UK 
United States
The Danes are basking in utter joy; only 1.1% of them work 50 or more hours a week with a high standard of living in one of the wealthiest countries in the world – switch back to the UK and there are glum faces all round with most notching up 10.8% toiling away after hours. The unsurprising outcome of this is that they, the Danes are blissfully happy. HR Grapevine reports on what lessons can be learned to scoop a smile on British shores.
Less hours = happier employees
It’s no revelation that more hours at the grind equals reduced happiness. The figures from the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) are nothing new when it comes to how many working hours the Brits knock-up – we all know we spend more time with our colleagues then our family and loved ones, but we also realise that’s not right either, a point the Danes appear to have done something about. It’s not that working hours are unusual in Britain; indeed, the US has similarly notched up 10.4% - it’s just that Denmark appears to be rich and happy with less time on the work clock.
In a report by the BBC – Meik Wiking, author of, The Art of Danish Living says, “Danes are actually happy at work.” He adds that almost 60% of them would continue to work if they won the lottery and became financially independent. Contrast that to the UK and figures from the Office for National Statistics shows that the economic activity rate for the third quarter of 2024 was 21.2%. That’s approximately 9 million people of working age that aren’t employed or self-employed – it’s a fair assumption to believe they do need to earn an income which shows the chasm between the UK and our richer Danish friends that say they would continue working even if all the bills were paid for.
A further reason for all the melancholy is that this has been going on for a while. Step back some six years and Mindspace, a co-working provider published findings showing that one quarter of British workers were unhappy in the workplace and looking to change their situation. Even back then that meant the UK polled at the end of the line up for workplace happiness among the other countries surveyed. Nothing changes.
So, what are we doing wrong apart from working all the time?
Henry Stewart should know a thing or two about this issue, he has the enviable and smiley title of Chief Happiness Officer, Happy Ltd – even uttering that aloud curls the mouth at the corners and smooths out the forehead furrows.
I ask him why Scandinavia is getting it so right and we across the water are seemingly not. He explains that a key part of it is that they deploy ‘trust’.
