– Hidden rules at work confuse foreigners in Norway

Many people are surprised by how much they have to figure out on their own, without guidance from their boss.

Imagine first day in a new job, and your new boss says: “Here’s your desk, here’s your PC and here’s your phone. Good luck! Just ask if you have any questions.” Then the boss goes back to his work and you are left to fend for yourself. Welcome to a Norwegian workplace!

It is common in Norway for new employees to be welcomed in such a random and unthought-out manner. For Norwegian new employees, the expectation of independent work can be demanding.

It is easy to start doubting yourself and your own competence. For new employees from other cultures, a lack of guidance and clarity can lead to paralysis, confusion, frustration and conflicts.

Word Values ​​Survey shows that Norway is the country in the world where parents think it is most desirable that their children learn to become independent. When I gave the course “Working with Norwegians” for new foreign employees at a Norwegian university, there was a professor among the participants who said: “I have been used to independent work all over the world. But when I came to Norway, I felt that it became completely extreme!”

In Norway have We tend to focus on what needs to be done, and less focus on how the tasks are to be solved. How the job is done is up to each individual to figure out. New employees are usually not given a detailed description of their tasks, and they receive little guidance.

What is expected is rarely discussed and clarified, and the employees rarely have a clear mandate. Norwegian managers trust that the employees deliver what they expect, without explaining in detail, and have confidence that the employees deliver without having to be followed up along the way.

In addition, managers often give little feedback, and negative feedback in particular is avoided. Perhaps it is hoped that the employee himself will see what can be done better.

A professor at a Norwegian university observed over several years that many foreign talents who had top grades before they arrived experienced that their careers stagnated in Norway.

By comparison with talents from the same countries, but who came to the USA, he discovered that in the USA they developed to have a star career. But not in Norway.

When he asked these talents who had not had as promising a career in Norway as expected, they all told the same story: “When we came to Norway, we had all the opportunities. But no one told us. Where we come from, if we made a mistake or something that the boss hadn’t told us to do, we could lose our jobs.

So we didn’t dare to do anything on our own initiative in Norway either. Now we realize that we should have shown initiative and worked more independently. But we didn’t realize that at the time, and now it’s too late for us to get a good career in Norway.”

I work with to facilitate new foreign employees in Norway, and I see that many struggle to understand all the hidden rules in Norwegian workplaces. If you who are reading this are a manager or colleague in a Norwegian workplace, take the time to explain both tasks and expectations to new employees at your job.

Explain that you expect them to show initiative in obtaining information and that they must ask when something is unclear. Explain to them that you expect them to make some mistakes and how you expect them to handle their own mistakes. Create security and common understanding. Explain how important it is that everyone contributes to a good working environment and what this entails. Include them in the coffee conversation and in the lunch.

That way can we all contribute to creating a more inclusive working environment where all new employees, including those from other cultures, can settle in and feel looked after. By doing this, we will also be able to use more of the potential of the multicultural workforce we have in this country.