Work-life-balance, 37 hours official work week, flat management hierarchy, teamwork, co-operation, dialogue, informal relations, minimum five weeks’ paid holiday, flexicurity, maternity and paternity leave, flexible working hours, sickness benefits, collective agreements and high-quality working conditions are some of the words used to characterise the Danish labour market and workplace culture.
The Danish labour market is characterised by it – to a great extent – being regulated jointly by the labour market stakeholders rather than by legislation. Collective agreements concluded between trade unions and employers’ organisations normally set down pay and working conditions whereas minimum requirements for holiday, equal treatment, working environment and other regulative matters are set down by law. When negotiating the collective agreements, the negotiating partners can decide to make the conditions in the agreements better than those set down by law, e.g. six weeks holiday rather than the statutory five weeks.
Danish legislation does not require a company to comply with or conclude a collective agreement. If a company is not covered by a collective agreement, the employees must negotiate their own terms of employment directly with their employer.
Understanding the Danish workplace culture
The Danish workplace culture, workers’ rights, labour market set-up, etc. will not be the same as in your home country. Find out more about what Danish workplace culture really is like and how the Danish labour market works.