BETTER LIFE INDEX
We have all felt that Sunday dread, that slight ache in the stomach that signifies that another Monday is rapidly approaching despite the weekend passing at the speed of light, and we have all woken up on a Monday morning only to stare bewildered at our alarm clocks – but, haven’t I already done a Monday morning recently? Given the amount of memes that spring up on Sunday evenings like this one, you would be forgiven for thinking that Irish workers surely have the longest working hours in the World. Are we just exercising our moaning rights as Irish citizens, or the Earth just spin that much slower between the hours of 9-5 in Ireland? Realistically, just where exactly does Ireland fall in terms of working hours worldwide and that all important work satisfaction rating?
Mashable have recently put together an infographic based on information from the OECD’s Better Life Index. This shows where Irish workers sit in terms of working hours worldwide, as well as the percentage of satisfaction with the work-life balance. This image compares date from across 35 countries, showing how many hours the average Irish worker works in comparison to other countries. Ireland sit in sixth place in this table with 1,529 hours per year spent in the workplace in comparison to our UK neighbours who log 1,790 hours per year. The Netherlands spends the least amount of hours in the office with a total of 1,381 hours per year. This is an important example of international working hours and general job satisfaction which we think would be a beneficial read for all Irish employers and employees. We aren’t quite tipping the top of the table with our working hours, and yet only 77% of Irish people would say that they are satisfied with their job, working hours and their work-life balance.