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10 quirks and perks of Sweden’s famously casual offices

Sweden’s a funny old place. Even if, to the casual observer, it looks like any other European country.

Published: 3 June 2019 17:01 CEST
10 quirks and perks of Sweden's famously casual offices
Photo: Ivanko80/Shutterstock

After all, (other than appearing disarmingly healthy) the Swedes look remarkably like the rest of us. And thanks to Swedish clothing giant H&M, much of the known world can now dress almost identically. The language too, while tough to master, isn’t vastly dissimilar from other Germanic tongues.

But in the workplace, it becomes most apparent that Swedes’ (perhaps not so) little cultural nuances rule. And unless you want to risk a serious fadäs (Swedish for faux-pas) — like being audacious enough to take the last slice of cake when you fika with colleagues — you should really get clued up on their workplace quirks and perks they sometimes keep to themselves.

Protect your income. Click here to join A-kassa, Sweden’s unemployment insurance fund

1. Suits you, sir

Much to the delight of people who prefer sneakers to suits, the Swedish professional dress code is fairly casual. After all, this is a country where it’s basically winter six months of the year and smart office wear offers little protection against the elements!

2. Let’s meet on week 48

“Shall we meet on Wednesday the 27th?”

“Actually, week 48 is better for me.”

Dates are far too straightforward. Who wants to agree to a time that everyone can quickly mark in their calendars when you could lump several days together and confuse everyone who doesn’t know week 8 from 30? Not the Swedes, no siree.

3. Time to fika about

While extended coffee breaks may bring stern looks or straight up reprimands in some countries, in Sweden they’re actively encouraged. In fact, the more coffee, the merrier!

Fika, or grabbing a coffee and cake with colleagues, is even mandatory in some workplaces with designated fika time scheduled during the day. It’s been proven to increase productivity and happiness at work, so they must be onto something.

4. A-kassa

You wouldn’t go on vacation without taking out travel insurance, or drive your car without vehicle insurance — so why would you work without protecting your income? It seems so obvious, yet you probably hadn’t thought about it until you moved to Sweden.

That’s the rationale behind arbetslöshetskassa, or a-kassa for short. It’s an unemployment insurance fund that pays up to 80 percent of your salary if you find yourself out of work.

If you have a bachelor’s degree,the simplest and most affordable option is Akademikernas a-kassa, which is specifically for employees with higher education.

5. School’s out for summer

Outside of Sweden, an employer might frown upon workers taking longer than two weeks leave.

In Sweden, the whole country more or less shuts down between from late June through July when practically everyone takes around four to five weeks off in a row.

Heck, some Swedes will tell you a vacation isn’t really a vacation if it’s not at least three weeks. That’s more than enough time to unwind while you kick back with an ice-cold öl at your summer house in the archipelago….

6. Extra vacation pay

Speaking of vacation, for each day of paid holiday leave you get your normal monthly salary plus a 0.8 percent supplement per day. The idea is that you spend a little more moolah while on holiday, so when you crash back to reality there’s some extra in your pay packet at the end of the month.

How can you not love working in a country where you get paid more to take vacation?

7. AVs

In Sverige, you don’t head out for a quick beer at the end of the working day. Rather you go for an “AV”, which not so obviously stands for an “afterwork” drink — you just have to bear in mind that V and W are practically interchangeable in Swedish. Because vhy vouldn’t they be?

8. Jantelagen

Sure, it might be your pitch that won the company’s new top client, or perhaps it’s down to you that your team met its annual sales quota. But if there’s one rule in the Swedish workplace, it’s that no-one is better than anyone else.

Swedes follow the rule of Jantelagen which means not bragging about your victories, even if you really, really want to. So when you feel extra proud of a professional achievement…keep it to yourself.

Find out more and apply for Akademikernas A-kassa

9. Work/Life Balance

Sweden frequently tops the lists of countries with the best “work-life balance”, and while Sweden’s experiments with a six-hour working day didn’t quite take off, free time is still taken very seriously.

It’s rare to see anyone burning the midnight oil, and those that do are more likely to be accused of poorly handling their workload than being dedicated to their job.

10. “God morgon, Ann-Sofie!”

Swedish workplaces are famously egalitarian with flat hierarchies and no need for airs and graces. That means calling your boss by his or her first name, even if it feels strange at first.

You also might be surprised to find your boss often asks for what seems like everyone’s opinion before taking action. And this consensus-based decision making does wonders for making everyone feel valued in the workplace. It also means that even simple decisions can get dragged out just a little longer than might seem necessary.

