Relocating to Sydney for work transformed lifestyle and job satisfaction over four years. Professionals in Australia maintain a strong work-life balance, often avoiding after-hours work and prioritizing leisure. Typical work weeks include structured lunch breaks and social gatherings, contrasting sharply with the US work ethic of long hours and continuous availability. Australians enjoy substantial vacation time, often taking all allocated days without guilt. Despite the love for Sydney, family ties ultimately dictated the return to the US.
In Sydney, my Fridays often included a long lunch and an office happy hour starting around 4. In the States, I never took a lunch break and routinely worked until 6:30 or later.
Before I left for Australia, I was often working 10- to 12-hour days. All of my colleagues stayed in the office late, answered emails over the weekend, and generally stayed available after typical work hours.
The professionals I met had firm boundaries - they didn't work after leaving the office, on the weekends, or on vacation. They worked hard, but also regularly took an hour for lunch and rarely stayed online past 5:30 p.m.
Australians are also generally given four weeks of annual vacation, and I've found many of them take every minute of it guilt-free.
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