Handing In Your Notice: Expressions
Leaving a Swedish job — säga upp sig, uppsägningstid, sista dagen and inte bränna några broar.
Resignation in full legal and human detail: LAS rules and kollektivavtal, motbud resistance, konkurrensklausuler — leaving med hedern i behåll, bridges unburnt.
- 1
säga upp sig
to hand in your notice
Tip: lit. 'say up oneself' — the standard phrase.
- 2
uppsägningstiden
the notice period
Tip: lit. 'the notice time' — usually one to three months in Sweden.
- 3
bli uppsagd
to be let go
Tip: lit. 'be said up' — the passive form means the opposite party decided.
- 4
bli varslad
to be made redundant
Tip: lit. 'be warned' — the formal collective-redundancy term.
- 5
sist in, först ut
last in, first out
Tip: lit. the same — the LAS seniority rule.
- 6
jobba ut sin uppsägningstid
to work your notice
Tip: lit. 'work out one's notice period'.
- 7
bli arbetsbefriad
to be released early
Tip: lit. 'be work-freed' — paid but not required to come in.
- 8
sista dagen
your last day
Tip: lit. the same — usually marked with cake.
- 9
en avtackning
a leaving do
Tip: lit. 'a thanking-off' — the speech, flowers and fika.
- 10
lämna över
to hand over your work
Tip: lit. 'hand over'.
- 11
en överlämning
a handover document
Tip: lit. 'a handover'.
- 12
inte bränna några broar
to not burn any bridges
Tip: lit. the same — Sweden is a small country.
- 13
skiljas som vänner
to leave on good terms
Tip: lit. 'part as friends'.
- 14
gå vidare till något nytt
to move on to something new
Tip: lit. the same.
- 15
känna att det är dags
to feel it's time
Tip: lit. the same — the polite universal reason.
- 16
behöva nya utmaningar
to need a new challenge
Tip: lit. 'need new challenges' — what you say instead of the truth.
- 17
ha växt ur rollen
to have outgrown the role
Tip: lit. 'have grown out of the role'.
- 18
bli headhuntad
to be headhunted
Tip: lit. the same — English loan, Swedish inflection.
- 19
ett motbud
a counter-offer
Tip: lit. 'a counter-bid'.
- 20
vara frestad att stanna
to be tempted to stay
Tip: lit. the same.
- 21
ha bestämt sig
to have made up your mind
Tip: lit. 'have decided oneself'.
- 22
vara referens åt någon
to reference someone
Tip: lit. 'be reference for someone'.
- 23
ett arbetsgivarintyg
an employment certificate
Tip: lit. 'an employer certificate' — you need it for a-kassa.
- 24
a-kassan
the unemployment fund
Tip: lit. 'the A-fund' — union-linked unemployment insurance.
- 25
hålla kontakten
to keep in touch
Tip: lit. 'keep the contact'.
- 26
dörren står alltid öppen
the door is always open
Tip: lit. the same — said at every avtackning.
- 27
lämna ett tomrum efter sig
to leave a gap behind you
Tip: lit. 'leave an empty space after oneself'.
- 28
säga upp sig skriftligt
to resign in writing
Tip: lit. the same — always, even if a chat came first.
- 29
ange sista anställningsdag
to state the last day
Tip: lit. the same.
- 30
uppsägningstiden räknas från den dag du säger upp dig
the notice period starts the day you hand it in
Tip: lit. the same.
- 31
en månad enligt lagen
one month under the law
Tip: lit. the same — LAS minimum for the employee.
- 32
längre enligt kollektivavtalet
longer under the collective agreement
Tip: lit. the same — check before you promise a start date.
- 33
förhandla om kortare uppsägningstid
to negotiate a shorter notice
Tip: lit. the same — usually possible.
- 34
komma överens om tidigare slutdatum
to agree an early release
Tip: lit. the same.
- 35
semesterdagar betalas ut
holiday days paid out
Tip: lit. the same — as cash, on the final payslip.
- 36
slutlönen
the final salary
Tip: lit. the same.
- 37
lämna tillbaka utrustningen
to hand back the equipment
Tip: lit. the same.
- 38
få behörigheten borttagen
to have your access revoked
Tip: lit. the same.
- 39
en konkurrensklausul
a non-compete clause
Tip: lit. the same — read it before signing anywhere.
- 40
en sekretessförbindelse
a confidentiality undertaking
Tip: lit. the same.
- 41
arbetsbefriad med lön
a garden leave
Tip: lit. 'work-freed with pay'.
- 42
ett avslutningssamtal
an exit interview
Tip: lit. the same.
- 43
vara ärlig men inte bitter
to be honest but not bitter
Tip: lit. the same — the right register.
- 44
ett avskedstal
a leaving speech
Tip: lit. the same.
- 45
ett kort som alla har skrivit i
a card everyone has signed
Tip: lit. the same.
- 46
blommor och en tårta
flowers and a coffee cake
Tip: lit. the same — the standard Swedish send-off.
- 47
gå därifrån med hedern i behåll
to leave with your head high
Tip: lit. 'leave with your honour intact'.