Work-life balance in Germany was ranked 4th best in the world according to recent analysis by Remote.com, a platform offering payroll, tax and HR services for international businesses.
Germany's high ranking was based largely on its high number of statutory leave days, its paid maternity leave benefit, its relatively high minimum wage and its public-private health insurance system, among other factors.
New Zealand claimed the top spot with the best work-life balance in the world, according to the analysis, and was followed by Ireland and Belgium and then Germany.
Just after Germany came Norway and Denmark.
Canada (7th) and Australia (8th) were the only other non-European countries, beside New Zealand, to claim a spot in the top ten. They were joined by Spain (9th) and Finland (10th).
For comparison, the UK was ranked 11th and France 16th.
Brazil (28th), Japan (29th) and South Korea (31st) claimed spots in the middle of the ranking.
The US (59th) was second to last - just ahead of Nigeria which took the bottom spot for work-life balance among the 60 countries included in the analysis.
READ ALSO: 'It won't solve all your problems' - An American on the pros and cons of moving to Germany
Top tier leave and social benefits
Remote's analysis ranked countries based on an index score that was comprised of statutory leave allowance, paid sick days and paid maternity leave benefits, among other factors.
Regularly employed full-time workers in Germany are entitled to at least 20 paid vacation days each year (many receive as many as 25 or 30).
German workers also receive notoriously generous paid sick leave benefits - up to six weeks of leave at full pay can be taken for a serious illness.
READ ALSO: How sick leave pay in Germany compares to other countries in Europe
Working mothers-to-be are also entitled to fully paid maternity leave (in fact it's mandatory), which usually begins six weeks ahead of the expected due date, and carries on until eight weeks after birth.
Then a parental leave period begins in which one or both parents who work can take up to14 months off work, while receiving a portion of their salary in the form of Elterngeld, to focus on their new-born.
What else was included in the analysis?
After paid leave, sick leave and maternity leave benefits, Remote's analysis also looked at; countries' minimum wages, their healthcare systems, their happiness index score, the average weekly number of hours worked per employed person, an LGBTQ+ inclusivity rating and their safety (according to a World Population Review score).
Germany's minimum wage (converted to US dollars to compare across countries) was the third highest of the top ten countries ranked - beaten only by Australia and New Zealand. Currently €12.82 per hour, Germany is set to raise its minimum wage to €14.60 by 2027.
How balanced is it really?
On top of the benefits mentioned above, Germans are known to be staunch defenders of their off time. Ritualising the end of the work day (Feierabend) and taking personal offence at receiving any work-related calls while away from the office are among the common German workplace stereotypes.
But a study from 2022 suggested that Germany actually had the worst work-life balance of several European countries that were compared.
The study consisted of a survey of 5,000 working adults in Germany, the UK, the Netherlands and Poland, and it found that workers in Germany actually tended to do more overtime and have less time for themselves than their counterparts in the other countries.
Another study, from way back in 2017, looked at work-life balance across various German cities.
According to that report, workers in Karlsruhe had the best work-life balance in the Bundesrepublik, followed by those in Münster, Stuttgart, Bonn and Munich.
The metropolitan hotspots of Berlin and Frankfurt, on the other hand, didn't score so well. At the bottom of the list were former industrial hubs from the Rhineland-Ruhr valley region including Essen, Mönchengladbach, Duisburg and Gelsenkirchen.
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