2024-07-28 08:39:32
When we see “the happiest country in the world” in the title, we know it’s probably the Finland. For years, the Nordic country has been at the top of the relevant lists, firmly holding the scepter in the level of satisfaction expressed by its citizens.
On the contrary, the USA is relatively low in the ranking (23rd this year), considering that it is the largest economy on the planet and is often called the “land of opportunity”.
So how does an American citizen see life and him working life in Finland? It’s an absolute shock – but a pleasant one – judging by the description given to CNBC by 28-year-old American Jade Ventoniemi, who has been living in the Scandinavian country for 5 years.
Through the eyes of an American woman
“I have been living in Finland, the happiest country in the world, for five years. I think one of the secrets of the happiness of the Finnish people is the work culture of the country.
Getting a job for a foreigner here can be difficult, but I was lucky enough to have two different employment experiences in Finland. One job was at a software startup with less than 50 employees and the other at a manufacturing company with more than 500 employees.
I quickly discovered that their approach to things like vacation time, parental leave, and benefits differed from the US. There are many aspects of working life here that I appreciate,” he says.
In the last year, I took what I learned, started my own marketing company and started working for myself. These are some things that stand out to me about working life in Finland.”
Working hours are more flexible
“Many workplaces are flexible and allow employees to choose a schedule that fits their lifestyle. In Finland, typical office hours range from 8 a.m. until 4 p.m. A little culture shock I experienced early on is that when workdays often start so early, some people start going to lunch around 11am. 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 is not paid in salary, but in the corresponding day off. So if you work a lot one week, it’s normal to work fewer hours the following week or take more vacations.
If you have an appointment or some responsibilities for your children during the working day, this can be considered paid time off. In Finland, you will often be paid double if you work on Sundays.
If it’s after 4pm, people don’t expect their colleagues to respond to an email or answer their work phone. Flexible hours are intended to allow people to have more time in the evenings for hobbies, activities and picking up children from school.
Holidays
“The paid vacation time you accumulate working in Finland is like a treasure.
Some people, depending on their industry and job tenure, can have up to 38 days of paid vacation a year. For every month you work, you accrue two and a half days of paid vacation.”
There is 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 wish. I love how you feel like you’re basically being forced to vacation in Finland. During the summer, you get a 50% bonus for vacation days (leave allowance).
In July the offices in Finland are practically empty. You constantly receive automatic responses via email about absence due to holidays. Generally, important issues are postponed until August at the earliest.”
“I’m looking forward to being a working parent here”
I don’t have children yet, but seeing how parental leave worked in practice for my colleagues in many different offices in Finland made me look forward to being a working parent here.
For example, both parents are offered paid leave and can decide when to use it in different amounts. Some companies pay full wages for the first months of parental leave, some pay 50%. But it is usually clearly stated in the contract.
If your child is sick and you have to take time off work to care for them, this is not only acceptable but encouraged. In many cases, this can be considered a sick day for the parent as well and they can receive paid leave.
One of my favorite things was an app called Epassi where we had an annual allowance to do various sports, cultural or wellness activities that were covered by work.
With my perks, I bought a gym membership, tickets to our local ski resort, movie tickets and massages. These kinds of perks are really nice, because you might not think of doing something like that for yourself that often.”