Relocating a foreign employee to Denmark

Employees moving to Denmark for a new job spend a lot of energy in the process. It’s a long and expensive process. Here's a good checklist for you to use when relocating a foreign employee.

Help with the necessary paperwork

Help your new employee wherever possible. Moving to another country for work is a radical change in a person's life - both personally and professionally. When focusing on the practical changes, they aren’t just moving away from a country. They are moving to a different and probably unknown country. While they might know all the dos and don’ts in their own country, they’re probably not experts in residence legislation, work permits, tax rules and social security in Denmark. The list goes on and on. Help your new employee as much as possible.

Help with the necessary paperwork and required registrations. Guide the employee in the right direction so everything gets done in time and without too much stress and hassle. You want to start off your relationship on a good note, and the employee wants to have everything in place before moving here.

Help establish a social network

Social gatherings and company events are all good ways to integrate your new employee into daily life at the company. You probably have annual or monthly events that focus on the social aspects of work life so make sure that your new employee gets the memo: “These events will have a positive impact on your social integration in the team and company”. Make sure your new employee has an assigned buddy/colleague who is prepared and know she/he is expected to help and guide.

It is also a good idea to establish a touchpoint in the company that the employee and family can use in the beginning. It can be the hiring manager or other employees that want to help out foreign colleagues who have just moved to Denmark. Starting a program like this might even strengthen your employer brand!

We aren’t advocating for establishing social support groups at the company nor are we suggesting you hire a “designated nanny”. We’re talking about helping and guiding the talent towards the options that are available at the company and in the city. The more you help the employee before the first day of work the easier the transition will be and thus, your new employee will be up to speed and comfortable in Denmark and the job much faster.

Family is (almost) everything

If your new employee is bringing a spouse and/or their children with them, and they can’t settle in, in their new surroundings, they will leave just as quickly as they came. An onboarding program where the focus is on the family’s well-being e.g. housing, schools, daycare, job search, and other social events, maybe with other relocated foreigners, will help the family’s integration.

This might seem like a redundant factor which should be their own responsibility to figure out, but you’ve already invested time and money in getting the employee onboard so why not go the distance? The benefactors of a quick and positive integration are your team and company.

Allow more time to settle in at work

Your new employee is here to do a job. But don’t underestimate the fact that the person just left another country and left behind an established life to start a new life in Denmark. That’s bold but it’s also time and energy consuming. The employee and the family need to figure out how to get to work, how to get home, where to buy groceries etc. They’re establishing totally new routines in their daily life in another country. So give your new employee a little more breathing space.

There may also be a language barrier that will impact the workflow in the first couple of weeks. This isn’t someone who worked on the other side of the road and was born in Denmark. There will be smaller bumps, both in communication and understanding as well as cultural differences that will have an impact. Let the new employee adjust and get comfortable with his or her new colleagues before overloading the talent’s desk with tasks and projects.

Be open about what expenses your company will cover

Whether it’s plane tickets or temporary housing, be upfront with the new employee. This will probably be a topic of conversation during the interviews, so make sure that you have a company policy on this. The most important thing you can do is to be open and honest with the employee. Tell the talent what the company will and can cover and within what cost ranges. You will most likely come to an agreement that both parties are satisfied with.

What is need to know info for a new employee?

The following is a good checklist for you to use when onboarding a new employee:

• Housing help/temporary housing: Consider having an apartment for relocation purposes or a housing associate that can help find the right home.
• Job search for spouse: Use any associates or recruitment companies that can help the process.
• Schools/daycare: Help the new employee maneuver in the confusing world of the Danish welfare system.
• Transportation (car, bus, train, bicycle, etc.): Help and guide your employee towards the stores and suppliers that you have any arrangements with.
• Information about registration, residence permits, and social security: Your new employee will appreciate any help and guidance he/she can get. Point them in the right direction.
• Taxes (and rules and regulations about taxes when moving to another country): Your finance department may be able to help or recommend an acquaintance that can help the new employee get comfortable with tax laws in Denmark.
• Banking: Use your company’s bank to help the new employee with setting up the necessary accounts and cards.

You will reap the benefits of a great onboarding program for foreign candidates so if you haven’t started one yet, get to it!

At Kold+Partners we have extensive experience with relocating people to Denmark. We offer our customers help with as much of the process as needed. We can handle registration, setting up bank and insurance, we can also handle accommodation, job search for a spouse and many other practicalities.

Read more about our services or find out how we approach the recruitment process!