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‘Swedish equality culture is killing career growth’

Sweden is famous for its equality in the workplace. But is the country's modesty and fairness in fact to blame for increasing numbers of employees taking time off because of stress?

Published: 16 June 2015 07:00 CEST
Updated: 16 June 2015 11:00 CEST
'Swedish equality culture is killing career growth'
Is the Swedish tradition of consensus demotivational? Photo: Susanne Walström/imagebank.sweden.se

Swedish society is founded on 'lagom'. Meaning not too much and not too little, it is a word that most other languages do not have. You are not allowed to be too rich or too poor, nor too flamboyant or too boring – you should be like everyone else and not stand out.

We love many aspects of working life here such as generous holiday allowances, maternity and paternity packages as well as a supportive government when it comes to child care, elderly care, health care and so on. In addition we work fewer hours than many of our European counterparts. So why are the Swedes so stressed?

Is 'lagom' and the famous Swedish equality to blame? We think it might be.

According to recent figures by Sweden's Work Environment Authority (Arbetsmiljöverket) the number of people taking time off because of stress has increased over the past five years. With over 40 percent of work-related illness being down to stress it is time to take a long, hard look at ourselves.

Having worked at a large Swedish company and numerous large American and British firms we think we have a good view of the problem.

On the one hand, Swedish corporations focus on aspects of working life that are important to people, for example having a regular income that covers basic needs such as food, housing and general living costs, they often fail at allowing people to grow to their full potential. But while people want to feel that their life is secure, they also want to feel valued, make a difference and do work that has a purpose.

In Sweden everyone gets the chance and time to present their opinion and be involved. But are companies not in reality here to do and act – not just think and debate?

This, in our opinion and experience, is where the Swedish work culture fails. Giving everyone a chance to voice their concern and offer a view means decisions are never really made. Sometimes they just happen, but that does not give people a sense of satisfaction.

And who wants to be a 'lagom' good mother, father or employee? We want to be great. We met one successful businesswoman who was consistently overachieving her sales budgets. When she was called in to her manager's office for a meeting she expected a pat on the back or at least a “well done”. Instead, she was asked to take her foot off the accelerator and to slow down, as she was showing up those who were struggling to make their targets. A culture of 'lagom'?

Also, all the things in a working day, week, month and year that employees should give feedback and offer their views on in the Swedish workplace is overwhelming. This makes it hard to prioritize and this in turn makes people feel uncomfortable; discussing the office toilet paper brand instead of the sales that need to be made can be demotivating.


Sharon Green and Johanna Milne believe the Swedish tradition of 'lagom' is killing potential in the workplace. Photo: Radio Results International

Lacking in achievement and or not feeling good enough can lead to negative stress. This is what causes people to, as it is expressed in Sweden, 'hit the wall'.

Statistics suggest this is becoming a fairly common occurence in Sweden, whereas during 12 years working in the London job market our team never met one person who took sick leave due to stress.

Is this to do with a different way of approaching mental health in the UK? Were we just lucky? Or ignorant? Or is there actually a stress epidemic in Sweden? 

Either way, we believe that Swedish business leaders could do more to encourage employees to fulfil their potential and that this could help end negative stress caused by a tradition of 'lagom' in the workplace.

We believe the four following goals should be implemented by Swedish managers:

1. Set smart, motivational goals that people understand and that matter to the company.

2. Allow people to 'do'. Brave leadership inspires brave employees. It means you are allowed to fail and learn and grow both as an individual and a business.

3. Talk about what is important and what you can change and make better.

4. Create a coaching culture based on two-way feedback.

Our advice to companies out there is to support leadership. Support and listen to the people who make decisions. Of course be receptive to input from other employees, but not from everyone every time. Create a vision and purpose for the organization and create motivating, understandable goals that stretch and challenge your staff.

If managers and leaders created a culture where everyone could succeed and develop, we believe that we could radically reduce stress among the Swedish workforce. We do not become more equal by letting everyone discuss everything – we become tired and overwhelmed.

Johanna Milne is Business Inspiration and Strategy Director for Stockholm-based career development and coaching firm Radio Results International. She co-wrote this article with her colleague Sharon Green, Innovator and Cultivator of Human and Business Relations.

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READER INSIGHTS

How to find a job in Sweden: Five tips from those who’ve been there, done that

The Swedish job market poses unique challenges for newcomers. The Local's readers share their best tips for cracking the career code.

Published: 10 April 2024 11:32 CEST
Updated: 13 April 2024 15:50 CEST
How to find a job in Sweden: Five tips from those who've been there, done that

Network, network, network!

A statistic that often gets tossed around is that seven out of ten jobs in Sweden are obtained through personal connections, and there’s no doubt that a good network is crucial to your job hunt, making the labour market extra challenging for newcomers to the country.

In fact, networking was the main tip mentioned by The Local’s readers.

“The job market is quite hot in Sweden, and talent is in short supply. People hiring do not have a lot of time to find the right talent, and tips from friends, colleagues and former colleagues are the way to first, find out organisations are hiring, and secondly, get your CV on the short list,” said Kyle, a Canadian reader who works in innovation management in Gothenburg.

