Finnish Dos and Donts

Finland: dos and donts

Compliment Finns, even though
they dont take compliments well
and dont necessarily know how
to reply.
Keep in mind that two things are
expensive: alcohol and gas. And
yet, both are consumed in high
volumes.
Offer to buy a drink if youve
made a new friend in a bar. But
keep in mind, Finns can hold
their drinks well, and you may not
be able to keep up the pace of
drinking.
Remember that Finnish women
are independent and believe in
equality.
Shake hands with everyone pres-
ent-men, women and children-at
a business or social meeting.
Shake hands again when leaving.
Keep your hands visible when
eating. Keep your wrists resting
on the edge of the table.
Maintain eye contact when speak-
ing to someone.
At a dinner party, bread, shrimp
and crayfsh are the only foods
eaten by hand. Even fruit is eaten
with utensils.
At a dinner party, accept second
helpings.
At a dinner party, men should
keep their jacket on at meals un-
less the host removes his.
At a dinner party, when passing
salt and pepper shakers, put them
on the table within the persons
reach. Do not give them directly.
At a dinner party, fnish
everything on your plate. Finns
do not appreciate waste.
Finns take punctuality for busi-
ness meetings very seriously and
expect that you will do likewise;
call if you will be more than fve
minutes late.
Finns do not make small talk;
they get right to business.
The Managing Director is the
decision maker.
Two- to three-minute pauses of
silence are common. Dont inter-
rupt this silence.
The sauna is a venerated Finnish
tradition. Business discussions
may be held in a sauna, or a busi-
ness lunch may be preceded or
followed by a sauna.
Conversation may continue ap-
proximately one to two hours af-
ter dinner. Never leave until cof-
fee/dessert/cognac is fnished.
Finns insist on punctuality for
both business and social occa-
sions.
Checks in restaurants are never
split. If you make the invitation,
you pay.
The offce dress code is conserva-
tive and fairly informal.
Gifts are normally not exchanged in
business meetings, but small gifts
may be appropriate at the success-
ful conclusion of negotiations.
Books, cognac, local/national gifts,
recordings, art, glass, liquor are ap-
preciated gifts.
When invited to someones home,
always bring a small gift for the host-
ess. Give: fowers (odd numbers are
best; white and yellow fowers are for
funerals only; tulips are a favourite),
wine, chocolates. Do not give: potted
plants.
A foreign businesswoman may in-
vite a Finnish man to dinner and
pay without any diffculties.
Good topics of conversation -
cross country skiing, ice hockey,
Formula 1, sailing, fshing, the
Finnish educational system, the
weather, travelling, everything
related to nature and sauna.
If a meeting is scheduled for one
hour, it usually ends after one
hour.
Its ok to drink ridiculous quantities
of alcohol in Finland, so be pre-
pared to have an open-minded
attitude towards it.
In Finnish meetings, people state
facts, even unpleasant ones, rath-
er bluntly without any softening
or beating around the bush.
Punctuality. A visitor should apologize even for
being late for a few minutes. Being late for longer
usually requires a short explanation. 15 minutes is
usually considered the threshold between being
acceptably late and very late. Some will leave
arranged meeting points after 15 minutes. Send a
text message even if you are only a few minutes
late. Being late for a business meeting, even by 1-2
minutes, is considered bad form.
Practically every Finnish house
has a sauna of its own.
Business negotiations in Finland
are often held in offces, busi-
ness meetings or negotiations in
restaurants are very rare.
Everymans right the freedom to
roam means that you can pick wild
berries, mushrooms and fowers, as
long as they are not protected spe-
cies and fsh with a rod and line an-
ywhere that is not private property.
When Finns get together for a chat,
coffee is invariably part of the scene.
But note that the coffee in Finland
is usually not as strong as in Central
and Southern Europe.
Gifts are opened when received.
Dont compare Finns to Swedes as
there is a frm rivalry between these
nations. Finns are very proud of
their distinct cultural identity.
Business cards are exchanged
without formal ritual.
Dont wonder out loud why Sweden
has more world-famous products,
artists, and athletes than Finland,
or why the western neighbour al-
ways beats Finland in ice hockey.
Too much to handle for the touchy
Finns.
Finnish zither (kantele) is the na-
tional instrument.
Dont hesitate to talk to the person next
to you in a bus, metro or a tram. The al-
most-hostile look is deceiving, and in most
cases youll get a response, which could be
the start of a real conversation. Finns follow
the news, both domestic and international,
and have strong opinions about the events.
No such attitude as whatever.
Finns recycle 90% of the cans and
bottles. Recycling stations are found
in most grocery stores and you re-
ceive between 10c and 40c per item.
Make an effort and say, Excuse
me, if you want to pass some-
one. But dont expect a reaction.
Learn a few words in Finnish,
even though its hard. Its an
ego-booster for a Finn to hear a
foreigner speak his language.
Refrain from discussing architect Alvar
Aalto or composer Jean Sibelius; in-
stead,talk about contemporary talent,
like singer Karita Mattila or conductor
Esa-Pekka Salonen. Know a few ath-
letes names, and youve made friends
for life.
Keep some physical distance from
Finns. Respect their shyness and
desire for privacy.
At a dinner party, do not begin
eating until the hostess invites
you to start.
Do poke fun at yourself and your
country, but never make fun of
others. Finns appreciate dry wit
and enjoy self-deprecating hu-
mour. They tend to enjoy irony
and have a rather subtle sense of
humour.
At a dinner party, when you have
fnished eating, place your knife
and fork across your plate with
the prongs facing down and the
handles facing to the right.
Doing business in Finland takes
time and patience.
Business can be discussed at any
time during lunch, but is not dis-
cussed during dinner, only after
coffee.
The seemingly serious Finns have
a dry but sharp and sarcastic sense
