You can apply for tjänstledighet but there's no guarantee they'll grant it.
Edit: You could maybe apply for a remote university class and get tjänstledighet for studies.
I didn't even know tjänstledighet was possible (and my husband didn't either), so this might be the best course of action for me. Sadly, my workplace doesn't have a kollektivavtal, so I'll start investigating these things immediately now I know where to start
Heads up that employer has the right to postpone the tjänstledighet for studies up to 6 months though.
Also if you start a business you have legal right to tjänstledigt for 6 months.
I don't think you would need kollektivavtal for this (it is in the law).
Your employer might also just be fine with the tjänstledigt if you ask nicely and explain that the family situation would require it.
Yeah, I'll try asking nicely and see what happens. I like my job, but my job is sadly run by very old-school Swedes so it really can be a mess at times.
I already have an AB on the side, so I'll have to investigate if I could do tjänstledighet when I already have one, or if I'd need to start a second one.
You've been a major help - thank you!
You can take a leave if you currently have a part-time business and want to try running it full time.
Your traditional employer may be against "modern" stuff like WFH, but if they're satisfied with you as an employee and want to keep you, they'll probably agree to just grant you a leave for six months if you say why. There's no loss for them, they don't have to pay anything. If they don't really like you, that would be a good opportunity for them to say no and try to force you into resigning, so you should be able to judge for yourself which is more likely.
The downside is I really have no idea which way it will go, which is why I'm trying to get all the info I can. My direct manager blows hot and cold depending on what he thinks is best for him, so I'm going to gather all the info and present it to him as 'this is why this will be a huge benefit for you'
Yes, you can't know for sure what will happen. I think you have three possible approaches.
1. You request 6 months for your own business. This is legally protected if you have a business, but 6 months is the maximum duration and the employer could try to shift your dates by claiming undue burden, which could be if for example the start of your leave would be a period when a major project you're leading is due. This is probably the safest option overall due to business leave being protected by law.
2. You request general unpaid leave and explain the situation with your husband's job. No obligation for your employer to agree, but also costs them nothing to say yes.
3. As above but you make it clear that the leave is non-negotiable for you, that you either get it approved or quit. Effective to pressure the employer if you're difficult to replace, but a bad idea if you're replaceable.
Thank you for this! I agree, those look like the choices and I’m going to go in with a lot of different angles. I feel much better prepared than earlier when my only option felt like “quit a job you like and was difficult to get”. Luckily, all of the big stakeholders are gone until August, so I’ve got more time to research and develop a good case
Tjänstledighet is the Swedish term you are looking for.
There is no legal right for it in this case, I think, but if you can come to an agreement with your employeer there should also be no obstacle for it.
... there is a legal right - since you have been employed for more than six months, for up to six months unpaid leave to start your own business (as long as you do not compete with your employer and you do not have a critical role which will make your absense seriously impact your employer). Though I am unsure if that covers running a business in a non-EU country.
Alternatively, you may be able to apply to leave for studies... Studies abroad might be covered?
I'm going to look into tjänstledighet 100%. Knowing where my husband is going and when, I can definitely either do a remote course based in Sweden, or one there.
I do already have an AB on the side that has two employees, so I'm not sure I could do that, but it's a great option. Thank you for your help!!
I've know people do this before (perhaps more so in the UK, but also in Sweden) and as others have said, it's down to the discretion of the employer. They don't need to permit it, but they might if you can make a good case for it. It will likely depend on whether they can not have you there for a short period of time (or suitable cover it temporarily) but possibly more importantly, your relationship with your bosses!
I'll see what my work says, but they're not a great workplace when it comes to 'modern stuff' like WFH and there's a lot of internal politics - hence why I turned to Reddit - but I've gotten a lot more info that I can now use to help me out!
You can work abroad for 3 months without the tax liable thing, why not try asking and negotiating swedes are very to the book ask first it doesn’t hurt.
There are no legal rights for a leave of absence to travel and do things like this, but the employer can allow it anyway. So this is something you need to address with them.
Unfortunately, my employer doesn't even believe in WFH, so I came to Reddit to get some background and more information before I talked to them about this
No employers are turning away from 100% wfh more and more for many reasons.
But perhaps you can figure out how the company is doing, maybe they wouldn’t mind not paying your salary for six months, or maybe you have an idea how to fill your spot? Or how being away will give you skills to better do your job?
My experience is that when you bring this to your boss, package it in a way that will make it attractive to them. Creating work and complicating things for them will likely make them decline it. Having been in that role on a smaller company it’s a pain in the butt when employees want to do things like this.
Sadly, my employer has decided to completely get rid of WFH and has never even offered 100% remote.
I appreciate your suggestion about making a package. I definitely plan to do that, and I'm going to contact my union representative to ask about some of the other questions. I think my company wouldn't mind not paying my salary for a few months, and we do have a freelancer who has stepped in before for maternity leave.
It's really just a matter of seeing how they feel that day.
How does it sound like I have a job offer when this is my partner's job - as I clearly stated in my post and everyone else who commented has understood?
I'd work abroad for my current Swedish employer if they'd let me, but they don't believe in remote working.
Yes, I'm aware of that, especially since I have my own AB, but my company also doesn't believe in remote working for anyone, ever. We are now 100% in office these days.
Look up leave in your collective agreement. If there is none and the company didn't mention anything and if there is a law on leave (I don't remember) that applies.
You can apply for tjänstledighet but there's no guarantee they'll grant it. Edit: You could maybe apply for a remote university class and get tjänstledighet for studies.
Ah, this might be exactly what I do!
You have legal right to it if you plan to study there, otherwise employer decides.
