Finnish work life today – features & requirements

1. C & C Career & CompetenceCareercoachinggroup Session 5 Finnishwork life today – features & requirements Milja Tuomaala & Tiina Hämäläinen, University of Oulu, VALOA-project

3. Communication style is formal. Finns do not engage in much small talk and prefer people to speak succinctly, not to discuss themselves or their interests, focusing primarily on work related issues.

4. Finns are limited communicators but very proficient in foreign languages – the fear of making mistakes limits their communication

5. Silence is golden in Finland; do not feel the need to fill every silence that occurs in a meeting.

6. Body language and feedback are limited and difficult to read. Do not be too disheartened if your presentation does not meet with the rapturous applause you had anticipated.

7. Don’t be overly enthusiastic about your proposals. It is necessary to look at the possible downsides before succumbing to optimism. Some would call it pessimism, but Finns think it as realism.

8. Finns are direct and prefer to get down to business quickly. They say what they think and expect you to do the same.

9. Maintain eye contact while speaking.

10. Management style:

11. Finns support a collaborative and participative management style.

12. Low hierarchy and little, if any, antagonism between grass root level and management.

13. Finns like to know exactly the perimeters of their responsibilities and will expect to be allowed to take the decisions which fall naturally within those perimeters.www.worldbusinessculture.com

15. “Official” decisions tend to be taken in a collegiate style by a small group of senior managers. These major decision making processes can take a long time.

16. “Smaller” decisions can be made quickly and implemented as swiftly.

17. Finns are very concerned with quality.

18. Time management:

19. Finland is a controlled-time culture, and adherence to schedules is important and expected.

20. In Finland missing a deadline is a sign of poor management and inefficiency, and will shake people’s confidence.

21. Punctuality is important!

22. Meetings:

23. Meetings can seem strange affairs to people not familiar with Finland or the Finns - long but quiet.

24. Meetings are well-structured, follow a pre-set agenda and are orderly with one person speaking at a time - often seeking permission to speak through the Chair.

25. People will be well prepared, as you are not expected to speak unless you have something concrete to contribute.

26. Finns tend less towards consensus than their Nordic cousins, expecting individuals to take responsibility www.worldbusinessculture.com

28. Relationship building often takes place outside the office: in a restaurant or the sauna. Never turn down an invitation to use the sauna, as it is an entrenched part of the Finnish culture and an important part of relationship building. There will be minimal, if any, small talk.

29. Team work:

30. Finns are more individualist than collectivist

31. But still comfortable working in teams

32. Finnish idea of team-working would tend to be that of a group of capable individuals being given the opportunity to complete well-defined tasks which, when put together, will enable the team to reach its goals.

33. Dress code:

34. A wide variety of styles and levels of formality can be observed – observe how your colleagues dress

35. Other:

36. Employees have been very loyal to employers with little job-hopping taking place (specially in smaller towns/villages).

37. The Finnish working culture is based on equality.

38. Women have historically played a major role in business life and women are found in the most senior positions in large Finnish companies.

39. Diligence, individuality and initiative are highly valued, together with strict observance of agreements and agreed schedules.www.worldbusinessculture.com

40. Exercise5.1Work Culture Star The exercise is found on SlideShare; http://www.slideshare.net/VALOA/documents (C&C trainingmaterial)

41. Finnishwork life - Wages& Conditions of Employment Working Hours Regular working hours are usually at most 8 daily hours and 40 weekly hours. In a two-week period the working hours are not more than 80 hours and in a three-week period 120 hours Wages There is no universal minimum wage in Finland. The collective agreement in most employment branches determines the pay and other minimum employment terms. It is also possible to agree on benefits such as food and residence in addition to the wage. Pay during illness /Sick pay According to the law, an employee who is unable to work due to an illness or an accident is entitled to paid sick leave. After working for the same employer for at least a month, employees have the right to receive sick-leave pay if they are unable to work during to illness or injury. To be entitled to sick-leave pay the working inability must be determined in a way satisfactory to the employer (for ex. a doctors certificate) Annualholidays An employee has a right to receive pay also for the time he/she is on annual holiday. Normally holiday leave accumulates 2 days (when employment has lasted less than 1 year) or 2½ days for each holiday credit month. Normal wages are paid for the time an employee is on holiday. Check: http://www.tyosuojelu.fi/fi/holidays Industrial safety district http://www.tyosuojelu.fi/fi/workingtime provides information on the definition of working time, flexible hours, shift-work, overtime, time-keeping and more. http://www.tyosuojelu.fi/fi/workingfinland/ http://www.expat-finland.com/employment/index.html

43. Income development (salaries and transfer of income)

44. Employment security guarantees

45. Promotion of quality in working life

46. Possibility to join the trade union’s unemployment fund (earnings-related daily unemployment allowance )

47. Trade union members pay a membership fee to the union

48. It is possible to join the union already when you are studying!http://www.infopankki.fi/en-GB/Trade_Unions/

50. Akava - The Confederation of Unions for Professional and Managerial Staff in Finland http://www.akava.fi/en/

51. SEFE - The Finnish Association of Business School Graduates http://www.sefe.fi/portal/en/

52. TEK - Academic Engineers and Architects in Finland http://www.tek.fi/index.php?id=11

53. Akava Special Branches http://www.akavanerityisalat.fi/en/

54. OAJ - Trade Union of Education in Finland http://www.oaj.fi/portal/page?_pageid=515,452376&_dad=portal&_schema=PORTAL

56. Ability to applytheories

57. Knowledge of laws and regulationsrelated to ownfield

58. Ability to analytical and systematicthinking

59. Ability to acquireinformation

60. Criticality for information sources

62. Interactionskills

63. FlexibilityGeneral ”workskills” Organizing and coordinatingskills Project management skills Problem-solvingskills Learning ability Ability for creativethinking Ability for independentworking Initiative Managingskills Flexibility and adaptability Eric Carver

65. Negotiatingskills

68. Special know-how of certain country / culture

69. International attitude / mindset

71. Financial administration

72. Financial planning and follow-up

73. Customerserviceskills

74. Marketing and salesskillsEric Carver