Helsinki, Oslo and Zurich are the three best cities in the world for the balance between professional and personal life, especially now that the pandemic has revolutionized our habits and a large portion of people still work smart.
This is written by the annual study of the American society Kisi, which for 2021 tried to understand which are the best cities to live and work remotely in pandemic times. The study analyzes how cities have faced economic, social and structural changes in the last year to support their citizens in a moment as complex as this from a psychological point of view, while the rate of “bornout” increases, as well as psychological pressure.
To compile the ranking, Kisi selected a list of the largest metropolises known for the professional opportunities they offer and evaluated 18 indicators such as the instruments offered by cities for distance work, average working hours, in addition to the social support each offers – for example in health assistance programs, financial support in case of unemployment due to Covid. Other indicators taken into consideration relate to living, as well as opportunities offered for well-being and leisure.
Result? The countries of Northern Europe are the best for the balance of professional life – personal life. After Helsinki, Oslo and Zurich in the top ten best places include Stockholm, Copenhagen, Munich, Vancouver, Amsterdam and Sydney. Kuala Lumpur, Bangkok and Buenos Aires rank last.
“It is interesting to see how the pandemic has changed people's expectations in some aspects related to the balance of professional life and personal life” – commented Bernhard Mehl, CEO and co-founder of Kisi. “Of course, the main principle of balance is personal life – professional life remains unchanged – leisure, reduction of overtime, access to recreational activities – however the pandemic has shown that the balance was previously unbalanced at work and not enough towards life.” .
