Soft Landings – Finnish Working Life

Finnish working life is often quite different from what a newcomer has got used to in another country. The Finnish Working Life course by the University of Oulu offers a wide perspective into what matters in work in Finland and what the main rules of Finnish working life are.

What and why

It is important both for the international employee themselves and the organisation that the newcomer is given a comprehensive information package on Finnish working life and culture at arrival. This way the newcomer gets a smooth start with Finnish working culture and will know where to find more information if needed. The employer, in turn, benefits from their new employee efficiently gaining an understanding of the working environment.

The Finnish Working Life course goes through themes such as

Special features of Finnish working life
What is meant by self-determination
How to communicate with Finns
Finnish meeting practices
Decision making in companies
Taxation
Compulsory deductions from salaries
The Finnish pension system

Training sessions also include a workshop during which the participants can get answers to their more specific questions and can discuss different topics of the Finnish working life with the course trainers.

The Finnish Working Life course is always tailored according to the customer’s needs. The course usually consists of 3 x 3-hour training sessions. The sessions suit ideally groups of 5-20 participants. The course can be held either online or on the customer’s premises.