Work-life balance is the stability that exists between a person’s work and personal life. How they manage their life without interference from either side; attending to responsibilities from work and still finding time to do the things you love doing or for your family and friends.
Finland is located in Northern Europe with a population of over 5.6 million. Its capital city, Helsinki, contains almost half of the country’s population. The country shares its land borders with Norway, Russia, and Sweden and is known to be one of the happiest countries to live in.
Why Finland has Work-Life Balance
Finland has a work-life balance because of the following reasons
- Family life and healthy living are top priorities and working hours are made to suit these priorities.
- Employees can adjust their working hours and schedules to suit them.
- Adequate holidays and work-leaves for workers.
- Health insurance that covers ever Finn worker.
- Wide range of employment opportunities.
- Top-notch educational system.
- Low crime rate.
- Affordable living.
- Technologically advanced cities.
- Equality and freedom.
Benefits of Work-Life Balance
Below are the benefits of work-life balance to an individual and the company
- Reduction in Health Problems: Work-life balance maintains your physical and mental health. It also prevents you from any breakdowns or burnout due to stress.
- Increases Productivity: Due to work-life balance, you get to work effectively and efficiently whereby producing massive results in your place of work.
- Reduction of Absenteeism: having health issues can lead to your calling in sick at work. Your absence at your place of work means more responsibility to your colleagues. It could also cause a delay in the executing of your tasks..
- Less Stressed Workforce: Extra workloads can increase strain on other workers.
- Good Relationship with Family and Friends: with work-life balance you give better attention to your family and friends.
Causes of Poor Work-Life Balance
Striking for stability between your work life and personal life can be difficult due to some factors. These factors are listed below
- Increased responsibility at work.
- Increased responsibility at home.
- Decrease of Salary
- Working longer hours than required.
- Having children.
- Not stating boundaries.
- Misunderstanding busyness as the right way to work.
- Prioritizing work over your personal life or your personal life over work.
- Bad habit of overworking yourself.
- Poor working conditions.
- Family issues.
- Issues with friends or in relationships.
- Lack of sleep.
- Have goals and visions outside work.
- Procrastination.
Tips for Improving Work-life Balance
- Ensure at least 8 hours of sleep daily and daily workouts for the mind and body.
- Prioritize your health and relaxation time.
- Have time for things that give you pleasure and fulfillment.
- Learn to say NO.
- Take your lunch breaks seriously.
- Go on vacations.
- Maintain good relationships with your colleagues.
- Always schedule time for family and friends.
- Work in a favorable environment with flexible working time.
- Know your value and set boundaries
- Leave out activities that waste time and energy.
Cities in Finland with Work-Life Balance
- Helsinki
- Rovaniemi
- Ovulu
- Turku
- Tampere
- Espoo
Helsinki
Helsinki is Finland’s capital city and it is located in southern Finland on the shores of the Gulf of Finland and some parts of the Baltic sea.
Features
- It has the highest minimum paid vacation of 25 days.
- Its living cost is cheap.
- Crime rates are low.
- The atmosphere is soothing
- Excellent public service
- Family-friendly city.
- Magnificent transport system and easy mobility.
- Nice architecture that gives the sky an amazing view.
- Neat surrounding.
- Variety of cultural events.
- Street maintenance.
- Functioning amenities like daycare centers, libraries, parking spaces, street maintenance, healthcare, and others.
- Nicely constructed houses.
- Exhibitions and museums for your pleasure.
Rovaniemi
Rovaniemi is the capital of Lapland, located in the northernmost parts of Finland, just a few kilometers from the Arctic Circle. It is famously known to be called the official hometown of Santa Claus. it is the best location to view the northern lights.
Oulu
Oulu is a seaside resort of over 210,000 inhabitants located in the northern region of Finland. It is amongst the largest and most populous cities in Finland. it is Finland’s technological city because it is home to many tech firms and foreign technological innovators. Due to this nature, Oulu has evolved into a major high-tech center.
Features
- Strong economy.
- Modern businesses.
- Advanced technology.
- Light traffic due to highly accessible routes, enough parking spaces, underground passageways, bike lanes, and others.
- Cheaper living than Helsinki.
Turku
Turku was founded 800 years ago and is the oldest city in Finland. It was also the former capital of the country. It was and still is considered the most important city in Finland.
Features
- Popularly known as the student-friendly city
- Strongly emphasized gender equality
- Easy access to locations
- Reasonable living cost
- Vivid cultural life.
- Organized day-care centers to help working parents
- Authorized leaves to facilitate child growth
Tampere
This is the second-largest city in Finland and one of the major urban, economic, and cultural hubs in the region. It is known to have the most picnic saunas in the world.
Features
- Tampere has great amusement parks for children.
- It has unusual museums.
- Gender equality.
- Encouraged leisure time.
- Affordable living cost.
Espoo
Espoo is located in the northern part of the Gulf of Finland. It is surrounded by 58 kilometers of shoreline and waters that are suitable for fishing. The city is said to be an ideal town for families because of its perfect balance between modern city life and peaceful nature.
Features
- Ideal schools.
- Free education at public schools.
- Nice fishing spots.
- Public transportation works well.
- It is an excellent location for businesses.
- Excellent traffic links
- Positive atmosphere.
- International companies and experts.
Conclusion
Finland is one of the top countries with an excellent work-life balance and a wide range of opportunities for entrepreneurs likewise merchants. Their work-life aims at improving their standards and giving citizens a chance at what gives them pleasure. Lack of work-life can lead to strain on one’s health and place of work causing poor outcome.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Finland’s average working hour?
Finland’s average working hour is 8 hours daily and 40 hours weekly.
Can I work in Finland without the ability to Speak Finnish?
Yes, you can. Although many companies require Finnish skills from their employees, there are others who don’t.
Is Finnish language easy to learn?
It is considered one of the most difficult languages to learn.
