Learn from their work-life balance

May 20 2008 by jez Davison, Evening Gazette

ACCORDING to Dave Armstrong, the rest of the world’s business community could learn a lot from the Norwegians’ ability to achieve a healthy work-life balance.

They might be first to arrive at the office but are prepared to indulge in a bit of stress-busting to break up the day.

“Early one afternoon I telephoned a client and was told to call back in an hour because he was out on his regular run”, says Dave, executive director of Stokesley-based business consultancy firm Armstrong Davis Associates (ADA).

“The Norwegians are very conscious of their work-life balance and don’t work a typical 9-5 day. Often they come in at seven in the morning and leave at three”.

But Dave believes the early start is worth it as the country is “one of the easiest to do business with”, with just about everybody speaking English - even the local supermarket check-out operator.

But be prepared to be patient. The Norwegians like to build up a mutual trust before signing on the dotted line and according to Dave, “don’t like to get down to business straight away”.

Dave and ADA have extensive experience of the Norwegian marketplace, having worked with locally based engineering and construction giant Aker Kvaerner, now Aker Solutions, for the last five years.

Recently ADA was appointed to provide commercial expertise on behalf of Aker Floating Production (AFP), which has been contracted to undertake the supply, operation and maintenance of a floating production, storage and offloading (FPSO) vessel and sub-sea production system. These assets are to be deployed on the Reliance MA oil and gas field in the Bay of Bengal off the coast of India.

In addition ADA, which was founded in 1999 and provides consultancy services to the construction and associated industries, is in “advanced” discussions to win another contract with a Norwegian firm in the hydro-electric power sector. Dave believes the market holds a wealth of opportunities for budding exporters and is relishing the day when he can get a direct flight from Teesside to Oslo, rather than having to go via Amsterdam.

“It would be perfect if we had a direct flight to fast-growing country that’s right on our doorstep”, he says.