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‘My last day at Spotify’: Techie quits as firm refuses his request to work half-time
A Danish man has sparked a discussion on social media by announcing his decision to quit Spotify because the firm refused to let him cut his work hours by half.
A Danish man has sparked a discussion on social media by announcing his decision to quit Spotify because the company refused to let him cut his work hours by half. Rasmus Dall announced his resignation in what social media users called “the most Scandinavian LinkedIn post ever” — referring to the country’s social security and welfare system that is widely considered one of the best in the world.
Dall explained in the post that he had resigned from Spotify because the company refused to let him “go half time” so he could focus on building his own distillery.
In Denmark, part-time or half-time employees work fewer than the standard 37-hour full-time workweek. They are entitled to the same rights as full-time employees on a pro-rata basis.
“I asked to go half time”
“Today was my last day at Spotify and possibly my last day in tech,” Rasmus Dall said in his LinkedIn post, explaining that he quit the music streaming service provider because he no longer wanted to work full time.
“I wish to spend more time building my distillery (www.gedelille.dk) and as such I asked to go half time,” he revealed. “This was denied and therefore I am no longer at Spotify.”
Dall, who worked as a research scientist at Spotify, acknowledged that companies rarely want to hire half time employees, and that his decision to quit might sound the death knell for his career in tech.
“Since companies seldom wish to hire half time employees, this might be it for me and tech. It's been a ride and I am looking forward to my next chapter as a distiller of fruit and berry brandies from my own orchard,” he wrote.
He ended his post by asking his LinkedIn connections to reach out if they knew of a suitable part-time role. “Otherwise, this is me, signing off from the hustle. Bye!” said Dall.
Post sparks debate
The Danish man’s post reached X, where it has reached half a million views and sparked a discussion on Scandinavian social security.
“this is the most Scandinavian LinkedIn post i have ever read,” wrote the person who shared the screenshot on LinkedIn.
“This is what we in the Anglo West dream of,” another said.
“Everyone in tech dreams of writing this post,” a user added.
“In the Netherlands part time jobs are quite common, it's stupid that it isn't more accepted,” an X user wrote.
(Also read: Norwegian boss scolds Indian employee for working on Saturday: ‘I broke in tears’)
