I mentioned the term "arbejdsglæde" in a recent post (see "The Trust Hormone"). It's actually a Danish compound word that is made up of the word "arbejde" meaning work and "glæde" meaning happiness. Together, the two words form the word "arbejdsglæde" which literally means happiness at work. There is no English word equivalent. Perhaps that is one simple explanation for why Denmark is consistently ranked amongst the highest countries in the world - they actually have a word to describe happiness at work, where most people spend up to a third of their lives! For example, in the 2026 "Happiest Countries in the World" survey conducted by the World Population Review, Denmark ranked second (behind Finland and ahead of Iceland and Sweden) as the Happiest Countries in the World survey. For context, the United States of America ranked 24th (see also "The Nordic Exceptionalism: What explains why the Nordic countries are constantly among the happiest in the world").
The core pillars of "arbejdsglæde" focus on:
1. Flexible (and reasonable) working hours: According to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), the average American works 1,790 hours per year, while the average Dane works only 1,540 hours per year. Danes tend to leave work at a reasonable hour on most days, and they get five to six weeks of vacation per year, several national holidays, and generous maternity and paternity leaves.
2. Low power distance: A high power distance tends to reflect a highly centralized, hierarchical power structure where the manager/boss sits at the top of the pyramidal organization chart. Here, decision-making occurs at the top levels of the hierarchy. A low power distance suggests a more flattened organizational structure, where decision-making tends to occur throughout the hierarchy. According to Dutch sociologist Geert Hofstede, the average power distance in the United States is 40, compared to an average power distance of 18 in Denmark (the lowest in the world). Apparently, there is a Danish law that states that any workplace with more than 35 employees has to open up seats on the Board of Directors for employee representatives, who are elected by their peers and serve on an equal footing with the same voting rights as the other members of the Board.
3. Generous employee benefits: Danish workers enjoy a very generous benefit package compared to American workers. For example, Danish companies provide unemployment insurance at 90% of original salary for up to two years. In addition, Danish workers receive constant education and training to upskill jobs. The so-called "Nordic model" provides free healthcare and subsidized education, which do not exist to nearly the same degree in the United States. Notably, these benefits do come at a cost - the Danes are taxed at a much higher rate than Americans, though they happily pay these higher taxes.
4. A focus on happiness: The Danes focus on happiness - they literally have a word for "happiness at work", whereas the United States does not. At least the United States doesn't have a word like "karoshi", which in Japanese means "death from overwork". Denmark, similar to the other Scandinavian countries, focus on work-life balance and psychological safety in the workplace.
I am not saying that the Danes have figured everything out. However, perhaps there is something that we can learn from Scandinavian countries, such as Denmark. We hear a lot about "happiness" in the United States these days, mostly because people seem less happy. Perhaps at least part of the answer is right their in front of our eyes - in Denmark...
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