Finland: Culture
This guide to business culture and etiquette in Finland is courtesy of Executive Planet
Finns are very punctual and expect the same of foreigners. Traffic is usually rather dependable, so you can’t use that as an excuse for being late. In case you are late (for a very good reason), call or send an SMS apologizing and giving the time when you’ll be there.
Office hours are between 09.00-16.00 and all appointments made in between are ok.
In offices people have lunch at different times between 11.00-13.00. In some places a one-hour lunch break is the norm, but in offices it is much shorter.
There are very short introductions (just a few sentences at most) with a cup of coffee and then straight down to business. If a meeting is scheduled for one hour, it usually ends after one hour as someone says that he/she has to go to another meeting or somewhere else. There is no ritual like a handshake to formally end a meeting, but sometimes hands are shaken when foreigners are present or deals are made.
July and August are the best summer months and practically everyone is on vacation in July. Nothing much gets done then.
Finland's regular working week is 37.5 hours long. Workers in Finland cannot be required to work overtime without their consent. Finns earn four to five weeks of paid vacation each year.
In business, Finns dress conservatively, usually dark business suits in the winter and light suits in the summer for both men and women.
Dress codes depend very much on the industry and workplace traditions though they have relaxed substantially over the years. Men typically wear suits or jacket and shirt, often leaving the tie out. Jeans or chinos have become very popular too. Women dress basically like other western women in the workplace.
Dressing for social functions is casual unless it is specially mentioned in the invitation.
Finns are very minimalistic in giving compliments. After some time, a foreigner gets a feeling that compliments are almost non-existent. On getting compliments, Finns just thank and don’t dwell on it. But then in organizational surveys Finns always complain that they get so little feedback. Compliments are viewed with suspicion if they suspect that it is too sweet or flattering and has no basis in reality.
The Finns are generally quite tolerant of newcomers to their country.
Finns are private people who tend to avoid public displays of emotion. Unlike neighbouring Russians, Finns are not very touchy, especially the men. Backslapping is rarely seen in Finland and is perceived as very patronising.
When talking to a Finn, remember not to group Finns together with citizens of other Nordic countries, particularly not Sweden.
Many foreigners find the Finns' tolerance of silence strange. Finns avoid small talk as they feel uncomfortable with small talk.
Finns never interrupt when someone is speaking and tend to distrust those who talk too much.
Finns usually use first names, unless there are big differences in age or rank or it is a very formal setting. Titles such as “Doctor” are not used in speech very much nowadays.
Finns have been using the “sinä” form of familiar and informal address for the last 40 years (corresponds to “Du” in German or “Tu” in French). This is what you would hear in shops, on buses and on the street. But recently there is a trend to move back to a politer form (“Te” corresponds to “Sie” in German or “Vous” in French).
Unlike the Americans, Finns don’t repeat first names when meeting and feel slightly uncomfortable with this practice.
Any gift that the foreigner brings is appreciated, but it shouldn’t be very valuable as this is embarrassing.
Company gifts like umbrellas, pens or scarves and bags with the company logo on them are common.
When visiting a home, a bottle of wine or a bouquet of flowers is appreciated.
The working style is individualistic, and people are used to working alone and hard. Team working is becoming more common, though, and interest in social and communication skills is growing.
Finns believe in a meritocratic system, but connections are important and they can open doors.
Business cards can be printed in English alone, but also in English and in Finnish on the reverse. Exchanging cards is an abrupt affair with no rituals.
Nowadays, it is common practice to have lawyers go over all business contracts. Finnish lawyers are experienced in dealing with foreigners and fluent in English.
Finns believe in continuous learning and work very hard to upgrade their skills continuously. Usually Finns are rather pragmatic and not very conservative when it comes to new ideas as long as the ideas make sense.
Meetings are usually matter of fact where everyone who wants to speak should present their case factually. In Finnish meetings, people state facts, even unpleasant ones, rather bluntly without any softening or beating about the bush.
Brochures and promotional materials are usually printed in Finnish, but nowadays in the metropolitan area of Helsinki, solely English language materials are also frequently used.
Presentations in Finland typically consist of Power Point recitals with facts presented in bullet points and the presenter talking. The other people in the meetings listen quietly while taking notes and interrupt only occasionally. Questions and comments are left for the session after the presentation when there is discussion.
The typical pace of business in Finland is rather brisk with things happening in clearly visible phases. Finns at work are thorough and sincere. A saying that gives a good picture is “Everything that is worth doing, is worth doing well”.
An agreement is considered final when a paper contract is signed. The country has an independent and well functioning judiciary to take care of contract disputes.
Finns are typically analytical thinkers and tend to focus more on technical facts rather than emotional appeal.
Company policy is followed rather strictly and exceptions are not made easily. When there is overwhelming evidence that the policy has to be changed, it is changed. This change is transparent and publicly visible.
Finns usually have lunch between 11.00-13.00 at work. Dinner is between 18.00-21.00.
