Maternity leave and sick pay: The best European countries for work-life balance

Work-life balance is an increasingly important factor for people looking for a new job.

A survey of 10,000 workers published in February by consultancy firm Gallup showed that personal well-being was the most important factor when considering a job offer, followed by salary and job security.

In terms of work-life balance, Europe is regarded as one of the best places in the world to be.

A global study by HR platform Remote placed seven European nations in the top ten for employee well-being, with Ireland emerging as the top destination on the continent.

The ranking doesn't focus on salaries or cost of living, but rather on other factors that can improve quality of life, like maternity leave, sick pay, working hours and social rights.

Ireland tops the table thanks to new sick pay measures

Ireland climbed up 23 positions from last year's remote work-life balance index to snatch top spot.

"This huge jump is mainly due to the Irish government's introduction of more generous statutory sick pay (which took effect from 1st January 2024), along with a high public safety score," Remote said.

Ireland also benefits from one of Europe's highest minimum wages, set at €13,44 per hour.

Iceland is second thanks to one of the longest statutory annual leaves, 38 days, 100% sick pay, one of the highest happiness indexes (7.5 out of 10) and a 93% LGBT inclusivity rate.

"Icelanders tend to be very family-centric, helping them achieve a healthy life-work balance that prioritizes time spent with loved ones. The country is also considered the continent’s safest and most LGBTQ+-friendly," said Remote.

Four-day working week tests push Denmark to top three

Denmark, one of the few countries in Europe to have trialled a four-day working week in some sectors, follows Iceland to take third place. Unsurprisingly, the country has one of the shortest working weeks on average, just 33.91 hours.

Belgium follows in fourth place, entering the top 10 for the first time in the Remote index, partly due to its recent sick leave policy upgrade.

Spain is the only southern European country in the top 10, thanks to one of the most generous annual leave arrangements (36 days) and a great maternity leave wage: 100% of the mother's salary.

Honourable mentions go to the Netherlands, which only narrowly didn't make it into the top ten, and offers the shortest working week on average, around 32 hours a week.

Long working hours have negative impact on work-life balance

The report clearly shows the countries with the longest working hours tend to place in the lower half of the table.

Montenegro, the nation with the longest working week (43.3 hours), is 38th out of 41 countries in the general index.

Serbia, with the second longest working week (42 hours) is 34th, while Moldova (39.7) is 39th.

Maternity leave vs work-life balance?

Interestingly, the three countries with the longest maternity leave - all located in the Balkans - placed in the bottom half of the general work-life balance index: Bulgaria (58.6 maternity leave weeks), Bosnia-Herzegovina and Albania (52).

On the flipside, some countries in the top spots, like Germany, Belgium, Portugal and Slovenia, have the shortest average maternity leave.

Furthermore, Ireland, which placed first in the overall ranking, has the lowest maternity pay rate, (27.3%) followed by the neighbouring United Kingdom (29.8%).