If you live in Örnsköldsvik, you have probably seen that we have been nominated for “Normbrytare of the Year,” with the award to be presented at this year’s business gala. It feels great to be nominated, but receiving awards is not the reason we do things the way we do. I would like to take the opportunity to describe how we, Maria and I, think and make decisions when running the company.
I can say without hesitation that neither Maria (CEO) nor I see ourselves as norm breakers. There is nothing rebellious about what we do. Let’s, for example, look at the fact that the majority of managers at Brath are women. That is unusual in tech-heavy companies. Our choice of managers has been completely undramatic—we have simply handpicked the people we are convinced are best suited for their roles. We have not placed people in positions based on any ambition for gender equality as such, but based on a desire to be the best at what we do.
What most people are probably familiar with—our six-hour workdays—is also not particularly politically motivated for us. We are not aiming for some sweeping transformation of Sweden; of course, there are those who find that important, but we almost always focus on what is best for our company and our employees. Naturally, this has attracted quite a bit of attention (most recently, I sat down with the BBC this past weekend), and there are of course many who want to point to us as proof that shorter workdays can work. We did not introduce shorter workdays to win an election; we did it because we were convinced it was good for our company. Our employees feel better, and therefore our company is stronger.
What I really want to say today is something as simple as this: we probably should not be seen as norm breakers—we should be seen as the norm. We do what any sensible business owner should do: what we believe is best for the company.
And if we must add some nuance in closing—yes, sometimes we do stick our necks out for something we truly believe in. Things that are even more important than running a healthy company. Our belief in people, for example.
If you want to read more about the nomination, you can find it at Allehanda and Webben7.
