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WORKING IN SWEDEN

Why your Swedish colleagues love meetings (and you probably do, too)

If you've ever felt like you spend an increasing amount of your working life sitting in meeting after meeting (and then scheduling a follow-up meeting to discuss the meetings), you're not just imagining it.

Why your Swedish colleagues love meetings (and you probably do, too)
Online meetings are becoming increasingly common. Photo: Margareta Bloom Sandebäck/imagebank.sweden.se
There are differences between industries but in general meetings are becoming an ever more frequent part of working life. In a book published in 2019, Swedish political scientist Patrik Hall and sociologists Vesa Leppänen and Malin Åkerström set out to look into why that’s the case.

Their findings are particularly interesting for international workers, who are likely to see a sharp jump in the number of meeting invites if they move to Sweden from a society with more clearly defined hierarchical structures.

“A general finding is that meetings are becoming more common because of a growing demand for collaboration,” Hall tells The Local. 

“It’s very important for large organisations in particular to feel that they are part of one organisation and working towards the same mission, and Swedish local governments for example are very large. These collaboration and coordination projects require meetings, and in general there is a lot more collaboration within Swedish society today,” he explains.

Architecture of Swedish office spaces reflects this tendency for meetings, as is clear from the high number of meeting rooms, and especially those tailored to smaller meetings. Co-working spaces have also proved popular in the Nordic nation, and while some are effectively just desk rentals, others work to foster collaboration between startups and freelancers working there.

“In Sweden we seem to be very interested in organising things; maybe some other cultures just don’t bother, but I don’t think it only concerns Sweden,” notes the researcher. “The Dutch culture for example has strong religious conflicts in its history and negotiation has become very important. You see a lot of meetings when this is the case, so also in the voluntary sector where democracy is a priority.”

“As another example, within the EU when there are large funding projects, these demand collaboration – different organisations must collaborate with each other and the public sector must work with the voluntary sector and private firms. When you’re working together, you have to meet,” he says.

And Hall points out that collaboration has become more common in many regions due to globalisation. Air travel and video calls have made collaboration and the meetings that go along with it far easier.

The sociologist says that one of the main advantages of meetings is instilling a sense of unity and direction for people working on the same project or for the same company. But a poorly-run meeting may leave employees frustrated if they feel no decisions were reached, or felt their presence wasn’t necessary.

There’s something to be said, though, for the benefits of simply showing up, and the researchers found that being invited to a meeting makes people feel valued and important, whereas being left off an invitation can foster bad feeling among employees. 

“What we find, and US researchers have found the same, is that people like to complain about meetings but they actually enjoy attending them. People like to be in touch with other human beings, and a lot of work is quite solitary in many organisations today. So I’m not so sure that everyone does want fewer meetings,” he says.

With all that said, even Hall doesn’t get excited when he receives a calendar invite to a new meeting. When The Local asks if he enjoys being invited to meetings, his answer is instant.

“No! I think we’re all different, and I’m quite satisfied working in solitude. I do like smaller meetings with colleagues to discuss what we’re working on and practical things. I’m a researcher and for me maybe the most effective meetings are these small meetings, rather than large ones which feel more symbolic.”

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His advice for any internationals who are feeling overwhelmed with meetings is to try to address the problem in a very Swedish way: collectively.

“You should go to management as a group if you don’t have time to do the things you need to do because you’re in too many meetings. It’s best if you do this together with co-workers: ask what the point of the new meeting is, and don’t just murmur about it,” he suggests.

“This democratic culture is very important to us in Sweden and it’s a sensitive issue if just one person decides on things, but we should accept that sometimes it works well to have one person make decisions without asking.”

If that sounds too complicated, Hall also suggests pushing for shorter meetings. Maybe a two-to-three hour discussion could be done in 30 minutes if that’s the time you allocate it.

And another option is always to block out chunks of your calendar with other activities. When Hall interviewed managers at one local government organisation, every single person he spoke to admitted to doing this at some point.

“That’s one way of protecting themselves from the huge demands of digital society,” he says.

Article first published in 2019

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For members

WORKING IN SWEDEN

Ten easy-access cafés and libraries to study or work from in Stockholm

Whether you are a student looking for a place to study or someone who works remotely and is looking for a new atmosphere, Stockholm caters to a diverse range of preferences and needs.

