Finland

Greetings

Man greeting Man - Men shake hands when greeting one another while maintaining direct eye contact. A firm handshake is the norm. Good friends may hug when greeting, however, it is very rare for men to hug their guy friends.

Woman greeting Woman- At a first meeting, women generally shake hands while maintaining direct eye contact. Good friends may hug.

Man greeting Woman- At a first meeting a regular handshake will do. Good friends may hug.

Note: There is generally no kissing when greeting others, although some Finns who have lived abroad enjoy returning with this chic “kissing culture.” Most often when greeting friends, a simply “hi” will suffice.

Communication Style

• Finnish people are usually direct, sometimes to the point of being rude.
• During conversations it's best to listen to the speaker intently, wait for them to finish and then reply. Interrupting is considered rude.
• Small talk is rather uncommon. Finns generally skip the preliminaries and have deep discussions about current topics, even if it is just while waiting for the bus.
• When someone asks, “How are you?” they are expecting a thoughtful and sincere response, instead of a flippant, “Fine, and you?”

• One Finnish joke about small talk: Two guys meet for a beer in a bar. One asks the other, “So how’s it going?” The other looks at him and responds, “Oh for goodness sakes, are we here to talk or are we here to drink?!”

• When visiting someone's home it is highly suggested to take off your shoes and leave them in the hall after entering the apartment. If you need to wear your shoes indoors (such as to carry an heavy object) always ask for a permission.
• You should expect to sauna in the nude if asked to go: using a bathing suit in a sauna is unheard of.
• Expect that in the winter, it will be dark almost all day long. The opposite will be true in the summer, when the midnight sun keeps Finns up late, enjoying the outdoors and each other.
• Finns are slow to trust, but once trust is given it will last a lifetime or until broken.

Personal Space & Touch

• Personal space is respected. Keeping at least an arm length of space (generally more) between people is expected and they will usually feel uncomfortable or suspicious if others are too close.
• Public displays of affection are generally to be avoided.
• Touching is not very common during conversations.
• Finnish people may look at your strangely if you touch them on the shoulder or arm during a discussion.

Eye Contact

• Eye contact is very important; it is a sign of honesty and integrity.
• Finnish society encourages equality, discouraging division between socio-economic classes; hence it is rude to not look others in the eye, regardless of age, social class or professional standing.

Gestures

• Thumbs up means, “way to go,” “yes” or “good work.”
• Flipping the middle finger is pretty universal in its meaning although some Finns prefer using both middle fingers to emphasis their point.
• A simply shrug can show indifference or uncertainty.

Views of Time

• Being punctual is highly valued in Finnish society. If you are going to be five minutes late, call to apologize in advance, and hurry.
• Trains and public transportation are mostly on time.
• When young people are invited over, it is acceptable to arrive fashionably late. However, older adults expect you to arrive at the hour stated on the invitation.

Gender Roles

• Finnish people are known for the self-sufficiency.
• Gender roles are fairly flexible. It is not uncommon to have a stay-at-home dad and the working mother.

Taboos

• It’s best to cover your mouth when yawning.
• When passing the salt or pepper to someone, always place it in front of them on the table, never hand it to them directly.
• Finns still harbor a fair amount of animosity toward Russia due to the long history of invasion and occupation of Finland by Russia. This occurred as recently as WWII.

Law & Order

• The official drinking age is 18, however, most kids start around age 14 or 15.
• Smoking is legal at age 18 and a lot of people partake in nicotine consumption.
• In restaurants there is often a smoking area but much of the time it is not enforced.
• Penalties for possession, use, or trafficking in illegal drugs in are strict and convicted offenders can expect jail sentences and heavy fines.

Dress

• For men: conservative, dark or medium colored suits with shirts and conservative ties.
• For women: stylish yet classic business suits or dresses/pants and blouses.
• Business casual and other attire may be appropriate depending on the industry.

Titles & Business Cards

• Finns often greet each other with first names. However, it is uncommon to repeat or over-use first names during the conversation.
• One should always wait to be invited to use first names before doing so yourself.
• Titles are important and it is best to address people directly by using Mr., Mrs., or Miss, followed by the surname
• There is no specific protocol surrounding the giving and receiving of business cards. It is always best to treat the card with respect.

Meetings

• Punctuality is important so it is best to be on time.
• Small talk is over-rated so expect to get down to the business at hand quickly.

Negotiations

• There's no negotiating with a principle standing in your way. People mean what they say. Forgetting even a small promise can lead to the loss of trust and regaining it can be impossible.

Gift Giving

• If you are invited to a Finn's home, its is best to bring flowers (avoid yellow or white), a nice wine and/or chocolates.
• Expect gifts to opened when they are received.

In the Classroom

• The school year begins in the middle of August and ends towards the end of May.
• Vacations are as follow: The fall break is a long weekend originally used to harvest fall berries. Winter break is two weeks over Christmas (83% of Finns belong to the Evangelical Lutheran Church; however, Finnish people are very secular in their views). There is a two week long skiing break in winter and a spring break for Easter. The Finnish Independence Day is December 6th and is a national holiday.
• Dress at most schools is casual. Students usually wear shirts, sweaters, slacks or jeans.
• Grades are based on a scale from 4-10, ten being the highest, in primary school and 1-5, five being the highest, in university. Eight is about average for most students.
• Prior to Finnish independence from in 1917, education was available only to the elite class. Now education is a civil right and free education is a highly prized institution.
• Students work very hard because the prevailing mentality is that future employment in today’s globally connected, technological world depends on higher education.
• In light of the self-sufficiency of Finnish students, there is a lot of individual and group work employed in the classroom.

Other Observations

• Do not be angry or offended by the direct manner of Finns. They do not come across as being overly polite or warm however, when asked for directions, they will gladly help or point you in the right direction.
• There is a large sub-culture of Swedish speaking Finns. They are still considered Finnish and are just as nationalist as their Finnish-speaker counterparts.
• The sauna is a steam bath still practiced widely; especially on Christmas day. Most Finns have summer cottages with traditional saunas.
  

• When first arriving in a Finnish University, each foreign student should have a volunteer student assigned to them in order to help them navigate the system and acclimate into the culture. The universities are generally very well organized and accepting of foreign students.