Many workplaces offer flexibility, allowing employees to choose a schedule that suits their lifestyle.
In Finland, a typical working day is from 8 am to 4 pm. The first little culture shock I experienced was that the work day often starts very early, with some people going out for lunch around 11 am. Another surprise was how dark it is when you arrive and leave the office in winter.
In most companies, the working week is 37.5 hours. Overtime hours are not paid as salary, but as corresponding vacation hours. Therefore, if you work a lot one week, it is normal to work less the next week or get more vacation days.
I think one of the secrets to the happiness of the Finnish people is the country’s work culture.
If you have an appointment or childcare commitment during working hours, it counts as paid time off. In Finland, working on Sundays often means you get double pay.
In Finland, managers and bosses seem to respect employees’ holidays. Colleagues are not expected to respond to emails or take work calls after 4pm. Flextime is intended to give employees more time in the evenings for hobbies, activities or to pick up their kids from school.
As an American, the amount of vacation time I get working in Finland feels like a treasure.
Depending on your industry and length of service, some people can earn up to 38 days of paid vacation per year. For every month you work, you accumulate two and a half days of paid vacation.
Prior to starting her own company, she worked as a content marketing specialist for a company focused on power solutions.
Photo: Jade Wentoniemi
In Finland, there is a law that you have to take two consecutive weeks of summer vacation, and then you can use the rest of your vacation however you like. I like the feeling that you are forced to take vacation in Finland. During the summer vacation, you get a 50% bonus for the number of days you actually take vacation.
Corporate offices in Finland are essentially ghost towns during July. Out-of-office auto-replies abound, and important issues are generally postponed until August at the earliest.
Although I don’t have children yet, I have seen how parental leave really works for my colleagues in different offices in Finland and am looking forward to becoming a working parent here.
For example, parents are offered paid leave and can decide when to take it for different lengths of time. Some companies pay your full salary for the first few months of parental leave, others half, so it depends on the company, but it is usually written in your contract.
If your child is sick and you have to take time off work to care for them, that’s not only allowed but encouraged – in many cases this will count as parental sick leave, which can even be paid time off.
Both of my previous companies had great health and leisure related benefits – one of my favourites was an app called Epassi, which gave me a yearly allowance to take part in a range of work-funded sporting, cultural and health activities.
I’ve used my benefits to buy myself a gym membership, passes to a local ski resort, movie tickets, massages, etc. These perks are really appreciated, because I know I don’t do these things for myself as often as I’d like.
I work remotely from a reindeer farm in Kilpisjärvi, a village in Finnish Lapland.
Photo: Jade Wentoniemi
The Finnish health care system allowed me to see therapists, dentists and physiotherapists free of charge when needed.
One of my workplaces had a “recovery room” where employees could book a session once a month during working hours to relax and unwind using a variety of wellness tools, including therapeutic sonic beds and lymphatic boots.
This was one of the things that was hard for me to get used to at first – many people are happy in their job titles and can easily stay in the same role for years.
I think this comes from the Finnish philosophy of being content because what you have is enough, but frankly, I crave growth and achievement, and in the Finnish corporate environment, I sometimes felt like I had to rethink or curb my ambitions.
When I asked my Finnish friends and family for advice on asking for a promotion, many of them were a bit shocked: they said it’s not normal to ask for a promotion, and instead, to wait until a new position opens up in the company and then apply.
One of the reasons I work for myself now is because I wanted to explore the possibility of realizing my ambitions without limitations or prejudices.
In Finland, the lack of hierarchy in the corporate environment is an extension of the holistic approach to business of people across the country.
There’s a national joke about how it feels like sitting next to the president of Finland at an ice hockey game. It’s the same at work. There’s no one really special.
In some companies, you can casually chat over coffee with the CEO just as you would with any other team member. Everyone, intern or manager, is treated with respect and is called by their first name. Job titles aren’t as important here.
Overall, I love the Finnish corporate culture and I feel like I have gained a real sense of balance instead of being defined solely by what I do at work.
Jade Wendtoniemi Jade is an American who has been living in Finland for the last 5 years. She is a former NCAA basketball player, content creator, and founder of the marketing company Bright Soul Oy. Jade lives in Lahti, Finland with her husband and mini poodle. In her free time, Jade loves the outdoors and loves swimming in frozen lakes and exploring the local forests. Her travels and life in Finland are Instagram or Tick tock.
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