Bernard Meyer lives in Lithuania with his wife and two daughters.
Bernard Meyer
Bernard Meyer moved to Lithuania from the United States more than a decade ago and says he learned an important life lesson while living in the country: how to achieve a better work-life balance.
Lithuania, located in northeastern Europe, was named the happiest country for young people in the world in 2024 world happiness reportand ranks 19th among the happiest countries.
After growing up in Miami and attending college in Indiana, Meyer moved to the Lithuanian capital permanently In 2012 he came to Vilnius, where he still lives with his wife and two daughters.
The 39-year-old, senior communications and creative director at marketing automation platform Omnisend, said he noticed a huge difference between American and Lithuanian work cultures – with people enjoying a more “relaxed” and “slower pace of life.”
“I think work-life balance is something that everyone can control,” Meyer told CNBC Make It.
“So, at 5 or 6 p.m., when people are no longer open, they leave, and if they’re relatively young, or even if they have kids, they go to bars to relax, and they take their kids with them in the city. Take a walk.
Meyer added: “There’s a sense of really enjoying life when you’re young and still capable, and I think that’s something they (Americans) can learn to appreciate.”
“Learn how to have more life outside of work”
Americans are known for being obsessed with work, which can lead to A culture of overwork and burnout. In comparison, Lithuania ranks 11thth best country Work-life balance in 2021According to the OECD.
“Personally, I have nothing against people under 25 or 30 working 12 hours a day because that’s a period when you can do that. But once you get past that, you should learn how There’s more life outside of work,” Meyer said.
“If you have a family, the most important thing is probably your family because you work in a place and five to 10 years later when you leave, no one cares if you were there, but your family does,” he added.
Nature and holidays are important
Meyer noted that one of the reasons Vilniusians enjoy taking a break from get off work is that the city has an abundance of “green spaces” and is very walkable.
After get off work, “people are relaxed… they’re in the streets like the old town, they’re just walking, or they’re riding their motorcycles, or they’re just sitting in cafes,” he said.
“Here they grow up in an environment where nature is important,” he added. “They grew up appreciating nature, so they now have a city that is very nature-oriented. That means they have a culture and a basic desire to be with nature, and they find nature here, and that makes them happy.”
Another key difference he noticed between Lithuania and the United States is how people feel about vacationing.
“I remember when I was in the United States, I never took a vacation, and I didn’t know anyone who would,” Meyer said.
However, he now discourages Omnisend’s team from working on weekends or holidays.
“One of the things I tell them, which I think is very European, is that we don’t work in hospital emergency departments. There are fires, but there are always fires, and that doesn’t mean you have to give up your vacation,” he said.
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