What to wear
Don’t skip a day with your tie when doing business dealings in Sweden. Men who mean business in this country are usually seen in quality suits over shirts that are matched with silk ties. On the other hand, women should put on conservative clothing as courtesy to locals they are in business with. Always take note that since Swedish values lean on an egalitarian structure, you are not to wear anything extravagant in respect to your peers.

What to bring
Swedes are focused on details and are direct to the point. If you are to present something, make sure you bring all documents necessary for your presentation. Mind the small details you give and make sure to support it with precise and relevant data that will add value to your discussion. Don’t forget to bring just enough and not too much confidence and of course your business card if you are going to do a business meeting with anyone for the first time. Although there’s no specific rules governing the giving of business cards, since most Swedes are excellent English speakers, it isn’t necessary for Swedish translations of your card to be available on the other side.

What to expect
Swedes that do serious business are never late, and so should you. It is courteous to set an appointment with at least two weeks advance notice to make sure you don’t cause anyone’s schedule a sudden cancellation. During a meeting, skip the small talks and go dive into the subject matter right away. Locals don’t engage in discussions irrelevant to the agenda, so make sure your flow of discourse is in one direction. Don’t panic when there is a long silence. Swedes aren’t in a rush to fill quiet moments so try to calm down and keep it low-key.

What you should know
Firms in Sweden are usually flat and less hierarchical organizations. Most decisions in companies may even be arrived at informally. This also means that a person in a higher position, for example a director, has lower social barriers with his or her subordinates and lower ranking positions may directly raise their concerns to higher ups. This shortens the chain of commands and contributes to Sweden’s ease of doing business.

It was previously mentioned that Swedes value equality between genders, and this is observed just the same in the corporate setting as well. Unlike other countries, Sweden’s values and culture have been helpful in bridging the gap between genders inside offices. Economic opportunities may not be totally equal for all, but Sweden is ahead of its neighboring countries in accepting diversity and promoting equality in organizations. Nowadays, parental leaves may even be split between parents. Although it’s the mothers who commonly take most of the leaves, numbers of stay-at-home dads are also on the rise. Some companies are considerate enough to find solutions for parents regardless of their gender; making resolutions such as ‘no meetings after 3pm’ to allow them to pick up their kids at school.

Sweden was once featured for having a unique leave of absence system; permitting their employees to create their own businesses. Full-time workers in the country have the right to take a six-month long leave of absence for purposes such as studies, launching a business, or taking care of a relative. But Sweden is still not far from the usual in terms of work. Their full employment is the usual 40 hours per week and breaks are given after 5 consecutive working hours. Leave benefits are also existent and the common ones given by companies are the following: