Dolly Parton once said, "Don't get so busy making a living that you forget to make a life." In 2026, these words feel more relevant than ever. At Girlboss, we talk a lot about burnout and the difficulty of actually switching off, and the data backs up why this conversation refuses to go away.
A 2024 Sorbet report found that 62% of American workers did not use all of their paid time off, letting a third of it go to waste. The share of Americans leaving PTO on the table has nearly doubled since 2019. Meanwhile, a 2025 FlexJobs survey found that nearly one in four US workers took zero vacation days in the past year. Ugh.
While there are many theories about why Americans love the grind so much, it is hard to deny that the US is lagging behind when it comes to striking the right balance between work-hard and play-hard.
To explore how other nations are getting it right, we looked at work satisfaction across the globe. Let this data inspire you to finally take that guilt-free vacation, fully sign off at the end of the day, and set the boundaries necessary to unlock the happy medium you deserve.
France: The Hero of Work-Life Balance
Prepare to feel a little jealous. Full-time workers in France are required by law to receive five weeks of paid vacation, in addition to about a dozen national holidays. They also cannot work more than 35-hour weeks by law.
In 2017, France went further and passed a landmark "right to disconnect" law, prohibiting email communication after work hours and on weekends for companies with more than 50 employees. What started as a French policy experiment has since inspired similar legislation across Europe, including in Spain, Portugal, Belgium, and Ireland, and in Australia, which passed its own right-to-disconnect law in August 2024.
The idea is no longer radical. It is becoming an international standard. What we are really getting at here is: maybe it is time for a sabbatical abroad. Allons-y!
Japan: Long Hours, but Changing
Japan has historically been synonymous with extreme working culture, and the stats have reflected that. OECD data shows Japan averaged 1,598 annual working hours in recent years, above the OECD average, with a significant share of employees logging 50-plus-hour weeks.
But Japan has been actively trying to change this. Since 2018, the country has pushed "work style reform" legislation designed to cap overtime, encourage workers to take their allotted leave, and reduce the culture of presenteeism that has long defined Japanese office life. Progress is uneven, but the policy direction is notably different from where it was even a few years ago. The cultural shift is slow, but it is happening.
The Netherlands: The Shortest Working Week in Europe
The Dutch remain the gold standard. Eurostat data for 2024 shows the Netherlands recorded the shortest average working week in the EU at 32.1 hours, well below the EU average of 36 hours. The OECD Better Life Index consistently shows that only a tiny fraction of Dutch workers log 50-plus-hour weeks, the lowest of any country in the organization.
The Dutch ranked their general life satisfaction at 7.4 out of 10, well above the OECD average. These numbers together hint at something obvious but worth saying: fewer hours at work tends to correlate with a happier life. Who knew.
Mexico: Our Overworked Neighbor
Mexico continues to rank at the very top of the OECD in annual hours worked, logging over 2,207 hours per year as of 2023, far above the OECD average of 1,683 hours. That translates to some of the least leisure time of any country in the organization.
Long commute times compound the problem: Mexico City commutes can run up to three hours each way, and many jobs still stipulate a two-hour lunch break, which keeps workers at the office significantly longer than their counterparts elsewhere.
A lack of strong statutory leave protections and limited enforcement of working hour limits are the structural factors driving this. The gap between Mexico and the Netherlands, the two extremes of the OECD, is stark.
Sweden: Work Perks for Days
Sweden offers 480 days of paid parental leave to be split between parents, usable until the child is eight years old. That is 16 months of supported family time, a benefit that does wonders for overall life satisfaction and for keeping women in the workforce after having children.
For Swedes, it is all about lagom, meaning just the right amount. Only about 1% of Swedish employees work very long hours, one of the lowest rates in the OECD, where the average is 10%. Sweden consistently ranks in the top tier of OECD countries for work-life balance, and it is not a coincidence that it is also among the happiest countries in the world.
The takeaway from all five countries is the same: balance is not an accident. It is the result of policy, culture, and a collective decision that time outside work matters. The US lags on all three fronts.
But you do not have to wait for federal legislation to set boundaries in your own life. Getting clear on what your career actually needs to look like is the first step toward building a working life that does not require a passport to feel sustainable.
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