Finnish Work Culture: How Working in Finland Will Affect You As A Foreigner. Finnish Work Environment And Lifestyle.

Finland is one of those countries where the Working culture needs getting used to, especially if you are coming from outside of the Nordic region. I say this because as much as the Nordic countries have their differences in terms of language, culture, and way of life, they do have quite a lot of similarities in the working life.

For example, these societies offer very similar working conditions which are quite favorable compared to working in a lot of other societies. These include flexibility of work, work-life balance, quality of work, job security, and so on.

Recently I published a Blog post where I answered the question whether Finland is a good place to work and live in. In that post I shared some of the regulations on working in Finland, the working conditions, Labour market, and some of the benefits you will enjoy when working in Finland. Here is the blog post below so you can go check it out later: Is Finland A Good Place To Work And Live In? Is Finland A Foreigner Friendly Country? A Double Edged Truth About The Finnish Working Life.

So How Will Finnish Work Culture and Lifestyle Affect You As A Foreigner?

Without doubt, every country or society has it’s own unique work life and economic characteristics. For example, in Nigeria, Lagos state to be specific, the working culture is quite hectic. Most people wake up very early in the morning and are out of the door by 06.00 am or even before in order to beat the traffic and get to work before 08.00 am.

Imagine doing this every morning for a long period of time. It becomes a way of life. However in Finland, the working culture is more relaxed and flexible. As a new foreigner who hasn’t experienced working in any Nordic society, you may find the Finnish Work culture quite different and almost shockingly unreal.

Apart from the benefits and securities of working in Finland which many foreigners coming from a more populated country will most likely find enjoyable, there are a few other ways in which the Finnish working culture will affect or have effect on you as a Foreigner.

Below are some of the things you need to take note of if you plan to not only work in Finland but also to have a long lasting and healthy work relationship with your colleagues and bosses and in the long run build a career in Finland;

1. Time Management and Sticking to Schedules: In Finland, working relationships as well as personal ones are build to a large degree on Trust and Punctuality. These are very important values in the Finnish society as a whole. When you have an agreement with a person and a time is fixed, it is expected of you to stick to what is agreed upon and do it at the time agreed.

The same goes for the work place. As an employee, you have to stick to the plans agreed upon with other work colleagues as well as the work schedule or time table. So if your shifts starts at 8.00 am, you have to be working at 8.00 am. What this means is that you have to be at work at least 15 to 30 minutes earlier, say 07.30 or 07.45 to get yourself ready.

This may be a bit too much for someone coming from a country with a more flexible work culture. If you are coming from a work culture where Timing is not so rigid, then you may find this change to be challenging. For example, there are cultures where it is okay to come at exactly the time that your shift starts.

It means you can report to work at the time stipulated for you on the work time table. And it is even possible to work for your colleague and he or she can work for you. So you guys can easily swap shifts even unofficially without issues. For example, colleagues can cover for one another and do the work meant for another colleague without the boss having a clue.

Of course in Finland, it is also possible to find work places where colleagues help each other out and the schedules are changed due to one reason or the other but it is always done with the approval of the boss or supervisor. And it has to be with a good reason. In the Finnish work culture, not following the work time table, and not doing your part of the agreed upon task can breed distrust towards you. This could also expose you to imminent sack.

2. Communication Style: It goes without argument that the communication style in any work environment of a country is largely influenced by the way of life and cultural practices of the country. For example, Finns are generally believed to be straight forward and honest during conversations.

People say Finns don’t do Small talk, and that is to a large degree very correct. And this same style is reflected in the Finnish work culture. During business meetings, people say things the way they are without being impolite. Most people would go straight into the agenda of the day without beating about the bush or indulging in small talk.

However, I must say that it is not impossible to see a more flexible or free style official meetings. Those too happen but they are more like the exceptions and do not happen very often. So if you are coming from a work culture where meetings are held in very informal modes with dancing and merriment, then this is something you need to take note of.

In a predominantly Finnish work environment, your boss and colleagues will appreciate if you speak honestly, boldly, and politely. A huge part of the communication style is not to interrupt when another person is speaking.

3. Hierarchy in the working environment: In Finland, everyone is equal, and the same goes for the work culture in Finland. In the working environment, all colleagues are equal and most people don’t take hierarchy as serious as may be in other countries. In Finland, titles are not a huge deal.

So many colleagues go by first name basis. This is totally different from what happen in many other cultures, mine included. In Nigeria, you can’t call your boss by his first name. Well you can, if you already cleared your work desk and gotten another job. :D. But seriously though, it is not done.

This is a reflection from the Nigerian culture where older people or people in higher societal standing than you are treated with much respect and reverence. So if you are coming from a similar culture, you will need to get used to calling your boss in Finland by his or her first name.

The same goes for titles. People hardly include their titles or achievements alongside their names. So if you are used to writing Mr, Mrs, Dr, Engr, Barr, etc before your name, when you are working here, you will have to leave all that out of your name.

Although no one would bother or arrest you if you do, it is just not the way things are done here in the Finnish work culture.  You are free to speak to your boss just the way you would speak to your colleagues, share your opinions, and give ideas about work related issues. All in all, there is democracy in the Finnish work environment.

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