George Pay

Scandinavia is for those
who treasure work-life balance

After working at two Nordic corporations – Carlsberg and Pandora – and one major agency, I can say with confidence that work-life balance is important here. It goes without saying that your working hours will depend on the industry, the company and your boss. However, in general, overworking is not encouraged and sometimes even frowned upon. Firstly, it is bad to stand out in Scandinavia. If someone works more than they should, they attract too much attention and that’s not very good for their reputation. Secondly, your involvement will depend on your family situation. As a rule, it’s usually the woman in a couple who takes children to daycare whilst the man picks them up. So most men with children leave work around 2 or 3pm, and this is perfectly normal! They may open their laptop in the evening to send a couple of emails but usually their working day ends there. All in all, in terms of work-life balance, Scandinavia is one of the best regions in the world.