KLites Are Working Far Too Hard

It seems that KLites are working far too hard! 

A study by US-based mobile access technology company Kisi had examined forty cities around the world and compared data on work intensity, institutional support, legislation, and livability – and ranked them based on their success in promoting work-life balance to their citizens. 

And Kuala Lumpur came out No. 40 out of the 40 cities surveyed! 

On the other hand, Helsinki, Munich, and Oslo topped the list as cities which promoted the most holistic work-life balance.

Bernhard Mehl, CEO of Kisi said: “Despite living in an era where unprecedented advancements have been made in technology and connectivity, we have failed to address the most everyday aspect of enhancing our everyday lives – finding the balance between work and leisure. We hope that this study highlights the need for more research to optimise the well-being of citizens in order to counter the psychological and economic costs of workplace stress”. 

Mehl even cited a study by researchers at Harvard and Stanford that workplace stress contributes to at least 120,000 deaths a year, costing up to an estimated $190 billion (RM794 billion) in the US alone. 

He added: “Whether it’s the long hours, unrealistic expectations from bosses or job insecurity, workplace stress has proven to affect our physical and mental health. Policymakers should be tackling these issues in tandem. As long as employees are stressed, they will not take advantage of the safeguards created for their well-being – no matter how progressive government and company reforms are”. 

According to Kisi, this index was not designed to be a city livability index, nor was it intended to highlight the best cities to work in. Instead, it aims to be a guideline for cities to benchmark their ability to support the fulfillment of residents’ lives by improving the aspects of life that help relieve work-related stress and intensity. 

In the category of the most overworked cities in the study – Tokyo, Singapore and Washington DC topped the list – with Kuala Lumpur taking fourth spot. 

At the opposite end, citizens in Oslo work the least number of hours per week, at 38.9, followed by Sydney and Melbourne, both at 39.8. 

The city which its residents feel the safest in is Singapore, followed by Tokyo and Toronto, while Helsinki has the highest happiness score, at 100, followed by Oslo and Zurich.