Work smarter instead of work harder. Most people might believe that being busy is not equal with being productive. But in the era of COVID-19 where we are pushed to work from home, achieving desired productivity while maintaining work-life balance seems to be a harder task to accomplish.

A recent index compiled by Kisi ranks cities from around the world which offer the best work-life balance to their people by comparing data on work intensity, livability and the well-being and rights of inhabitants. The index assesses each city’s overall work-life score based on measures such as the amount of time a person dedicates to their job including total working hours, percentage of the overworked population, commuting times and vacation time.

According to the index, the city of Oslo in Norway offers the best work-life balance, followed by Helsinki in Finland and Danish capital, Copenhagen. Whereas at the bottom of the ranking are cities such as Seoul, Milan, Budapest and Kuala Lumpur. Ironically, the top overworked cities in the ranking are all found in the Asia-Pacific region with Hong Kong coming in first place, followed by Singapore, Seoul, Kuala Lumpur and Tokyo.

“This index is not designed to be a city liveability index, nor is it intended to highlight the best cities to work in; instead, it is an indicator of a city’s ability to provide a healthy work-life balance for its residents, while providing opportunities to relieve work-related stress,” Kisi stated.

Read also: Majority Workers Believe 6-Hour Workday Will Improve Productivity amid COVID-19: Survey