of humour.
Women are treated as equals in
business and at home.
Your host might say Kiitos
(thank you) after having eaten a
dinner together with you to thank
you for the great company.
July and August are the best
summer months and practically
everyone is on vacation in July.
Nothing much gets done then.
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 tradi-
tions though they have relaxed substantial-
ly over the years. Men typically wear suits
or jacket and shirt, often leaving the tie out.
Finlands regular working week is
37.5 hours long. Workers in Fin-
land cannot be required to work
overtime without their consent.
Finns earn four to fve weeks of
paid vacation each year.
Finns are very minimalistic in giv-
ing compliments. After some time,
a foreigner gets a feeling that com-
pliments are almost non-existent.
On getting compliments, Finns just
thank and dont dwell on it.
Finns never interrupt when
someone is speaking and tend to
distrust those who talk too much.
The working style is individualis-
tic, and people are used to work-
ing alone and hard. Team work-
ing is becoming more common,
though, and interest in social and
communication skills is growing.
Finns usually use frst names,
unless there are big differences in
age or rank or it is a very formal
setting.
Finns believe in continuous learn-
ing 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.
The typical pace of business in Fin-
land is rather brisk with things hap-
pening in clearly visible phases. Finns
at work are thorough and sincere.
Their saying that makes it clear is,
Everything that is worth doing, is
worth doing well.
Finns are typically analytical think-
ers and tend to focus more on tech-
nical facts rather than emotional
appeal.
An agreement is considered fnal
when a paper contract is signed.
The country has an independent
judiciary to take care of contract
disputes.
Sisu is a concept used to describe a certain
feature that is considered by Finns to be typi-
cally Finnish. Sisu is what makes a Finn grit
his teeth against all odds; continue fghting
against an overwhelming enemy; clear the
forest with his bare hands; go on to win a
race even after falling over. Sisu is what it
takes- guts, determination.
When a Finn says something,
he/she really means it and rarely
changes his/her mind about de-
cisions already made earlier.
Finns believe there is a proper
way to act in any circumstance
and always expect courteous be-
haviour.
Finland is an egalitarian soci-
ety, which is refected in their
language, which employs gen-
der-neutral words.
Talk in moderate tones and do
not do anything to call attention
to yourself.
Serial conversation is the rule -
i.e. listen to the speaker, wait for
them to fnish and then reply.
Interrupting is rude.
Finns do not require face-to- face
contact and, in fact, are quite
comfortable using e-mail.
Finns are transactional and do
not need long-standing personal
relationships in order to conduct
business.
Finns are excellent time manag-
ers who prefer to organize their
workday in order to accomplish
as much as possible.
What someone says is accepted
at face value and this is a culture
where a mans word is his bond
and will be treated as seriously as a
written contract, so verbal commit-
ments are considered agreements.
Professional differences are not
viewed as personal attacks.
Finns are direct communicators.
Expect your colleagues to tell you
what they think rather than what
you want to hear.
It is extremely diffcult to meet
with people without a formal ap-
pointment. Appointments should
be made in advance by telephone
or e- mail.
There is no taboo on humour in
the business environment.
Finns seldom ask questions. The
presenter is expected to make his/
her case with suffcient detail that
their Finnish colleagues do not
need to ask questions.
Treat someones business card
with respect as it symbolizes the
way you will treat them.
Dont complain or criticise. It is
never in your interest to be criti-
cal or opinionated as any kind of
negativity will offend your Finn-
ish colleagues.
You should arrive at meetings on
time or slightly early.
Dont show strong emotions.
Finns view this as unprofessional
and being too emotional might
harm your relationship with your
Finnish business colleagues.
Dont be offended if your Finnish
partners seem rather blunt and to the
point. This is typical in Finnish com-
munication as Finns prefer to tell the
truth directly and take pride in their
matter of fact attitudes.
Finland uses 230 volts with 50 Hz
electrical power.
Dont make the mistake of ask-
ing if Finland once was a Com-
munist country, like Estonia,
Poland, or Hungary. End of con-
versation, right then and there.
Dont visit without calling frst.
The door may not open without a
prior notice, especially on week-
ends.
Keep your shoes on if you are invited
to someones home. First thing after
entering a house or an apartment:
shoes off. Also, dont even think
about leaving before kahvi and pulla
(coffee and bun) have been served.
Dont make empty promises.
If you say to a Finn, Lets do
lunch, he or she truly believes
you have set up a lunch meeting
and expects to hear from you.
Dont be surprised if you see
Finns order and pay things with
their cell phones. They are not
just for talking anymore.
Dont hug, kiss or touch a Finn.
Dont be confused if you see people
walking with poles even if there is
no snow on the ground. Its called
Nordic Walking, and its a very pop-
ular activity among all ages.
Dont talk to anyone with your
hands in your pocket.
Dont show emotions in public.
Dont brag. Finns are modest and
downplay their own accomplish-
ments and hardly make a fuss about
anything. In Finland humility and
grace will get you far, as they view
modesty as the biggest virtue.
Dont ask personal questions,
such as those related to some-
ones religion, job or political par-
ty.
Rye bread is the most popular
bread in Finland.

Finnish Dos and Donts

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What are some dos and don'ts when visiting someone's home in Finland?

What are some etiquette tips for business meetings in Finland?

Finland: dos and donts

Finland: dos and donts

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