How to Live in Denmark17 Elo 2014

Danes and Authority: The giant penis on the wall, or how to deal with Danish civil servants

When you think you're talking to the authorities in Denmark, you're often not talking to the authorities. If it comes to bus service, train service, unemployment compensation, homeless shelters, construction, even fire protection and ambulance services – you will be talking to a private company hired by the authorities.

At any rate, some things are still run directly by the government, like the immigration service and local affairs. So there are some times when you do need to speak to civil servants in Denmark. There is a way to do this.

Put at least a half an hour aside, since you may have to wait in a telephone queue. When it's your turn, the first thing you do is identify yourself by name. 'Hi, this is Kay Xander Mellish." And then state your question. "Somebody has drawn graffiti of a giant penis on the city-owned wall right outside my living room window. Could you send someone to remove it?" That's an actual case, by the way.

When you speak to the Danish civil servant, tone is really important. Danes respond very badly to anger or conflict. You want to take the angle that we're equals all we want to do is get this problem solved together. You want to go in there with a positive, we can do it together! spirit.

Most state workers in Denmark are pretty competent. Working for the state is paid well, and they never ask for bribes. Like most Danes, they want to do their job well, and they feel that they do. Danish civil servants take pride in their work.

That said, it still took six months to get that giant penis graffiti removed.

Tämä jakso on lisätty Podme-palveluun avoimen RSS-syötteen kautta eikä se ole Podmen omaa tuotantoa. Siksi jakso saattaa sisältää mainontaa.

Jaksot(150)

Bakeries and the Danish soul

Just fifteen or twenty years ago, bakeries in Denmark seemed to be dying. They couldn't find staff. Nobody, it was said, wanted to get up in the middle of the night and make bread. The few bakeries th...

27 Syys 7min

13 Quick Tips for Newcomers to Copenhagen

Just arrived in Copenhagen? Welcome to Denmark! Now here's what nobody tells you. From getting an ugly bicycle and navigating the honor system on public transport to dating, drinking, saving money, se...

28 Elo 9min

Copenhagen vs Berlin

Copenhagen and Berlin are less than an hour apart by plane, but very different in spirit. Copenhagen is a mostly clean, mostly safe, mostly well-run, mostly get up early in the morning and get to work...

27 Heinä 7min

Brok: The Danish art of petty complaints

Brok rhymes with clock, and it is a Danish word that describes the petty complaints that are common in one of the happiest countries in the world, and one of the richest. It's complaining as a social ...

24 Kesä 6min

Authenticity and the Danish Summer Light

These are the light times in Denmark. In May and June, it's light until 10 or 11 in the evening, and then the sun is back around 4am. It's a nice contrast to the dark times in winter, although all tha...

28 Touko 8min

My Awkward First Year in Denmark

One thing no one ever tells you about moving to a new country is the incredible awkwardness of it. As a newcomer, you are constantly doing or saying or planning the wrong thing, something that would b...

29 Huhti 9min

The Scheduled Dane: Why Friendship Needs a Calendar

Danes usually don't do spontaneous. They do calendars. This episode looks at why a country that can count 8,000 ballots in three hours still needs two weeks' notice for almost everything else. From pe...

30 Maalis 6min

Danish dinner party customs & why it's OK to break your Royal Copenhagen cup

Some might say that the most Danish piece of furniture is the chair. The Swan Chair, the Egg Chair, the Wishbone chair. They're all international design classics. You can buy a poster with 100 of the ...

15 Helmi 7min