Denmark Recruiting & Hiring
Expanding your company to Denmark requires more than finding a building and getting to work. You’ll have to understand recruitment regulations, draft employment contracts, run HR services, figure out various tax laws, and learn the ins and outs of employment compliance in an unfamiliar country. Instead, Globalization Partners offers an easier way to expand. We are experts in Denmark employment compliance, and we pass that expertise on to you to save time, money, and resources.
Recruiting in Denmark
For successful recruiting in Denmark, you need to understand the attitudes and values that are part of the culture. If you ignore these values, you will hinder the communication process and can even leave a negative impression on potential candidates. Some of the common cultural hallmarks of the country include:
1. Informal Business Practices
The country’s overall business culture is informal. Denmark often has flat hierarchies, so employees treat their bosses the same way they would treat their colleagues. Bosses prefer to be a part of the team, and they often foster trust, responsibility, and independence. When communicating with a potential candidate, treat them as a peer and make sure the conversations aren’t too formal.
2. Punctuality
Employees are always punctual, and they expect you to also be on time. Danes are typically hardworking and productive at each moment of their job, even during meetings. That’s why it’s important to arrive on time or at least call with an explanation if you will be late. Meetings always start and end at the scheduled time, so make sure you don’t go over.
3. Egalitarianism
Denmark is a firmly egalitarian society — even their language uses gender-neutral words. Make sure that you provide the same maternity and paternity leave, pay women the same as men, and allow working mothers to manage both a career and family. You should always treat women with the same respect as men and ensure equal treatment during the hiring process.
4. Proper Greetings
Whenever you first meet with a candidate, greet them with a firm handshake, direct eye contact, and a smile. Shake hands again and say goodbye whenever someone departs. It’s also important that you shake hands with the women in the room first. Since the country has a less formal society, expect everyone to use their first names in introductions.
The Recruitment Process in Denmark
The country’s informal culture also relates to the recruitment process. When staffing and recruiting employees for your business, many will contact you by phone before applying to ask relevant questions. This process can help save you time by weeding out employees that aren’t interested or don’t fit the job description.
When it comes to where you advertise your job postings, networking can help. Many companies use a shared contact as the basis for an initial meeting. More employers in the country are also using LinkedIn, so you should connect with potential employees there and on other social media channels as well.
Laws Related to Denmark Staffing
Danish law prohibits any type of discrimination during recruitment on the grounds of:
- Race.
- Religion.
- Sexual orientation.
- Politics.
- Age.
- Disability.
The Danish Act on Equal Treatment ensures both men and women are treated the same at work. That means you cannot favor one gender over another when hiring. The Act on Equal Pay also means you must pay men and women the same wage for equal work or work of equal value. If any of your employees believe they have been discriminated against because of gender, they can file a complaint with the Board of Equal Treatment.
You can conduct background checks as long as you meet statutory law and applicable data privacy regulations. However, obtaining criminal records will require the potential employee’s consent, and you will need a substantial reason to request those documents. Make sure that your request for a criminal record is relevant and that the candidate will realistically be offered the position.
As far as information on an employee’s health, you must meet the regulations under the Data Protection Act. You can only request information that is relevant to determine whether an employee has or had a disease that could impact job performance. Keep in mind that if you use a third party, they will have the same obligations.
How to Hire Employees in Denmark
You’ll need to follow some Denmark employment compliance laws when recruiting and hiring employees. For example, all recruiting must be non-discriminatory, and employers cannot receive any information about candidates’ race, faith, political view, sexual preferences, and more during the recruitment process. The only information you can collect is health data that is relevant to determine whether your potential candidate has a disease that could significantly impact the job.
Knowing what type of Denmark employees you need to hire is also important. The country categorizes employees into three groups — executive officers, white-collar salaried employees, and blue-collar salaried workers. The hiring process and legal framework can differ based on the type of employment relationship.
Denmark Employment Compliance
Hiring employees in Denmark is straightforward and flexible with few legal requirements regarding contracts, termination, and holidays. You can determine employment terms and working conditions with the labor market parties instead of basing it off statutory regulations. However, collective bargaining agreements (CBAs) are a tremendous part of Danish employment laws, so working with employees covered by a CBA is common.
A good practice is to draft an employment contract and offer letter that includes any standard benefits as well as the employee’s salary. Both the written agreement and offer letter should include salary and compensation amounts in Danish Krone instead of foreign currency. This practice can help you meet any Denmark employment compliance laws.
How to Onboard Employees
The country does not have any specific laws about onboarding employees besides getting their necessary paperwork ready and submitted. However, you can take several steps to make your employees feel more comfortable:
- Go over the employment contract before the employee’s first day
- Outline any other expectations such as dress code and working hours
- Fly to Denmark for the employee’s first day or send another representative
- Create a clear workplace culture
Benefits of Denmark Hiring Outsourcing
Denmark hiring outsourcing with a global PEO such as Globalization Partners offers many benefits. We will source the best talent for you and employ them under our subsidiary. You can get your team started working right away, saving you time and money. You also won’t have any pressure to learn every aspect of how to hire employees in Denmark. We take all the liability for you so that you can focus solely on running your company.
Choose Globalization Partners
If you’re ready to expand to Denmark, contact Globalization Partners today. We will help you learn about Denmark employment compliance and show you all the benefits of hiring outsourcing.