Amazing Global Work-Life Balance Ideas That Should Be Brought To The UK

kristian sekulic via Getty Images

The way we live our working lives is never far from the spotlight, these days.

A recent survey for Depression Awareness Week revealed that as many as a third of people in the UK are struggling to cope at work because of depression, stress or burn-out. And more than four-fifths of those affected admitted to experiencing isolation or loneliness as a result.

However, sadly, the study also found that only half of those feeling emotionally unhappy had confided in a colleague, despite admitting that discussing their condition helped them feel better.

In her New York Times bestseller, Thrive: The Third Metric to Redefining Success and Creating a Life of Well-Being, Wisdom, and Wonder, Arianna Huffington writes: "The architecture of our lives is badly in need of renovation and repair."

So what can employers do to improve our mental health and wellbeing?

SEE ALSO
What's The Cheating Capital Of Britain?
Sex Calculator Works Out How Many Calories You Burn

Interestingly, the answer might not be just about simply shortening the working day, suggests HuffPost UK blogger Lindsay Pattison.

She points out that a study on work-life balance in the UK found that 61% of Londoners are satisfied with their work-life balance, despite working the longest hours.

"It's a revealing finding - shorter working hours may not be as crucial to contentment as believed. What I'd love to see evolve is a working ethos that allows employees to take as much or as little out of the office with them as suits that individual," writes the CEO of Maxus UK and First Women Awards 2013 nominee.

As a woman well used to balancing her workload, she suggests: "Rather than work-life balance, let's try to introduce a more holistic "work-life integration" approach, that allows us to be one person at work and at home, bringing our ideals and values to the table wherever it sits."

What have you done to make work wonderful? Share your stories on Facebook or Twitter using the hashtag #makeworkwonderful

Could these ideas help us achieve a better integration of work and life?

Innovative Work-Life Balance Ideas

Norway(01 of05)

In Norway, parents are given as much as 47 weeks at full salary salary, or 57 weeks at 80% of their salary.Nine weeks are reserved for the mother, 12 weeks (the "daddy's quota") are reserved for the father, and the parents can share the rest, according to Mother Nature Network. (credit:Getty)

Denmark(02 of05)

Denmark is consistently voted No 1 for for providing the best work/life balance by the OECD.Why? Well, it offers a generous 52 weeks of paid maternity leave, 34 total days of paid vacation, and only 0.04 percent of workers are on the job more than 50 hours per week.Additionally, the culture is very different to the UK, with a broader perspective of what it means to be successful. "Rush hour in Copenhagen is at around 4pm, " reports the BBC. "People work hard from 8-4pm, and then go home to be with their families." (credit:Getty)

France(03 of05)

French people also work nearly 200 hours less each year than other countries in the organisation, according to the OECD.In addition, French IT staff at Google, Facebook and other companies have this year won new protections against burnout: the right to unplug. A new agreement with employers gives more than 300,000 tech-sector workers added guarantees that the "always connected" lifestyle enabled by smartphones won't infringe on their rights under France's famous 35-hour work week, reports AP. (credit:Getty)

Brazil(04 of05)

You might be surprised to learn that Brazil offers workers the most paid holiday days per year in the world. Full-time workers can earn a whopping 41 paid days off — 30 of those days are mandated for leisure time at the worker's convenience, and the other 11 are considered paid federal holidays, according to Mother Nature Network. (credit:Getty)

Sweden(05 of05)

Sweden offers the most generous parental leave benefits in the world. According to MNN, as many as 480 days, or 16 months, of paid parental leave is offered to workers, 60 days of which are reserved for the father. Furthermore, those 480 days can be spent however the parents see fit over the first eight years of their child's life. (credit:Getty)

Relationships career advice jobs work life balance Parenting

Related