what work is like in the world’s happiest country

Work hours are more flexible

Many workplaces are flexible and allow employees to choose a schedule that fits their lifestyle.

In Finland, typical office hours go from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. One small culture shock I experienced early on is that when workdays often start so early, some people start going to lunch around 11 a.m. Another surprise was how dark it is during the winter when you arrive and when you leave the office.

For many corporate jobs, the work week is 37.5 hours. Overtime hours are not paid in salary, but in corresponding time off. So, if you work a lot one week, it’s normal to do less the next week or take 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 some obligations for your children during the work day, that can be considered paid time off. In Finland, you’ll often get paid double if you work on Sundays.

It feels like, in Finland, managers and bosses respect employees’ time off. If it’s after 4 p.m., people do not expect their colleagues to respond to an email or answer their work phone. The flexible hours are meant to allow people to have more time in the evenings for hobbies, activities and picking up kids from school.

Generous PTO ‘feels like a treasure, coming from the U.S.’

Before starting my firm, I worked as a content marketing specialist for a company that was focused on electric power solutions.

Photo: Jade Ventoniemi

There’s a law in Finland that you have to take two consecutive weeks of vacation in the summer and then you can use the rest of your vacation as you please. I love how it feels like they essentially force you to take a vacation in Finland. During the summer, you actually receive a 50% bonus for the vacation days you do take off.

The whole month of July is basically a ghost town in Finnish corporate offices. You’ll receive many out of office automatic email responses. Generally, important matters are postponed until August at the earliest. 

I ‘look forward to being a working parent here’

Jobs offer ample health and leisure benefits

At both of my previous corporate jobs, we had great health and leisure benefits. One of my favorite things was an app called Epassi where we had a yearly allowance to embrace different sports, culture, or wellness activities that were covered by work. 

With my benefits, I’ve bought a gym membership, passes to our local ski resort, movie tickets and massages. These types of benefits are really nice because you may not think of doing these things for yourself as often as you should.

Here I am working remotely on a reindeer farm in Kilpisjärvi, a village in the Lapland region of Finland.

Photo: Jade Ventoniemi

Employees seem less focused on climbing the corporate ladder

Hierarchy matters much less: ‘Everyone is respected’

In Finland, the lack of hierarchy in corporate settings is an extension of the overall approach people take to it throughout the country. 

There’s a national joke that you could be casually sitting next to the President of Finland at a hockey game. The same is true in the workplace. No one is really all that special.

In some companies, you can have a coffee chat with the CEO of the company quite informally, just like you would with any team member. Whether you’re an intern or manager, everyone is respected and addressed by their first name. It’s rare to put much emphasis on job titles here.

Overall, I love the corporate culture in Finland. I feel like I’m not just defined by what I do at work, and like I have figured out a true sense of balance.

Jade Ventoniemi is an American who has called Finland home for the last five years. She is a former NCAA basketball player, a content creator and the founder of a marketing firm called Bright Soul Oy. Jade lives in Lahti, Finland, with her husband and their mini poodle. In her free time, she loves to be outdoors, and jumps at the chance to swim in a frozen lake or explore a local forest. You can follow her journey and life in Finland on Instagram or TikTok.

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