29 April 2021
Christoffer Sverresvold, hired as Technical Project Manager in Cloud Advisory and Technology, has had a different working life compared to most others this year. He is combining paternity leave with working as a Problem Manager for Norges Bank, the central bank of Norway.
The Problem Manager seeks to minimize the adverse impact of Incidents by preventing them from happening. For Incidents that have already occurred, Problem Management tries to prevent them from happening again.
The workplace is important for Christoffer and he needs to surround himself with good energy and new knowledge.
“I’ve been around, and in my opinion, we have the best work environment. We also have extremely talented and knowledgeable employees where every colleague I've spoken to takes great pride in being a part of the company. If you work hard, you will be challenged to take on bigger tasks and more responsibility”, Christoffer says.
Combining paternity leave with work
In the last couple of months, Christoffer has combined paternity leave with work. He is extremely grateful for the chance to experience this way of working, and he absolutely doesn't take it for granted.
“It's not for everyone, and I would not consider this combination at a different company. This could have been very tricky, if not impossible if it weren’t for the mentality and flexibility of the TietoEVRY management.”
After these months Christoffer has gotten to experience what he suspected before he started his paternity leave. If he lets his brain work, he is more happy and present on paternity leave too.
“With two kids it's full speed anyway, why not embrace it? My workplace is important to me, and humans tend to get lazy if they are mentally inactive for too long, I included. So, for me this arrangement helped me keep away from inactive mentality, something that made it easier for me to be the happy and engaged father my daughter deserves”, he continues.
Finding the perfect balance between parenting and work is the key
Christoffer knows that working 50 % and taking out paternity leave 50 % is not only a bed of roses, and he thinks the key is planning.
“I needed to make a good plan for how this would work in real life. So when my daughter is sleeping during the day and night, I try to do as much work as possible. This makes me more present around my daughter when she is awake because I have then gotten to use my brain and get updates on what is happening. When she awakes I have the structure to put away work and be present with her. This also makes it much easier for me to get back to work when the paternity leave is over.”
Not all people would choose this way, but Christoffer is convinced that the same mentality on flexibility would benefit a lot of people.
“People live different lives, with a variety of challenges every day. In my case, I have two kids and hectic life. For me, flexibility is a luxury. And I’m convinced that the times we live in have made our life hectic, not only for me but for a lot of other people in different situations. That is why I’m so grateful for TietoEVRYs way of thinking about flexibility. We hear a lot of companies talking about the freedom and the flexibility they can give you, but I’m an example that TietoEVRY not only gives it to you but also are happy and positive about it.”
When we ask Christoffer at the end of the interview if he would recommend people to do the same as he, he answers with a smile.
“As Maverick says in Top Gun, I feel the need for speed. So if you feel the need for speed - go for it!”