Work-Life Balance in Different Cultures: What to Expect

Why is work-life balance crucial?

• More productive at the workplace
• Fewer instances of absenteeism
• Better self-esteem
• More motivated and determined
• Fewer chances of quitting
• Better physical and mental health

Work-Life Balance in Different Cultures: What to Expect

Cultural differences across different countries worldwide are undergoing changes constantly owing to modifying cultural environments. Also, people in today’s world are more receptive to diverse cultures than they were two decades ago. This is because more people are traveling to work abroad than ever before. This is leading people from widely different cultures to gather at workplaces.

In light of these differences, work-life balance is being perceived differently in diverse places. For instance, in a certain culture, the time a person devotes to different sides of their lives differs from another belonging to a different culture. After all, work-life balance implies the bond between your work and other aspects of your life.

Work is something you have to do, while life, in this particular context, means things you want to do in the other part of your life. Sometimes, whether you like it or not, one aspect may unknowingly affect the other, which may not please you. But when you have a life where one aspect doesn’t impact the other, you have achieved an ideal work-life balance. However, such a perfect thing cannot be achieved in the real world.

As priorities vary from one individual to another, there is no absolute way to gauge work-life balance. They also keep changing within the same person at different stages of his/her life. It also changes when you travel to another country for jobs overseas. It will also depend on the time you travel and that place’s unique culture.

The role played by cultural differences

In Asian countries, particularly in Japan, Singapore, or Dubai, people devote more time to work than their counterparts in the West. It is not, therefore, unsurprising that cities with the lowest work-life balance, according to many studies, are in Asia. The average number of hours an employee spends at a workplace in Asia is 200 hours per year, while in Europe, it is 1,600 hours per year.

Furthermore, in Asia, being present at the workplace and performing are not just indicators of professional success; they are also equivalent to self-esteem and reputation. People take pride in being termed workaholics in Asia.

On the other hand, workers in the West are perceived to be more laid back. In countries such as Italy and Spain, catnaps or siestas at work hours are common, but in Asia, nobody would want to be perceived as relaxed. This is not to say that Westerners don’t work hard. In fact, some of the people who make up the success stories in the West want to be seen as individuals who want to work hard and party harder.

Another aspect of Western culture is looking after your physical and mental wellness while working. While most Asians do not make use of all the leaves they are entitled to, Westerners are not embarrassed about using them fully. A study shows that while Australians take the most number of sick leaves in the world, at 10 per year, in Asia, it is at around 2.2 per year. The same differences can be seen between the West and Asia as far as paternity or maternity leaves are concerned.

When it comes to taking time off for leisure, employees in the West are eager to take more days off for vacation – almost a month per year. On the other hand, their counterparts in Tokyo, Bangkok, and Hong Kong do not take more than 15 leaves per year for vacation.

Of course, the leaves professionals get per year depending on their specific job requirements. Furthermore, as people who work on a contract basis do not have enough leave entitlements, they do not take leaves as they cannot. It is the same for people working in the gig economy, as their survival depends on working as much as possible.

Individual requirements and needs

That said, some people do not fit any labels. They will put in as much work depending on what they want from life. For instance, many young Singaporeans consider work-life balance important as they take days off to relax. There are also Australians who put in extra hours at work to earn more pay.

But if one loves what he/she does for a living, the picture is entirely different. For them, being at work is much more important than taking days off. For instance, entrepreneurs, who have built their businesses from scratch, did not bother about having time off for their personal life. Then, there are others who love work so much that they take it home.

Conclusion

Finally, work-life balance also depends on our individual financial situations and their personal needs. There are ones who feel they have made enough money to last them for a lifetime, while others feel that you cannot have too much of anything and keep on working, even if they are given the option to take time off.

Ultimately, one needs to feel satisfied with oneself in life. It could be work or play, depending on the person and their financial background.