Business entertainment takes place in any of the hundreds of city restaurants. Sometimes people go the theatre, opera, concerts or ice hockey matches with their guests. It is quite common to take visitors to experience the sauna and then to eat dinner with lots to drink. Finns don’t understand easily that many foreigners are not very comfortable when they have to go to the sauna naked with other males.
People usually arrive on time at a social event.
The etiquette concerning seating at a dinner table is the same as in other northern European cultures. Being seated next to the host/hostess is a great honour. In formal invitations, seating arrangements are specified.
In Finland, the proper etiquette for eating and table manners is very European. The host/hostess will offer a refill only once and if the guest says ‘no’, the offer will not be repeated. You are supposed to eat everything on your plate.
If the visitor does not drink alcohol, he/she should clearly say so and Finns are comfortable with someone not drinking alcohol.
In formal dinners, the host/hostess makes the first toast welcoming the guests. After that anyone can make a toast by raising his/her glass and proposing a toast. In small gatherings, everyone jingles glasses with others.
Any food is acceptable at a banquet. Many people, particularly women, are very particular though about what they eat as they may be lactose intolerant or would like to avoid gluteins/caseins. It is good to also label such food clearly and also to have vegeterian dishes.
A short reply confirming your acceptance is enough. When declining, thank for the invitation and give a reason why you can’t attend.
In restaurants, tipping is not standard practice as service is included in the bill. But people leave some tips if they are happy with the food or service. Leaving only small tips such as 10 cents is insulting.
The rules for greeting strangers or introducing yourself are very similar to northern European practice, though Finns are more restrained and don’t show much emotion.
Men and women shake hands quite comfortably.
Shouting loudly, making a scene or drawing too much attention to oneself are considered rude.
Finns maintain eye contact when talking with others and this is considered important as they think that people who do not maintain eye contact are hiding something or are dishonest.
The Finnish Sauna
For the Finns, the sauna is more than just a place to wash themselves. It is a complex of many traditional customs and beliefs. Whereas still in the beginning of the 1900´s almost all saunas were traditional smoke saunas, today the electric stove has almost completely taken over.
Because of its naturalness, the Finnish way of sauna bathing comes in many forms — no Finn could ever say to another about sauna bathing that “you are doing it wrong”. No clothes or swimming suits are used in the sauna. Usually men and women do not go together to the sauna, except in families.
Finland (Finnish name Suomi) is a parliamentary republic since 1919; the country became an independent state in 1917 and became a member of the European Union in 1995.
The current population is 5.2 million.
The capital Helsinki has 559 700 residents.
Finland is an advanced industrial economy or as the Finns call it an information society: The metal, engineering and electronics industries account for 50 % of export revenues, the forest products industry for 30 %.
Finland is said to be ‘the most on-line nation in the world’, with more mobile phones and Internet connections per capita than any other country.
In 2006 Finland won the Eurovision song contest with the highest points ever after getting dismal ranking every year for 40 years. So much for Finnish “Sisu” or perseverence.
Geography
With a surface area of 338 000 sq. km., Finland is the sixth largest country in Europe. A quarter of its total area lies north of the Arctic Circle.
Finland’s neighbouring countries are Sweden, Norway and Russia, which have land borders with Finland, and Estonia across the Gulf of Finland.
Of Finland's total surface area 10% consists of water, 69% of forest, 8% of cultivated land and 13% of other areas.
There are some 190 000 lakes, 5,100 rapids and approximately as many islands.
Finland is the most heavily forested country in Europe, with 23 million hectares under forest cover.
Europe's largest archipelago, which includes the self-governing province of the Åland Islands, lies off the southwest coast.
Climate
Cold winters and warm summers mark the climate. In the far north, beyond the Arctic Circle, the sun does not set for about 73 days, producing the white nights of summer. In the same region, during the dark winter period, the sun remains below the horizon for 51 days, creating the polar night known in Finnish as kaamos. This long dark period is very challenging to people who are not used to it.
The summers are generally fantastic. To celebrate this warmth and sunlight, after the long and very cold winter, the Finns slow down at the beginning of June and serious business only resumes in the third week of August when children go back to school.
Children have a long 10 weeks of summer holidays and most families spend time in their summer cottage (kesämökki). During the summer months, companies and organizations function with skeleton staff and nothing much serious gets done.
Short History
The coastal area in Finland has been inhabited for at least 10 000 years. There is still a debate about from where “the first Finns” really came. The prevailing theory is that people came both from southeast (the Ugrians), south and west. The first Christian missionaries came from Sweden and in 1155 Finland became part of the Swedish realm. From 1809 to 1917 Finland was a rather semi-autonomous Grand Duchy with the Russian Czar as constitutional monarch represented by a governor general.
Finland has always been scarcely inhabited, and until the middle of the 19th century, looked upon themselves as “Carelians”, or “Savonians”, rather than Finns. People lived in scattered villages (examples of Finnish old farm houses can be seen at the Seurasaari outdoor museum in Helsinki), where they were farmers, fishermen and hunters.