It’s just one of the many things you learn to love about working in Sweden.

This article was produced by The Local Client Studio and sponsored by Akademikernas a-kasLisa.

 
For members

PROPERTY

Should you buy a home in Sweden this summer?

Considering the fickle trends in the Swedish housing market, prospective homebuyers might find themselves at a crossroads this summer.

Published: 4 July 2024 14:41 CEST
Should you buy a home in Sweden this summer?

After a period of falling prices driven by increased interest rates, the Swedish housing market is seeing a rebound, particularly in the biggest cities.

However, it’s also taking longer to finalise home sales.

READ MORE:

Recent data from Swedish property listings site Hemnet indicates that while home sales – and housing prices – are on the rise, the time to complete transactions has notably increased.

For instance, the average sale time for an apartment in Sweden increased to 27 days in the first half of the year, up from 22 days during the same period last year. Similarly, houses now take an average of 31 days to sell, compared to 30 days previously.

The slowest market is in the Gävleborg region, where it takes an average of 44 days to sell a home. The fastest transactions occur in Stockholm, with apartments selling in just 16 days and detached homes in 23 days.

This variation in market activity across the country calls for a deeper look into where the best opportunities might lie for homebuyers this summer.

Renewed market confidence in Sweden’s biggest cities

The confidence in the Swedish property market is on its way up in Stockholm, Gothenburg, and Malmö, Erik Holmberg, a market analyst at Hemnet, told The Local.

“I would say that we have seen a weaker market in the last couple of years, almost everywhere in the country, since the Swedish central bank started to increase the interest policy rate, which affected the market a lot,” he said.

“But in the last half of the year or rather in the last year, the confidence has come back in bigger cities – in Stockholm, Gothenburg, Malmö… When we look at price developments last year, in three of Sweden’s biggest cities, we see prices increasing again.”

However, the analyst warned that the opposite is currently true in other areas of the country, which have seen a continued decrease in market activity and flatter developments in the same time interval.

A new trend emerging in Stockholm?

As Hemnet’s analyst explained, in Sweden, housing market trends usually start in Stockholm, when the market begins to change, causing a ripple effect.

“And that’s what we have seen. Now, market activity and prices are increasing again in the bigger cities. Usually, when the market changes, other areas in the country follow, and that could be the case now,” said Holmberg.

“When the rates and inflation situation become clearer, other parts of the country might follow the market in the big cities. Our main scenario is that we will see this spread,” he said, adding that prices in Stockholm have picked up quite fast in the last year but that the demand is still affected by the high interest rates.

“I wouldn’t be surprised if we saw swift price developments in some areas with the highest demand, such as city centres.”

The effect on the rental market

Another aspect to consider is the rental market, which could see significant changes in the short to mid-term.

Holmberg pointed out that properties which fail to sell might enter the rental market.

“What we’ve seen is that it’s harder to sell properties today, so, probably, more people who own homes and can’t sell them will put these unsold homes on the market for a while. This could affect the supply of apartments for rent and, in turn, prices,” the analyst said.

INTERVIEW:

What different types of homebuyers should know

For buyers, the current market presents a mixed bag.

“In Sweden, we often talk of having a seller’s or buyer’s market. Today, it’s good for buyers that they have a lot to choose from; there’s a record-high supply almost everywhere in the country. That means it’s easy to find something,” said Holmberg.

However, he also cautioned that the slow market makes agreeing on terms with sellers challenging, with sales times at record highs.

“Sales take some time in today’s market, and that’s important to understand for both sellers and buyers, especially for homeowners who are changing homes, meaning they’re both buying and selling something; it’s a tough market for them.

“Today, this group often chooses to sell their home before they buy something new. That makes up a big part of record high sales times; we have people waiting for the right bid before moving from the selling to the buying side…” Holmberg said, noting that the market is different compared to two to three years ago when it was “very hot”.

“So, remember that even if prices grow, it’s still a tough or slow market.”

READ MORE:

On the other hand, first-time buyers might find a silver lining in the form of lower prices compared to a couple of years ago, making it a potentially favourable time to enter the Swedish housing market.

“First-time buyers are in another situation, which may be better because the prices are lower than two years ago, of course, and if you’re just buying something, you don’t need to worry about the selling part,” Holmberg told The Local.

“That’s why this could be a good situation to enter the housing market this summer, but even so, despite supply being really high, it could still be tough because many sellers have put down a listed price but don’t necessarily plan to sell at this price.”

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