One in four international IDA members feel their career has stalled

Career counsellor Jakob Gradel often speaks to international IDA members who are deeply frustrated with their working life in Denmark, and with slight variations, their stories are similar.   

‘They feel that they work their fingers to the bone and deliver good results, but when they come in for the annual status meeting with their manager, they don't get promoted or get a pay rise like they expected,’ he says.   

These frustrations are reflected in a new member survey. Here, 25 per cent of international members say their career has stalled or is moving too slowly, compared to 15 per cent of Danish IDA members.   

According to Jakob Gradel, the challenge for international members is often that they are used to a work culture that focuses on individual performance and competition. But Denmark and the other Scandinavian countries are unique in a global context because they value collaboration and collective values more than any other country. 

‘In Denmark, it's also very much about who you are as a colleague, whether you are able to learn and listen to others and learn from them, and whether you have an eye for the performance of your entire team. Therefore, softer values are at least as important as your professionalism in determining whether you get promoted.’ 

‘When managers in Danish workplaces assess individual employees, an important element is to ask colleagues what they think about working with them. Relationships are incredibly important and should not be underestimated when it comes to doing well in the Danish labour market,’ says Jakob Gradel.  

Many professionals focus too narrowly on their tasks  

Jakob Gradel recounts a career counselling session with a Russian member who in many ways is representative of the challenges faced by many international members.   

‘He turned up early to work and left very late, and he continued to do so, even though his Danish colleagues told him to remember to take time off as well, because he was used to that from home.’   

‘But he could also see that he had stalled for three years without moving forward in his career. He didn't take on new projects or get more exciting tasks because he focused very narrowly on his own tasks and assumed that someone would notice and then come and tap him on the shoulder and say; now you need to move up a level.’ 

According to Jakob Gradel, a challenge for many international members is that they fail to look beyond the technical and engineering problems they are employed to solve.  

‘The first problem is that they forget to look up and tune in to their surroundings and their colleagues and therefore get their priorities wrong. The second problem is that even if they succeed in creating results, they can be perceived as someone who closes in on themselves.’ 

‘For example, a Spanish IT professional contacted IDA’s member counselling service. Her manager had told her, “I can see that you're getting results, but I'm also being told by your colleagues that you're not collaborative, so I can't promote you”.’  

It's important to prioritise lunch with colleagues  

For many international members, learning about the unwritten norms and rules of the Danish labour market is an eye-opener, which is why Jakob Gradel is annoyed that some employers aren't better at onboarding them from the start. He points out that IDA is therefore also working to educate employers about the importance of cultural differences in the workplace.  

His advice to frustrated international members is that they should practise opening up to their colleagues. 

‘In career counselling, we often talk to them about being a bit more strategic and making sure they have lunch with their Danish colleagues. A good way to start is to be curious about what tasks their colleagues are solving, but also ask about more personal things like what they are doing at the weekend.’ 

According to Jakob Gradel, it's important to be known in the organisation for being positive and collaborative, so that your boss gets that feedback when they talk to colleagues outside the department.   

It's also a good idea to develop your cultural intelligence, which according to Jakob Gradel is about understanding which cultural norms you bring from your country of origin and which ones apply in the society you're in.  

‘The best thing you can do is get a Danish friend at work; a cultural buddy who can answer questions like: “If you were in my shoes, what would you focus on? Or when you say that in meetings, what are you trying to achieve?”’ 

The introverted Danes and work balance  

Career counsellor Jakob Gradel admits that it may seem paradoxical that it is the international team members who have to open up when it is the Danes who have a reputation for being introverted and reserved. 

But it's about Danes setting very clear boundaries between work and leisure. In the workplace, trust and relationships are paramount, but that doesn't necessarily mean seeing each other in private.  

‘That's how we understand work life balance in Denmark, but if you come here from Spain or another country, it can seem very cold and superficial. They wonder why they never get invited home to visit their family when they have such a good relationship with their colleague, and that's why many expats in Denmark can also feel lonely.

Interested in developing your cultural mindset?

If you want to improve your collaborative skills and deepen your understanding of unwritten rules in Danish workplaces, you can join IDA's course: Working effectively across cultures. You'll learn practical tools to navigate cultural differences and strengthen collaboration – no matter where you’re from. 

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