If you're living in KL and wondering why you feel like you're drained and that your brain has died by Wednesday almost every week, a group of researchers may have the answer for you.

According to a US-based study by Kisi, Kuala Lumpur has ranked 47 out of 50 major cities around the globe when it comes to work-life balance.

The conclusion to the study called "Best Cities for Work-Life Balance 2020" was based on 19 different factors including work intensity, society and institutions and urban liveability.

According to the study, the top 5 cities (ohhh how we loathe and are jealous of them) are Oslo (Norway), Helsinki (Finland), Copenhagen (Denmark), Hamburg (Germany) and Berlin (Germany).

The top five overworked cities are Hong Kong (China), Singapore, Seoul (South Korea), Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia) and Tokyo (Japan).

"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," the company said.

Categories, factors and COVID-19

The study is based on three broad categories with certain factors.

They categories and factors are:

• Work-Intensity: Hours Worked & Commute/Week, Overworked Population, Minimum Vacations Offered, Vacations Taken, Latest Unemployment, Multiple Jobholders, Paid Parental Leave.
• Society & Institutions: Social Spending, Healthcare, Access to Mental Healthcare, Inclusivity & Tolerance.
• City Livability: Affordability, Happiness, Culture & Leisure, City Safety & Stress, Green Spaces and Weather, Air Quality, Wellness and Fitness.

The study also takes into account the COVID-19 pandemic and its effects on the cities.

"To interpret the social impact (of COVID-19), we included mobility reports comparing the change in a movement by driving, walking and transit in a specific city.

"Cities showing a considerable percent shift in this movement data can be expected to have experienced heavy restriction or lockdown conditions in the month of August.

"Additionally, we included the rate of COVID-related deaths per 100k people as a measure of the human loss of life, as well as the psychological impact of disaster faced by a specific community," they said.

Some pretty interesting findings.