Technology companies in Sweden have gradually switched to having English as the official company language. In a world where talent is hard to find, this allows them to tap into a larger pool of possible candidates.
Here are some things to take into consideration, if you want to use your benefits budget, to retain your talent.
- MOST HR DEPARTMENTS ARE 100% SWEDISH
Back-end Developers, Front-end Developer and Data Scientists, among others, can easily perform their job in English.
However, positions like Human Resources are still mostly reserved for native Swedes, since it sometimes requires specific knowledge about Swedish laws.
These are the same HR departments that suggest or determine employee compensations and benefits. Which creates an interesting dynamic.
When thinking about benefits, things like friskvårdsbidrag will quickly come to mind. It’s a great benefit that has proved to be beneficial for both companies and employees. It is also easy to relate for any human working in HR.
On the other hand, we tend to miss problems or potential benefits we can’t relate to because we don’t experience them. Like the need for on-site Swedish lessons.
- BEING AN EXPAT IN SWEDEN
At first glance you might think that making the company language English would completely solve the problem. That there would be no gap between expats and native Swedes, but unfortunately, it’s far from it.
The problem lies in living life outside of work. Dealing with state agencies, going to the doctor, renting, applying for loans to buy a house, can all be very stressful experiences. Even for Swedes!
But as an Expat, everything becomes even more confusing since there is usually more information in Swedish.
- THINKING LONG TERM (FROM AN EXPAT PERSPECTIVE)
Just like the friskvårdsbidrag, helping your employees learn Swedish is a long term investment that will yield positive results. Results that can be hard to see at first. Yet, the effects of the stress reduction produced by understanding Swedish should not be underestimated.
Reducing the stress caused by not understanding the native language will improve employee productivity, reduce turnover rate and affect the overall happiness of your Expat employees.
The big players like Spotify, Ericsson, King or DICE have hopped on this trend a long time ago. They have been offering on-site Swedish lessons for a while now and are reaping the benefits. Saving their employees lots of time and stress.
As time goes by, more and more, smaller companies are starting to get on board, as well and seeing the benefits on-site Swedish lessons brings.
Please like this article to help spread awareness about this hidden gem of a benefit.