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Many reports and statements confirm the challenges of international employees in Danish companies giving up on staying in Denmark. Expats lack a social connection to the local area, which is also exacerbated by a lack of language skills, which makes it more difficult to create long-term relationships. For companies, this not only results in a loss of knowledge, but also represents a significant cost for repeated recruitment and onboarding.
In March 2025, the non-profit organisation Sammen På Tværs shared the news that the Otto Mønsted Foundation had made a donation to the organisation’s new initiative to ensure the retention of international workers.
In 2025, Sammen på Tværs successfully developed and tested a model that supported international employees’ connection to everyday life outside the workplace by strengthening their language, connection to social networks and understanding of Danish culture.
Great benefits for participants
37 international employees from Demant, Kayak/Momondo and Aarhus University were matched with a senior volunteer from the employee’s local area. They typically met for a couple of hours once a week at the volunteer’s home during the 12-week project period.
Together Across is a continuation of Elderlearn, which about 10 years ago began matching foreign newcomers with seniors to strengthen language skills and insight into Danish culture. Sammen på Tværs therefore has many years of experience in a broad matching programme based on thorough interviews, community of interest and preparation for the subsequent meetings.
Based on the subsequent evaluation, the project has proven to be a success.
- 90% of participants feel that they have become better at speaking Danish
- 100% of participants continue to meet with their senior conversation partner (at the time of evaluation)
- 90% of participants feel they have improved their Danish language skills
- 100% of participants think that the meetings with the senior went “well” or “very well”,
- 100% of participants would recommend a match through Together Across to other international employees.
- 86% of participants further state that the match has made them feel more at home in Denmark.
The employees’ benefits are clearly stated in the survey, but they also put it into other words:
“Thank you so much for initiating the project. I love meeting my partner and it has made me feel at home in Denmark. It feels like visiting grandma’s house and we have some wonderful conversations. It has helped me a lot with my Danish.”
Aarhus University has also been very satisfied with the collaboration, according to the university’s Expat Partner Advisor, Katrine Rumohr:
“We are involved because we see it as a valuable opportunity to support our international employees in their efforts to learn Danish and at the same time strengthen both their well-being and connection to the local area. Many international employees find it challenging to find an informal and safe environment where they can practice their spoken Danish, and it can also be difficult to establish a network outside the workplace that can give them a sense of local roots.”