Hard work made easy
“When people arrive to work and live in Denmark, it is in everyone’s best interest that they are welcomed and given the best possible start,” says Lars Tobler, founder and director of Eurojob Denmark, which has connected primarily Romanian, Slovakian and Hungarian people to Danish companies in need of employees since 2005. It provides all necessary assistance in regards to interviews, immigration, transportation, taxes and more, easing the process for both the employer and the employee and making everyone happier all-round. “Our job is to make everyone feel as safe and secure in the process as possible,” Tobler says.
With 4,000 people successfully employed through the company, Eurojob Denmark has built up expertise in recruitment within the industrial and agricultural sectors as well as warehouse distribution and cleaning services. The company recruits for both long-term and seasonal work. “We often work with seasonal workers over several years, which means that they get to know Denmark and Danish customs rather well, and that we get to know them and their skillset too,” says Tobler.
Companies, too, become long-term partners. “We take care of all the practical as well as legal matters concerning immigration and getting the employee set up in Denmark,” Tobler explains. “We’ll ensure that everything is set up, from a house and car to NemID and a start-up course. It is hugely important for job performance and the ease of transition that the employee gets a good start in their private life as well.”
A touch of familiarity
When a company requests assistance, Eurojob Denmark’s dedicated Romanian-speaking team conducts interviews at the office in Romania’s second-largest city, Iași, or flies out to meet potential recruits. Apart from checking for fundamental competencies, such as the ability to understand and speak English and how well a candidate matches the specific job description, the interviewers prepare potential recruits for life and work in Denmark – a process that continues in Denmark via Eurojob Denmark’s office in Skjern. “Two of our members of staff are Romanians who have lived in Denmark and been with us for ages,” Tobler notes. “They speak both Danish and Romanian and know the systems and cultures inside and out, which means that there is always someone to call if a problem arises further down the line.”
Eurojob Denmark has had great success in finding the perfect candidate for permanent positions, and even many seasonal employees wind up in permanent positions. “A lot of people will end up staying here, and that is great
for Denmark both economically and socially. We have a population that’s only growing older and we need young, energetic, hardworking people who’ll pay taxes, pick up Danish and set up families of their own,” says Tobler, adding that a lot of the company’s recruits seek out Denmark specifically due to its reputation as the best country in the world for families.
Learning from each other
“Of course, there are some differences in culture, and that occasionally takes some adjustment on both parts,” Tobler continues. “In general, Romanians and Slovakians have an incredible work ethic, and we’ve had people turn up at work with a 40-degree fever because they don’t want to miss it, for example. That comes from a great place, but that’s not quite how we’d do it in Denmark. I love that about my work; it’s all about people and getting to know each other and learning from one-another.”
Lars Tobler has personal experience of being on the other side of the immigration equation. In his younger days, he moved to Canada to work with agricultural investments. “I received such a warm, capable welcome to Canada,” he explains. “We were given a really helpful introduction to the legal and administrative side of things, as well as to the culture, and that was exactly what was needed to get me off on the right foot and make me a productive member of the local society. When I returned to live in Denmark, I’d got to know quite a lot of Romanian people working in Denmark, and it occurred to me that it would really benefit people coming to Denmark, and Denmark itself, to have the same warm support and introduction upon arrival. There are a lot of things we take for granted when we know them – practical as well as more subtle cultural nuances. People need help navigating both types of cultural differences. That’s the service I’m proud to say we’re now providing.”
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