Witty Arundhuti
“Office” and “fun” can never go hand in hand, right? The first word that comes to your mind when you hear “Office” is BORING. You’ll be astonished to know that there are countries around the world that have quirky work laws to jazz up things for workers at the workplace and also away from the workplace. Here we go:
1. Heavy eyes? Take a power nap!
Japanese Firms let their employees doze at work. Companies let their employees sleep as it yields better work performance. Jealous much? Same here!
2. Break with a book at the workplace in UAE-
UAE has law prescribing reading books during the break which is an absolute delight for bibliophilic employees. The whole purpose of this law is to inculcate a reading habit amongst the employees.
3. It’s a 3-day weekend in the Netherlands for workers:
Unlike average Americans who work 34.5 hours a week, Dutch employees work 30.1 hours a week as per OECD in 2014. Dutch laws promote a work-life balance. It helps employees rejuvenate after a hectic week. Feeling Covetous? We feel you.
4. Right to Disconnect in France
France makes sure that the employees don’t go through post-work jittering emails. The ‘Right to Disconnect’ gives workers the legal right to stay away from works post working hours. How cool is that!
5. Have you heard of the Belgium Sabbatical leave?
Well, it means a career break- to get away from the rush and all the hustle of work life for a while.
6. Flexible Working Hours in Australia:
Flexible working hours means exemption from the typical 9 to 5 working hours. According to the Fair Work Act 2009 (FW Act), employees have a legal right to request flexible working arrangements provided that the employee has worked for at least 12 months on full-time or part-time basis.
7. Paid vacation in Austria and we’re not even kidding:
This must have left you totally flabbergasted. Austria has a legal minimum 22 paid vacation and 13 paid holidays each year. The whole aim is to give employees some quality time to holiday with their loved ones. What an immense generosity!
India still has a long way to go in this regard. The hardworking employees deserve the kind of laws that’ll help them take a break from their tedious schedule. What are the kind of quirky fun laws that you wish our country had for the workers and employees? Do let us know about it in the comment section below.
