Public Business Support and Funding
TABLE OF CONTENTS
DOING BUSINESS IN FINLAND
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7
FINNISH BUSINESS CULTURE
Finnish customs and manners are Pan-European, but
Finns also have a strong sense of national identity. En-
glish is a common business language. Most Finns working
in business speak fluent English. According to Education
First, Finns have the 3rd best English skills among adults
around the world.
Communication style is polite, yet very straightforward
and somewhat informal. A firm handshake is used to say
hello and goodbye and eye contact is deemed important.
Meetings tend to get straight down to business after greet-
ings around. They are preferably short and to the point,
and everyone is expected to join well-prepared. Appoint-
ments with Finnish associates should be set up in advance
and contact information is readily available on company
websites.
In Finland, all people are equal in the eyes of the law re-
gardless of age, sex or occupation. Equality in Finnish
working life is evident, for example, in the relatively high
number of women holding advanced positions, but also in
the way everyone calls each other by first name, regardless
of position. Work has an important role and is highly val-
ued in everyday life. Observing timetables and respecting
agreements are important. A signature makes an agree-
ment binding, so read all documents carefully before sign-
ing any contracts.
Legally, a verbal agreement is usually as binding as a writ-
ten one. Official contracts are always drawn up for more
significant agreements like rental, employment, co-oper-
ation etc. but smaller arrangements can be handled via
email or by phone.
Many company processes are performed in Finland via
electronic services (i.e., invoicing, newsletters, market-
ing, recruiting and customer service), and payments/
money transfers are usually handled via online bank
services. Public authorities also offer electronic services
that require electronic identification, requiring either the
Suomi.fi-identification service or your bank's sign-in sys-
tem.
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