Are you thinking about moving to Denmark? Danish work-life balance allows you to prioritize what matters most. Denmark is a great place to work for these 5 reasons.
The friendly approach in the workplace
Having an informal communication style extends to internal communications as well. People tend to get friendly at the workplace. And the humour! If you are working with the Danish people, get ready for a big pile of sarcasm and irony! Sometimes, it can be a challenge to communicate with them, but it is important not to take it personally. They just like to joke around. 😀
No matter who you talk to, whether it is your colleague, manager, or CEO, you call them by their first names! No Sir/Mam, Mrs, Mr. or Miss with their last name. In most cultures, calling someone by their first name or even nick name would be inappropriate as this would be considered disrespectful.
Open-minded discussions
It is common for Danes to speak their minds without filtering their words. It is very important for them to be honest and straightforward. They do not like to hide things – they prefer to say what they mean. Also, if you see that you can not keep up or not managing the working tasks, it is totally okay to say it! They prefer to have open communications, instead of making lame excuses.
The Danish workplace is open and everyone is giving feedback to each other and in most cases listening. Get ready for this one as well! It is recommended to become an open person as well because if you will, it will give you a great opportunity to grow!
Another part of Danish work culture is facing confrontations and being okay to disagree. Many employers prefer to have employees with critical thinking. In most of the meetings, it is normal that the employees to bring ideas to the table and create input.
The Balance
Danes care about mental health and the way how they work. They tend to do things in an efficient way and if an employee has problems catching up, the training is provided and the manager discusses the work with them and tries to improve the approach. The goal in most workplaces is to be efficient and do the work within the working hours, so the employees are not staying overtime and have enough free time in their lives.
So do not worry – if you ever have a feeling that you are overwhelmed, you have a lot of work to do, or you can not catch up, the employer has empathy for this and they will help you in need. And in special cases, you can go home earlier, but don’t count on that!
Fun at the workplace
Working in a fun, meaningful environment is essential in Denmark. In the Danish workplace, most of the workers are trying to enjoy their work and have fun. In case you don’t like your job, it is okay to switch. It is actually common that workers are switching to the workplace every 2 years in Denmark.
You can also expect a friendly environment. In Danish, there is even a word for it; Arbejdsglæde means happiness at work. This concept is popular among the Scandinavian countries and people are trying to get the most out of it.
In the Danish workplace, you usually learn by doing. For example, instead of having long and boring training, the employer will give you a description, carefully discuss it with you and let you learn on the way. Get ready to doing many mistakes, because, in this environment, it is okay to do so as long as you can reflect on the process.
Not to forget the leisure activities! You can expect a lot of team-building company events and Friday bars – the time when you enjoy quality time with your colleagues while drinking beers.
Quality of Life
Danish (and other Scandinavians too) live by Janteloven (Jantelaw), which describes how they behave: they put society before the individual, they don’t boast about their achievement, and they aren’t jealous of each other.
You can expect an active lifestyle, because it is really common to cycle or walk to work. It is commonly believed that Danes are some of the happiest people on the planet, possibly due to their sport-spirited lifestyle. One of the nation’s major attractions is its bicycle culture, as well as hiking. Besides that, it’s a very safe environment.
Danish employees are legally entitled to five weeks of holidays plus 10 bank holidays, and they work their allotted hours or slightly less to maximize family time. In Danish companies, you can work flexible hours, so if you like it, you should consider moving there!
