Chapters/Etiquette & Business Pleasure

Romance in the Workplace

The unwritten rules of office relationships in Norway—and why 'sleeping your way to the top' doesn't work here.

6 min readUpdated January 2025

While working in Norway you're going to want to sleep with Norwegians, and that's perfectly alright! After all, Norway's greatest importer of foreigners is not through immigration or job placements, but through love itself.

The "Why Norway?" Question

As a foreigner you'll often be asked, "So, what brought you to Norway?" Norwegians are eager to ask foreigners this question because they are almost always expecting you to say because of love. If you moved to Spain or France, you are far less likely to get this question as often.

Casual Attitudes

If you are lucky enough to sleep with a Norwegian, there's a few social norms to understand. The first is that casual sex is fairly prevalent both in Norway and throughout the Nordics. So slow down there, tiger, and try to avoid falling too head over heels in love after just a single hot night under the sheets.

Separation of Work and Personal Life

Secondly, since there is strong separation between work and social life, it's important those hot romps away from the office don't interfere with office life itself. In an incredibly equalitarian business culture it's important someone is not given special treatment at work, regardless of how good they might be in bed.

Sleeping your way to the top doesn't really happen in Norway. It would also be difficult given that organizations are typically as flat and horizontal as you are when intertwined in bed with a Norwegian.

Key Takeaways

  • Casual relationships are more common than elsewhere
  • Keep work and personal relationships strictly separate
  • No special treatment for romantic partners at work
  • What happens at Julebord stays at Julebord
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About the Author

Sean Percival is an American venture capitalist and author living in Norway. After failing spectacularly to expand a Silicon Valley venture fund into the Norwegian market, he collected his lessons learned into this guide to help others succeed where he initially stumbled.

Read more about Sean →