The period of independence and the following civil war in 1917 was rather severe. Finland came out of this as the only country in the world to fully pay its war debts on time. During World War II, with its back to the wall, Finland bravely fought two wars with the mighty Soviet Union and survived significant territorial losses and war reparations to become a modern post-industrial nation, which staged the Olympic games in 1952.
Religion
About 85% of the population belong to the Evangelical Lutheran Church, while 1.1% belongs to the Greek Orthodox Church.
Most people are fairly secularised, and religion is not a conspicuous feature of everyday life. Nevertheless, the Church and its servants are held in esteem, and religious convictions are respected. It is difficult to point out differences between those with a personal faith and everyone else; perhaps the former follow a more moderate way of life.
Government
The head of state is the President of the Republic who is elected for a period of six years and may serve a maximum of two consecutive terms. President Tarja Halonen was elected first in 2000.
The government must have the confidence of parliament (the Eduskunta) which has 200 members elected by universal suffrage every four years.
Prime Minister Matti Vanhanen, the deputy leader of the Centre Party, heads the multiparty coalition government formed in 2003.
The Finnish People
The population of Finland is approximately 5 200 000, with a population density of 17 persons per square kilometre. 65 % of the population now live in urban areas.
The three cities of Helsinki, the capital, population 560 000, Espoo, 217 000, and Vantaa, 180 000, form the Helsinki metropolitan region, which is now home to roughly a sixth of the country’s total population.
The number of foreign citizens living permanently in Finland was about 113 925 in December 2005. The biggest groups were from the neighbouring countries Russia, Estonia and Sweden.
Among families with children, the average number of offspring is 1.8. Women on average outlive men in Finland.
Average life expectancy for females is 81.5 years and for males 74.6 years.
Languages
The official languages of Finland are Finnish and Swedish, the latter spoken as a mother tongue by about 6 % of the people. Another indigenous minority language is Saame, spoken by the Saame people (also known as Lapps) of Lapland. English is widely spoken as a foreign language, and it is commonly used in business
Economy
Finland’s road to industrialisation started in the 19th century with the harnessing of forest resources. Forests are still Finland’s most crucial raw material resource, although the engineering and high technology industries, led by Nokia, have long been the leading branches of manufacturing. Besides Nokia, Valmet (paper machines) UPM-Kymmene (pulp and paper) are important industrial companies.
The most important export product today is the mobile phone and Finland is one of the few European countries whose exports exceed imports in data and communications technology.
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 1.7% (2006 est.)
Unemployment rate: 7% (2006 est.)
Public debt: 37.7% of GDP (2006 est.)
The cost of living in Finland is about the same as in other EU countries.
Currency is Euro.
Education and Research
All children receive compulsory basic education between the ages of 7 and 16. Education beyond the age of 16 is voluntary, taking the form of either a three to four-year course in upper secondary school or 2 to 5 years at a vocational school.
There are 21 universities or institutes of higher education, with a total student population of around 158 000, of whom 52 % are women. 66 % of the population have completed post-primary education and 17 % have a university degree or equivalent qualification.
R&D expenditure in relation to GDP has risen continuously and reached 3.6 % of GDP in 2004.
Health care
Health care in Finland is publicly funded. Basic health care is provided by “health care centres” (terveyskeskus), run by the municipalities. Every resident belongs to a health centre, located in the area where he/she lives. They provide medical consultations, laboratory tests etc, and will also write medical certificates for the employer in case or sick leave.
Legislation
Finnish legislation is very similar to that of other EU countries.
Coming to Finland
People from the EU (European Union) and EEA (European Economic Area) countries do not need a visa to enter the country. If you are a citizen of any other country you must apply for an entry visa at the nearest Finnish Embassy or Consulate.
Foreigners generally need a residence permit in order to stay in Finland for more than three months. A residence permit is also required for a stay lasting less than three months if the foreigner who is coming to Finland intends to work.
The “Typical Finn” – a generalized picture
The picture of the typical Finn has changed quite a lot during the last decade. Finns used to say that they came straight from the woods, had no sophistication, and were shy and introverted. Today they picture themselves as already today living in tomorrow’s society (although still unable to do small talk), and there is no question that their self-esteem is much better than it has been.
In Finland everyone shares the same basic rights and advantages. Democracy and equality are highly valued with little noticeable differences between social classes. This can be noticed in a certain modesty in homes, behaviour, dress and company facilities. Organisations are often flat and not hierarchic, and the general notion of equality also prevails.
Generally speaking, Finland is a country with a ‘low context’ culture: verbal communication is paramount — “a word spoken is a message delivered”. Emotions are not openly expressed in Finland, unless among close friends or relatives. Privacy is very important to Finns, and they want to leave other people in peace, just as they want to be left in peace.
The working style is individualistic, and people are used to working alone and hard. Team working is becoming more common, though, and interest for social and communication skills is growing.
Important things in life to Finns are family, friends and NATURE.