IT consultant Sucheta Shrivastava, came to Sweden to manage a large IT project, where modern labour migration regulations enabled her to work outside her native India. "Customer communications for the project were significantly improved with everyone at the same site, and in the same time zone," she noted.
Sucheta Shrivastava has enjoyed her work in Sweden. She relates that her Swedish manager provides support when she needs help in her work or things like finding a flat. The team has worked well together, and with the customer as well.
Migrating to Sweden for this project through her employer has worked very smoothly, as she notes: “Having the visa process go smoothly is important. I had to apply through the company, and they handled the process. I am working under a Schengen visa since work on the project is considered business travel. My contract here is for 90 days. I’m still salaried from my Indian employer and am paid travel allowance for my regular expenses,” she said.
From the heart of India to heavily forested Värmland ?- Ms Shrivastava calls Jabalpur her hometown—which with a population just over one million in central Madhya Pradesh State is only the 38th largest city in India. Madhya Pradesh, though, is the seventh largest state in population with over 75 million inhabitants.
Ms Shrivastava’s Swedish employer, Sogeti (a part of consulting firm Cap Gemini), has 21 offices throughout Sweden, and some 20,000 employees in 15 countries. The project in Karlstad lasted three months in which she led a team of Sogeti developers.
Her job includes designing the system, planning work processes, managing the team and maintaining customer communications. The project, for a Swedish paper mill that wanted system designers and developers consulting on site in Karlstad, was easily filled by Sogeti’s global employee network within CapGemini, where finding the necessary skills was easy.
“Customer communications for the project were significantly improved with everyone at the same site, and in the same time zone. And, learning to know each other helps us better understand the customer’s expectations,” she noted.
When the team worked with colleagues in India, planning meetings had to consider the four and one-half time difference. But this wasn’t difficult when most Indians stay at the office until 7 p.m.
Young developer with significant work experience --?With her five years consulting experience, Ms Shrivastava had the right skills and competencies in producing IT systems, despite her young age. She has worked with US and European companies in several sectors like sales, finance, marketing, distribution, education, and healthcare.
The project in Karlstad got her attention immediately: “As soon as I see an interesting challenge, I like to take the opportunity. Travelling to Sweden for work sounded really exciting. This was my first on-site consultation and I found it very satisfactory,” she said.
One reason for her enthusiasm is the feeling that everything is different in Sweden, adding to the excitement, she relates—liking the lifestyle, working culture, food and dress habits. And, she has tried to learn as much about Sweden as possible. “I would gladly guide my Indian colleagues in Sweden. I can give them a lot of information about how to collaborate and communicate in a Swedish team, and I can show them where to buy Indian food or a bicycle,” she says.
She also highly recommends working in Sweden to ‘anyone’. For those interested, she can testify to how easy it actually is to work in a different culture, just come and give it a try. “You certainly have to work hard, but everything else can be part of the experience too!” She concluded.
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