Intro

Ireland is a country in northern Europe, but many would consider Irish people to be of a more relaxed, Mediterranean temperament. While work and career advancement is regarded as important, Irish people are also quite laid back when it comes to life. So achieving a work/life balance is really important to them. Ireland may be European HQ to most of Silicon Valley’s tech giants at the moment, but it doesn’t mean that Irish employees share their commitment to working all the hours available. In fact most people want to work to live, than live to work.

Hard workers

Don’t mistake this laid back attitude for laziness however. Irish employees are one of the most educated in Europe. Eurostat data from 2023 found that Ireland had the highest proportion of employed people with third-level qualifications. Irish workers are also considered the most productive in Europe!

1. Denmark - 35% Productivity

2. Sweden - 39% Productivity

3. Netherland's - 38% Productivity

4. Switzerland - 32% Productivity

5. Ireland - 32% Productivity

6. United kingdom - 25% Productivity

7. Germany - 34% Productivity

8. France - 23% Productivity

9. Spain - 33% Productivity

10. Italy - 34% Productivity

See above for Europe’s happiest and most productive countries. Ireland ranks 5th - not far behind the 1st place happiest country, Denmark. It would seem there is a correlation between happiness in life and getting the job done.

So how can you be productive in work, and happy in life?

The average working week in Ireland is around 39 hours - and it’s set at a maximum of 48 hours. For most workers, this is based on the average hours worked over the past four months. Working in Dublin full-time also means you’re entitled to 20 paid holidays each year. 

Since the pandemic the Irish government also introduced the right to disconnect from work emails and calls too. This means that employees are entitled to switch off from their job outside of normal working hours. So no emails, calls or other messages immediately. All of this aims to help workers in Ireland maintain a positive work-life balance.

In fact the Irish government takes the need for a good work/life balance so seriously it introduced legislation to ensure that citizens could ensure they could prioritise it. Called the Work-Life Balance and Miscellaneous Provisions Act 2023, it grants employees new rights, including requesting remote or flexible working arrangements and taking unpaid leave for medical care or family responsibilities.

The new legislation introduces a statutory entitlement to leave and the right to request flexible working for employees who are either parents of children or carers of close relatives who have ‘serious medical needs’. The Act also includes a provision for victims of domestic violence to take paid leave to access services and seek counselling and other supports. And it includes a revised approach to the previous Bill on the right to request remote working.

The Work Life Balance Act has been introduced as part of a wider EU commitment towards greater diversity and inclusion in the workplace. Some provisions of the new legislation are adopting current EU directives, while others are revising Irish policies around family leave and remote working. New mothers are addressed too, with breastfeeding breaks and maternity leave updates. The entitlement of one hour paid leave per day for up to 26 weeks following the birth of their child is extended to 104 weeks – effectively up to two years.

This shift towards more of a work-life balance is intended to improve well-being, to reduce stress and improve mental health outcomes, all of which directly impacts employees’ work performance.

The Act covers the following:

• The right to request flexible working hours for parents and carers who provide care and support for children and persons who need significant care and support for serious medical reasons.

• Five days of unpaid leave for medical care purposes for carers and parents who meet the above criteria.

• The right to request remote working for any employee.

• The extension of breastfeeding breaks to cover the first two years.

• The right to take maternity leave for transgender men.

• Five days of paid leave for victims of domestic violence.

• Flexible working arrangements.

Under the new legislation, an employee may request a flexible working arrangement if their situation falls under one of the following:

• The employee provides care to their child who requires significant care or support for a serious medical reason. The child must be under 12 years of age or 16 years if the child has a disability or long-term illness.

• The employee provides personal care or support to a person with whom they have a specified relationship, and that person requires significant care or support for a serious medical reason. The specified relationship includes a spouse or civil partner, cohabitant, parent or grandparent, sibling, or another person who lives with the employee.

• As an employer, you must consider a request from an employee under the flexible working arrangement legislation.

There is also provision for fully remote working. More information on that can be found here.

Not working?

When you’re not working you can enjoy easy access to some of the most stunning beaches in Europe. Ireland is an island so it has 3,172 kilometres of coastline – the longest coastline per head of population in Europe. You can do all kinds of activities, like biking, sailing, climbing, walking, cycling in a very quick hop from the main urban cities. And you can also travel to Europe easily. Ireland has a great transport network with many airports that make it simple and fast to go to different European destinations.

Ireland is the ideal destination to live and work if you’re looking for a LIFE/WORK balance. With a prosperous economy, stable political system, low crime rate, good standard of living, you’ll enjoy living here. Ok, we haven’t mentioned the rain, but some people even like it! As a non-Irish dentist in Ireland, you can also expect one of the highest salaries for dentists in Europe. If all this sounds good to you, then reach out to us at DentRecruit.ie. We’re specialists in connecting non-Irish dentists with Irish dental clinics. If you’ve trained in the EU, the UAE, or anywhere else in the world, we can help you make the transition to life in Ireland. We’ll look at your qualifications and fluency in English, and guide you on how to sit the Irish Dental Council exams, to get registered as a dentist in Ireland. 

If you want to change your life and your job and move to Ireland, get in touch today.


[Imagery Source: Lukas Kloeppel]