours in Kuala Lumpur and 44.6 hours in Singapore. 

Image source- Medium