Work culture in Denmark

In Denmark, the hierarchy in institutions and companies can be very flat. More flat and invisible than you are used to so far, and therefore hard for you to observe in the office layout for instance. Your new manager might not have his/her own office but is instead situated among all your other colleagues. Everyone knows who is in charge, but it is not visible. This means that decision lines are not always obvious. Therefore, it is important for you to ask and find out who the immediate manager is as well as the general layout of the hierarchy in the company. It is also very common to have a direct contact with your director or manager. This creates a respectful and comfortable working environment. 

The Danish way of working is very often in a team function, and everybody is expected to pitch in with ideas and opinions. Assignments are developed in collaboration with your colleagues, and you are free to contribute with your own ideas and opinions. However, you are expected to carry out your own individual tasks, and you have the responsibility to deliver the assignments on time. During job interviews, you will often be asked about your skills and role in teamwork contexts. In this way, the employer identifies your role and how you fit into the team.

Responsibility of completing a task is often shared when working in a team. Even if someone else takes the lead on an assignment, the other team members still have an obligation to help the team succeed in completing the assignment. 

The responsibility is both for you as an individual and for you as a part of a team. Once you have accepted an assignment, you are expected to keep your manager updated if you do not have the resources to complete the assignment. It is important to show initiative when you stumble upon problems in your work life. Do not leave other people to take care of it. In Denmark it is better to admit that there is a problem or that you have made a mistake, thereby showing honesty and thus being able to handle the problem in due time.  

You can show initiative in a specific assignment where you solve a problem that you come across in your work process, but you can also show initiative by acting on a small practical matter. 

In Denmark, a standard workweek consists of 37 hours of work, usually carried out from Monday to Friday. Working hours are primarily between Monday to Friday in the time frame between 7 am to 5pm. The lunch break is normally 30 minutes long. At certain workplaces, the lunch break is paid as part of general working hours, while at others it is deducted from the overall working time. 

Overtime is normal in certain jobs and can either result in compensatory leave as a supplement to the 5-week annual leave, or it can be paid out as part of one’s salary. Normally your contract contains rules explaining whether the over-time work is to be compensated for as flex time or paid out as salary. 

Punctuality is important in Denmark. This means that it is more important that you meet your deadlines and show up on time to meetings than when or where you carry out your work. Employees at a Danish workplace are expected to show a high degree of independence, for instance in planning the tasks at hand. 

In some workplaces, this high degree of independence also includes managing your own working hours, meaning that the employer trusts you to plan your working hours for the benefit of both the company as well as your work-life balance. The main purpose of this is for you to be able to enjoy a life outside work with friends, family, and hobbies. 

Generally, the Danish workplace culture is characterised by being quite informal. There is no dress code and people talk informally to each other. When introducing yourself, you can use your full name if you like. After the first introduction, it is standard for everyone to use your first name, as well as for you to use their first names. This also counts for the person in charge. 

Your title and status are not overly important in your everyday work life. In fact, it is common to be humble about your status. Your colleagues will ask if they want to know more about your academic background.