Whether it’s disconnecting from your phone after clocking out or taking off early to get to a recital, everybody has their own ways to maintain work-life balance. But based on a recent study, that balance could be harder to achieve depending on the city you live.
Based on a ranking from the New York-based company Kisi, while U.S. cities often aren’t the best in the world at helping workers achieve this balance, there are some where you won’t burn out quite as quickly. On a 100-point scale, only three U.S. cities achieved a rating barely over 50.
Compare that to Helsinki, Finland, which achieved a perfect rating of 100 in the list of international cities. A total of 16 overseas cities ranked better than the highest-rated U.S. city.
In Phoenix, residents work an average of 41.9 hours a week, with 13% working more than 48 hours a week, according to the study. Workers in the Valley take an average of 10.5 vacation days a year, which is on the higher end of U.S. cities. Tucson, the other Arizona city in the U.S. ranking, didn’t fare nearly as well as Phoenix.
Click through the slideshow above to see what U.S. city was No. 1 and where Phoenix and Tucson ranked.
Kisi’s research took into account three main variables to rank cities: work intensity, the institutions available there and city livability.
Each variable had subcategories. For example, work intensity included stats such as hours worked per week, vacation days taken and commute times. To calculate city livability, Kisi analyzed things such as air pollution, stress and the amount of outdoor spaces.
A separate ranking broke down which cities employees are most overworked. Washington D.C. came out on the bottom, followed by Houston and Atlanta.
Interestingly, Phoenix had the earliest start time of any city on the list. On average, workers around town start work at 7:34 a.m., while workers in Tucson clock in a little later, at 7:45 a.m.
By Matthew Arrojas – Reporter, South Florida Business Journal