Ten easy-access cafés and libraries to study or work from in Stockholm

At times, it’s necessary to seek out a fresh workspace or study environment to enhance our focus and productivity.

Here’s our selection of Stockholm cafés where you can enjoy a cup of coffee and the aroma of the beans in the air, to libraries where you can completely get into the zone and options that give you a chance to network in an office-like space.

Stockholm City Libraries

If you like to work in a quiet and peaceful place, then one of Stockholm City’s Libraries might be the place for you. It offers work and study places, free Wi-Fi and they also have printing facilities. A library card is not required to access the library, but if you want to borrow or reserve books then it is needed.

More information and to find the closest library to you, can be found here.

Stockholm University Library

The library on Stockholm University’s campus is open to everyone. This library has a mix of quiet work areas as well as noisy sections. Most seats have power outlets available, students and those who have access to Eduroam can use that network, but a temporary login can be found at the library entrance. In addition, there is a café and two shops situated within the same building.

More information can be found here.

Location: Universitetsvägen 14D, 114 18 Stockholm

KTH Library

Another university library which is open to everyone is the KTH Royal Institute of Technology’s library.

Here you can find a number of quiet places to work and study, with the majority of seats equipped with power outlets. Eduroam’s wireless network is available throughout the library along with a guest network, details on how to connect to this can be found at the information desk.

Café Stories is located in the entrance hall, but be aware that no foods, such as sandwiches, wraps or salads are allowed in the quiet sections of the library. Snacks and drinks which have lids are allowed in.

Find additional details here.

Location: Kungliga Tekniska högskolans bibliotek, Osquars backe 21, 114 28 Stockholm

Goto 10

Goto 10 allows its members to access work lounges, hold events, record podcasts and test a 3D printer all within their premises (they’ve also got hubs in Malmö and Linköping). The membership is free and in return you are asked to contribute to creating content for Goto 10.

Their lounges include Wi-Fi, seating with power outlets, microwaves and a coffee machine.

Information about Goto 10 and how you can become a member can be found here.

Location: Hammarby kaj 10D, 120 30 Stockholm

Scandic Hotel

The hotel group Scandic offers co-working spaces and a hotel room office in their hotels. Prices for their co-working spaces start from 99 kronor per day and it includes free Wi-Fi, power outlets, coffee and tea, printing and copying services, and a 10 percent discount on food.
The co-working spaces are available in all 270 Scandic hotels, in six countries and 26 of those are in Stockholm.

More information and a price list can be found here.

Bröd & Salt

The café chain Bröd & Salt has shops all across the city. The chain also offers a workspace subscription called Club Salt, which gives you access to six of their co-working spaces. These workspaces are located in Torsplan, Jarlsgatan, Odenplan, Kungsholmen, Fleminggatan and Uppsala if you want to venture outside the capital. They offer shared spaces to work, with power outlets and Wi-Fi, and the subscription comes with a discount on a variety of menu items sold at Bröd & Salt.

Subscriptions for the co-working space start from 599 kronor per month.

More information can be found here.

Espresso House

You can find Espresso House in many corners of the country. They may be part of a chain with everything that entails, but they are popular spots to work from, which is evident from the many laptops that can be seen when you enter. The cafés usually offer free Wi-Fi and some seats have a power outlet as well. It is important to note that it could get a bit loud in the café.

Find your closest Espresso House here.

Waynes

Another café chain in Sweden and in Stockholm is Waynes. The company has a number of shops across the city and like many cafés it provides free Wi-Fi and a certain amount of power outlets. If you do not want to travel too far, but still want a nice coffee shop to work from then Waynes fits that description.

Find out more here.

ilcaffé

Another popular café to work from is ilcaffé. Located in Bergsgatan, Drottninggatan, Långholmsgatan and Södermannagatan, this café has free Wi-Fi and a number of power outlets. The café offers a range of sandwiches, treats and coffee, so there is no wonder why it has become a popular work hub.

Information about ilcaffé can be found here.

Urban Deli

The hotel, restaurant and café chain Urban Deli has five shops in Stockholm. They are located in Sveavägen, Nytorget, Sickla, Centralen and Hagastaden. The shop in Sveavägen in particular is a popular spot used by those who want to enjoy a coffee or a meal and work or study away. It has free Wi-Fi and power outlets at certain seats.

You can find more information here.

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