Maternity leave has never been an obstacle to my career at Danske Fragtmænd

- I started at Danske Fragtmænd as a student worker in the Analysis Department, and most recently, I have worked in the Digitalisation Department, where I have mainly worked with business development and been the link between IT and the business. Where I’ve landed now is something entirely new. I might as well have started at another company. I have to get to know new people and words and see things from a completely different perspective now, says Project and Strategy Manager Sofie Svane.

Sofie Svane is new Project and Strategy Manager at Danske Fragtmænd.

When Sofie Svane was offered the Project and Strategy Manager position in April, she initially turned it down. She was pregnant but wasn’t very far along in her pregnancy and hadn’t yet made it public.

- It was a very difficult situation for me to be in. The job sounded incredibly exciting and a fantastic and unique opportunity for me and my career dreams. However, at the same time, I didn’t think I could accept the position. I was about to go on maternity leave, so I told Maria, our Sales Director, that I was pregnant and could not accept the offer. However, Maria’s response was that she didn’t see it as an issue and that I should go home and reconsider my decision. I accepted the position and am delighted with Maria’s approach to my pregnancy.

Most women will go on maternity leave at some point in their careers, which often means several months away from their workplace. However, Sofie Svane, who also had her first child while working at Danske Fragtmænd, is not worried about going on maternity leave and the time afterwards.

- I don’t feel that maternity leave is or has been an obstacle to my career at Danske Fragtmænd. Despite being in a place in my life right now with young children, I’ve always been given the tools and opportunities to grow within the company. You are not viewed differently at Danske Fragtmænd because you have small children and therefore need more flexibility in your everyday life. Danske Fragtmænd is a company that prioritises work-life balance. I also have several female management colleagues who have had children during their careers at Danske Fragtmænd. Therefore, I’m going on maternity leave with a good feeling that many exciting projects and self-development projects are waiting for me when I return.

Gender equality in the labour market has received a lot of attention, especially in recent years, and in August 2022, the government changed maternity leave, earmarking more weeks for the father. In the wake of this change, the management at Danske Fragtmænd decided to improve the company’s parental leave conditions, with mum, dad and co-parents now receiving 24 weeks of paid parental leave. For Sofie Svane, this means an additional 10 weeks of paid maternity leave compared to when she had her first child.

- It means a lot to our family that I now have 24 weeks of paid maternity leave. It provides a different kind of peace of mind and less worry at a time in your life when you have many other thoughts and worries. In addition, I also think it is impressive that Danske Fragtmænd takes the lead in the transport industry and works for more equal conditions between men and women in the labour market, Sofie concludes.