I REFER to the article “Norway tops Denmark” (NST, March 21). It is great to know that Malaysia is ranked the 42nd happiest country among 155 countries in the 2017 World Happiness Report.
The survey, conducted by the United Nations Sustainable Development Solutions Network, stated that the happiest countries are Norway, Denmark, Iceland, Switzerland and Finland, a domination by Scandinavian countries.
In Asia, Singapore is ranked the highest, 22nd, followed by Thailand at 33rd and Taiwan at 35th.
At the bottom of the list are Syria and Afghanistan.
The index is based on gross domestic product per capita, social support, healthy life expectancy, freedom to make life choices, generosity and trust, or absence of corruption in government and business as perceived by the public.
A report by The Economic Times says inequality is the main reason why the US and UK could not be in the top 10.
Scandinavian countries have been always in the top 10 in the happiness index because they offer equality in terms of education.
Education is free in most Scandinavian countries up to the doctoral level.
For instance, students in Norway don’t pay tuition fees. However, they pay a semester fee of 300 to 600 kroner (RM155 to RM310).
Norway’s labour laws are generous. It allows workers a minimum of 21 paid vacation days a year and allows parents with young children to reduce
their working hours when necessary.
Maternity leave can extend up to 43 weeks at full pay, or 53 weeks at reduced pay. Part-time work among Norwegian women is common.
Work-life balance is a main reason why Scandinavian countries dominate the list.
Denmark offers the shortest working hours in the world. Many offices in Denmark close before 5pm and working during weekends or national holidays is uncommon. Meetings after 4pm are rare, as many would prepare to go home and have dinner with the family.
However, Danish work intensively but leave early, so obviously, there is no time for leisure during working hours.
They work an average of 33 hours a week and have five weeks of paid vacation each year.
Thus, if Malaysia wants to improve its ranking, it has to change the way it does things, such as, workers upholding honesty and integrity in their work.
Working hours are not the measurement of hard work, but rather, their sincerity in completing the task.
When tasks are completed quickly and with accuracy, we can reduce our working hours too.
DR SITI SURIANI OTHMAN,
Nilai, Negri Sembilan