Three years ago, I moved to Sweden and joined Oneflow. I came from a culture where summer meant a lighter workload, maybe a long weekend, and definitely keeping one eye on Slack. So when July rolled around and people started vanishing, really vanishing, I was confused. And, to be honest, I didn't take the full weeks off during my first Summer. I insisted on still working a couple days a week. Fearful of... I have no idea really.

In most places, you plan your vacation around work. In Sweden, you plan work around vacation. By late June, the office (virtual or not) starts to quiet down. Slack threads go silent. Calendars clear. The out-of-office replies all start to sound like this: "I’ll be back in August. If it’s urgent, try someone who’s still around… if you can find them."

At first, I thought it was chaos. But then I realized it was a carefully orchestrated cultural choreography.

The good: A masterclass in switching off 🌼🛶

This isn’t just time off. It’s a full cultural reset. Swedes take their summer seriously, four to six weeks of real, uninterrupted disconnection. People head to summer houses where the Wi-Fi is patchy but the blueberry bushes are thriving. They swim in lakes, take up unnecessarily ambitious DIY projects, and fully commit to the noble art of doing absolutely nothing.

When everyone collectively hits pause, it creates a kind of national breathing room. And once you embrace it, it’s magic. You come back in August with a clearer mind, a renewed motivation, and a drive to "get s#!t done".

The tricky bit: SaaS doesn’t take summers off 📈🧩

Of course, software doesn’t care about Swedish vacation laws. Deals still need closing. Customers still have questions. Servers still hum. The product doesn’t stop just because half the team is perfecting their tan lines in the archipelago.

What makes it work is the prep. In the months leading up to summer, things move fast. Pipelines are built, sprints are planned, campaigns are queued, and handovers are sharp. Salespeople know that if they must book a July meeting with a Swedish client, they’d better bring a boat. 🛥️😎 As for the people who are holding down the fort (and bless them), they aren’t scrambling, they’re supported. And if you're new at Oneflow, you learn to lean into this. 

The culture shift: Balance, but for real ⚖️🌍

Before moving here, I didn’t know it was possible to take a full month off without guilt, or negative career consequences. Where I came from, long vacations looked like you weren’t committed. If you were not working, then who would do your job? Here, not taking time off is what raises eyebrows.

Sweden doesn’t just talk about balance. It builds it into the system and working during Summer isn't a badge of honor, it’s more of a red flag. Taking time off and truly disconnecting is expected. No sneaky Slack peeks or virtual meetings from the beach. Just rest.

 My colleagues have encouraged me from the beginning: “Log off. Seriously. Go enjoy yourself.” Whether that means the Swedish countryside or a rooftop in Barcelona, the point isn’t where you go, it’s that you go.

What I’ve come to love about it 💼🌞

It took time to adjust. But now, I see the rhythm for what it is: smart, healthy, and actually quite strategic. When people return from summer, you feel it. Ideas start flowing, momentum picks up, and there's this unspoken energy in the room (and online).

At Oneflow, summer isn’t a disruption to business, it’s part of how we do business. We plan for it, we respect it, and we come back better for it.

So yes, half the team disappearing in July might seem wild. But behind it is something much deeper: trust, preparation, and a belief that rest isn’t a luxury, it’s fuel.