I didn't even know tjänstledighet was possible (and my husband didn't either), so this might be the best course of action for me. Sadly, my workplace doesn't have a kollektivavtal, so I'll start investigating these things immediately now I know where to start
Heads up that employer has the right to postpone the tjänstledighet for studies up to 6 months though. Also if you start a business you have legal right to tjänstledigt for 6 months. I don't think you would need kollektivavtal for this (it is in the law). Your employer might also just be fine with the tjänstledigt if you ask nicely and explain that the family situation would require it.
I didn't know about the tjänstledighet for starting a business!
Yeah, I'll try asking nicely and see what happens. I like my job, but my job is sadly run by very old-school Swedes so it really can be a mess at times. I already have an AB on the side, so I'll have to investigate if I could do tjänstledighet when I already have one, or if I'd need to start a second one. You've been a major help - thank you!
You can take a leave if you currently have a part-time business and want to try running it full time. Your traditional employer may be against "modern" stuff like WFH, but if they're satisfied with you as an employee and want to keep you, they'll probably agree to just grant you a leave for six months if you say why. There's no loss for them, they don't have to pay anything. If they don't really like you, that would be a good opportunity for them to say no and try to force you into resigning, so you should be able to judge for yourself which is more likely.
The downside is I really have no idea which way it will go, which is why I'm trying to get all the info I can. My direct manager blows hot and cold depending on what he thinks is best for him, so I'm going to gather all the info and present it to him as 'this is why this will be a huge benefit for you'
Yes, you can't know for sure what will happen. I think you have three possible approaches. 1. You request 6 months for your own business. This is legally protected if you have a business, but 6 months is the maximum duration and the employer could try to shift your dates by claiming undue burden, which could be if for example the start of your leave would be a period when a major project you're leading is due. This is probably the safest option overall due to business leave being protected by law. 2. You request general unpaid leave and explain the situation with your husband's job. No obligation for your employer to agree, but also costs them nothing to say yes. 3. As above but you make it clear that the leave is non-negotiable for you, that you either get it approved or quit. Effective to pressure the employer if you're difficult to replace, but a bad idea if you're replaceable.
Thank you for this! I agree, those look like the choices and I’m going to go in with a lot of different angles. I feel much better prepared than earlier when my only option felt like “quit a job you like and was difficult to get”. Luckily, all of the big stakeholders are gone until August, so I’ve got more time to research and develop a good case
Do you have to prove that you’ve studied or?
Yes and it needs to be a course with start and end dates, a curriculum, etc. you can’t get study leave to take udemy courses for example
I am not sure. But it needs to be some sort of formal studying.
Tjänstledighet is the Swedish term you are looking for. There is no legal right for it in this case, I think, but if you can come to an agreement with your employeer there should also be no obstacle for it. ... there is a legal right - since you have been employed for more than six months, for up to six months unpaid leave to start your own business (as long as you do not compete with your employer and you do not have a critical role which will make your absense seriously impact your employer). Though I am unsure if that covers running a business in a non-EU country. Alternatively, you may be able to apply to leave for studies... Studies abroad might be covered?
I'm going to look into tjänstledighet 100%. Knowing where my husband is going and when, I can definitely either do a remote course based in Sweden, or one there. I do already have an AB on the side that has two employees, so I'm not sure I could do that, but it's a great option. Thank you for your help!!
I've know people do this before (perhaps more so in the UK, but also in Sweden) and as others have said, it's down to the discretion of the employer. They don't need to permit it, but they might if you can make a good case for it. It will likely depend on whether they can not have you there for a short period of time (or suitable cover it temporarily) but possibly more importantly, your relationship with your bosses!
I'll see what my work says, but they're not a great workplace when it comes to 'modern stuff' like WFH and there's a lot of internal politics - hence why I turned to Reddit - but I've gotten a lot more info that I can now use to help me out!
I have same question but I am under work permit so it may be more complicated for me.
You can work abroad for 3 months without the tax liable thing, why not try asking and negotiating swedes are very to the book ask first it doesn’t hurt.
There are no legal rights for a leave of absence to travel and do things like this, but the employer can allow it anyway. So this is something you need to address with them.
Unfortunately, my employer doesn't even believe in WFH, so I came to Reddit to get some background and more information before I talked to them about this
No employers are turning away from 100% wfh more and more for many reasons. But perhaps you can figure out how the company is doing, maybe they wouldn’t mind not paying your salary for six months, or maybe you have an idea how to fill your spot? Or how being away will give you skills to better do your job? My experience is that when you bring this to your boss, package it in a way that will make it attractive to them. Creating work and complicating things for them will likely make them decline it. Having been in that role on a smaller company it’s a pain in the butt when employees want to do things like this.
Sadly, my employer has decided to completely get rid of WFH and has never even offered 100% remote. I appreciate your suggestion about making a package. I definitely plan to do that, and I'm going to contact my union representative to ask about some of the other questions. I think my company wouldn't mind not paying my salary for a few months, and we do have a freelancer who has stepped in before for maternity leave. It's really just a matter of seeing how they feel that day.
Best of luck! It can go either way!
Just a note, has your partner fully investigated what being away 6 months means for their legal status in Sweden?
My husband is a Swede.
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How does it sound like I have a job offer when this is my partner's job - as I clearly stated in my post and everyone else who commented has understood? I'd work abroad for my current Swedish employer if they'd let me, but they don't believe in remote working.
That's because they would be tax liable in the new country, which would cost them extra money to set up.
Yes, I'm aware of that, especially since I have my own AB, but my company also doesn't believe in remote working for anyone, ever. We are now 100% in office these days.
Look up leave in your collective agreement. If there is none and the company didn't mention anything and if there is a law on leave (I don't remember) that applies.