Finland is well-known for holding a high participation rate of both men and women in working life. Collectively, 78% of men and 73% of women work. While this is about the same as the EU-15 average for men, it is considerably higher than the EU-15 average of 57% for women.
Working culture in Finland is generally described in the agreement of profession upon the start of your job. The agreement will explain all of your entitlements regarding office hours, holidays, salary, and so on.
Workers in Finland are supported to use their initiative in their jobs rather than depend on instructions from above. Most companies have a relatively flat hierarchy, and workers are generally good at organizing work. Finns manage to take pride in their job and like to make practical use of their time. Teamwork plays a vital part in the Finnish work atmosphere, men and women are equal and, in the bulk of cases, everyone is on first name terms with each other.
There are several aspects of what it’s like working with Finnish. It has been an experience and knowledge of a whole new country, its charm, and dignity. Aside from strong work ethic, some things surprised us.
- Regularity
To the great pleasure, all the things work as agreed: people are on time, and they appreciate deadlines. Daily working life in Finland is expected; you have responsibilities, you mostly prepare your working day yourself, and you are assumed to obey the rules and regulations. This way you show your regard to your workplace.
- Work Style
Bosses regard their people and remain polite. Very democratic in decision making and charismatic. At Finnish workplaces, directors do not control their workers’ work regularly. A director gives a worker their assignments and requires the employee to settle on the aspects of the task individually. If a worker doesn’t know how to complete the assigned work or can’t do it, they ask their co-workers or the director directly for guidance.
- Communication Style
Finns usually speak out, and speaking out is not supposed rude in Finland. Saying what you mean is also standard in working life. At conferences, the usual plan is to get straight to the point after addressing everybody. A supervisor may not ask how their workers are doing. Instead, they assume that workers will tell them if something is wrong. If you were to translate this from an English point of view to a Finnish one, you might get very different results.
- Working Hours in Finland
Regular working hours are generally at most eight daily hours and 40 weekly hours. Working timings are not rigid, and one can choose to work about 7.5 to 8 hours a day. Maximum people start at 8:00 AM and finish the day by 4:00 PM with nearby 30 minutes of lunch break. It is possible to agree with your worker to change the number of hours you work per week to complete 40 hours weekly. Your workplace will provide a program showing everyone’s working hours and breaks. Also, all workers should keep their account of how many hours they have worked and whether they have been paid precisely.
- Coffee and Lunch
According to a study of the International Coffee Organization, Finns are the world’s biggest coffee drinkers, use 12 kg per person, per year. Finns have coffee at work and continually offer coffee before and during the business meetings. Foreigners ultimately get used to it and start taking coffee as gradually as Finns. There is no option. And there is a different time for lunch as well, which they eat very early, about 11 o’clock.
- Dress Code
For the dress codes, the smart informal dressing is preferred. All Finnish workplaces have a special place where people can hang their long coats and jackets. In business gatherings, a dark color suit with tie is preferred dressing. People wear light and pastel colors in the workplace and avoid very bright colors. Most people carry warm clothes and jackets because of the weather.
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