Customs and Etiquette
- Men shake hands, while maintaining direct eye contact. Women will say hello or shake hands, while maintaining direct eye contact, but this is not a contact culture so there will be no kissing or over touching.
- Expect Finnish people to be direct, but they are not trying to be rude. Listen intently, while interrupting is taken highly offensive, and considered rude.
- When someone asks how you are doing, they would like a sincere response, not a quick and simple “fine, and you?”.
- Gender roles are fairly flexible. It is not uncommon to have a stay-at-home dad and the working mother.
- A shrug can show indifference, so do not shrug if you really care about an issue.
- Punctuality is important so it is best to be on time.