“If you are going for a major employer like Volvo, network gets you in the door, as HR does not have much to do with hiring… the hiring managers do all of it and have no time, due to the insane number of consensus meetings. If you are looking for smaller organisations, they have even less time to find people, and networking is their primary way to find talent,” he added.

NETWORKING IN SWEDEN:

Some of the networking tips readers mentioned were going to job fairs, getting an internship to help you establish connections in your preferred field, joining clubs (this could be anything from your local gardening association to meetups for coders, but focus on clubs that may be popular among people working in your chosen field), and drawing on your organic network of friends, neighbours and others.

Don’t neglect the groundwork

The saying “dress for the job you want, not the job you have” is getting worn out (and people may look at you funny if you turn up to interviews in a Batman suit), but there’s truth to the notion of making sure you know what you want – and preparing for it.

In other words, don’t wait for a job ad to appear before you start to customise your CV and figure out what skill set you need. Create your CV now so that you’re ready to tweak it to your dream job – you could even have a general look at job ads in your field to see what requirements are needed. And don’t forget to spruce up your LinkedIn profile so that it fits with your career goals.

“I believe that several factors contribute to successfully landing a desirable job in Sweden. It’s essential to prepare to meet the requirements beyond just having a university degree. Many individuals realise these requirements only after completing their studies when they start searching for a job, which can be too late,” said Adnan Aslam from Pakistan, who works as a food inspector.

“I recommend identifying the job advertisements for positions you aspire to hold in the future and then preparing for those requirements during your studies. For me, acquiring a basic level of proficiency in the Swedish language and obtaining a Swedish driving licence were crucial. I pursued these goals during my studies and was able to secure a desirable job before graduating,” he added.

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Felipe Cabral even has a GPT assistant trained on his own CVs and old cover letters, and said the set-up only takes ten minutes if you already have your documents. “With that in place, you can give instructions like: Read this job description and create a tailored version of my CV and letter for it. (…) Remember to always review and ask it not to create data aside from your documents.”

Be flexible and ready to adapt

Moving to a new place inevitably means having to learn not just the practicalities such as how to write a CV or which websites to use to look for job openings, but also learning how to navigate a new culture with all its unspoken expectations.

Swedish workplaces are generally less hierarchical than many other countries, but that doesn’t mean you can say whatever you want whenever you want without anyone raising an eyebrow. Swedes are usually direct, but be careful of being too abrasive or boastful: raising your voice, even during a spirited argument, or banging your own drum to show off your skills may not go down well.

“Talk, deliberate, complain like a Swede and you’ll come across like you know what the job entails, so your trustworthiness increases,” said an Indian data analyst who preferred to remain anonymous.

“Office politics are just as strong in Sweden as anywhere else. The flat hierarchy is deceiving as social hierarchy is enforced quite a bit in that lack of formal hierarchy. Take your time in learning these dynamics wherever you work before revealing your talent and capabilities. Expect those internal politics to happen, and they won’t hurt so much when they do,” said Kyle, the Canadian reader in Gothenburg.

This article about Swedish office politics may be useful.

Stay true to yourself

Adapting to your surroundings is one thing. Completely changing who you are is another.

For one thing, your happiness is as important as your career progression, and for another, your foreignness need not be an impediment: it’s also a skill that sets you apart from the rest. It means you have unique experience, and also, in the right setting, provides an opportunity to sometimes violate those social rules we mentioned above, because people assume you will, anyway.

“Trust is key. Build trust in your network, work with integrity. It’s OK to violate jantelagen if you are maintaining integrity. Sometimes your outsider and more honest/open opinion will burn bridges, especially those that may feel threatened by talent. But it will build trust with other colleagues who see it as brave and more trustworthy to work with,” said Kyle from Canada.

Hunker down for the long haul

We don’t want to scare you, because there are plenty of examples of people who quickly find their dream job in Sweden and settle into their new workplace, enjoying perks such as long summer holidays, generous parental leave and the famous work-life balance.

But if you do find it tougher than you expected: know that you’re not alone.

Several readers who responded to the survey said they were still trying to find a job in Sweden.

“I found jobs all over Europe but not here. They say they have a lack of experienced senior engineers but the don’t seem to be doing much to solve this,” said a Brazilian in Gothenburg.

A reader from Bangladesh said she was “at a loss” as to how to make a career change from her current AI role in Stockholm, despite many years of experience as an IT project manager.

“Over the past 18 months, I’ve submitted over 600 applications to various organisations. Unfortunately, despite being overqualified for some positions, I’ve faced rejections at every turn, from both large and small companies. The job market here, especially for foreign-born women, feels overwhelmingly challenging,” she said, adding that the struggle had impacted her mental health.

The Local has on several occasions reported on foreign residents’ struggle to get a foot on the Swedish job ladder, with many facing hurdles such as employers’ unfamiliarity with international degrees, discrimination, or a lack of network that can provide paths into a company.

So during the job hunt, don’t forget to care for yourself. Share your concerns with fellow job-seekers, ask for help and join networking groups – this is good not just for creating new contacts, but also in terms of your social well-being and meeting people who are in a similar situation.

And finally, as one British reader in Stockholm advised, keep looking: “Be open-minded with the opportunities that present themselves. It isn’t an easy market to enter and doesn’t feel inclusive.” But he added, “don’t give up”.

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