Accelerating growth with diversity

Four people sitting on the couch  - Markus Pentikäinen / Keksi

Credits: Mikko Törmänen, Keksi

International recruitment and diversity bring many benefits to companies.

Finland is full of hidden expertise. When diversity is considered in recruitment, competence and understanding grow with it.

Diversity brings several benefits to the workplace. We offer services, guides, and tools to help you set your company on the path of growth and development. 

Benefits of a diverse workplace 

What are the benefits of a diverse workplace and an international team? In a nutshell, the following, among others: 

  • Experts from outside Finland bring new ways of working and thinking, as well as different perspectives. The company’s pool of experts and skills palette expand and the ability to innovate grows. 1 + 1 = more than 2! 

  • Diverse know-how keeps the company on track for growth and development. The sooner you get on, the higher your speed will be. 

  • International employees strengthen the company’s language skills, thereby increasing competence in understanding and researching new markets and making it easier to reach new customer groups. Yes, you can. 

  • Diverse teams have a positive impact on the quality of working life and cooperation. The same goes for well-being at work. 

  • International talents improve the image of the company and thus make the employer more attractive, which opens the door to even wider recruitment opportunities. The employer image can be improved, for example, through IMAGO coaching provided by TE services or Talent funding provided by Business Finland.

  • Customer satisfaction increases when the diversity of customers can be taken into account in products and services. 

How to proceed? Continue reading and take a look at the guides and services featured in this article or contact Work in Finland International Recruitment Advice Service for Employers. Our experts serve you personally by phone and email. 

What is diversity? 

Diversity at the workplace simply means that employees are individuals. They are of different age and gender. They come from a wide range of cultural, linguistic, educational, experience or ethnic backgrounds, represent different religions or belong to a sexual minority. They have grown into different social practices. One shakes hands, the other bows. One is passionate about cricket, one about ice-hockey, and one begins the morning with tea and one with coffee. Deepen your knowledge of diversity by looking at  the Government working life diversity guide that explains the concepts in an understandable way and provides comprehensive tips for the development of leadership and the work community.

 

How is diversity taken into account in your work community? 

 

The work community can do its best and feel well when all of its members are taken into account and a working environment is created where they feel comfortable and whose practices they are familiar with. Company management plays a key role in this: employees must be managed fairly and in such a way that each member of the work community feels equally involved in it. It is important for supervisors to ensure that their management skills are up to date with current needs. Good and inclusive management ensures that diversity can be harnessed as a company resource. 

Getting started is easy. If you were working abroad yourself, how would you feel if your employer served cinnamon rolls in the break room on your birthday or wished you a happy Independence Day on December the 6th? Doesn’t sound too difficult, does it? Think of the impression on an Indian or Vietnamese expert if the employer in Finland took into account the Diwali or Tet celebrations, for example. 

 

The key is to familiarize the employee so that they adopt the new working culture and the company’s working methods. Care must also be taken to ensure that the new employee is not left out of informal discussions either. It is also important to teach and explain them the rights of employees - the situation in the employee’s home country may differ a lot from that in Finland. Support and perspectives can be found e.g. inequality planning guides. 

 

All measures aimed at integration improve the comfort of the experts and commit them to the company. Start small and move on to bigger things. This brings direct benefits as creativity increases and results improve. 

 

Global ways of working are here - is your company ready? 

 

The key is to prepare your own teams for diversity and internationality. Finland is part of the global market and a diverse work culture has already arrived in the Nordic countries. A study shows that in the future, all companies will need international experts to succeed. According to the diversity guide of the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment, there is brain drain from Finland. In addition, there is a labor shortage that needs to be addressed in an innovative and flexible way in a timely manner: “It is critical to attract new talent and retain existing talent in Finland.” International experts boost the success of the company. 

Prepare for what’s to come. The positive attitude of the company’s management towards internationalization is an excellent start. You can and should improve your management skills, and we will help you to do that. 

Mikko Törmänen, Keksi / Business Finland

Credits: Mikko Törmänen, Keksi / Business Finland

Help and support for the development of diversity

Below is a list of various services, guides and tools that deal with questions about diversity and international recruitment. Help and support is available personally, through training and in guides. 

IMAGO | TE Services 

  • The IMAGO service offers workshop-based coaching for developing a diverse employer image. 

Monimuotoisuudesta menestystä - tietoa ja työkaluja työnantajalle (in Finnish)| Ministry of Economic Affairsand Employment, Finnish Government 

  • The working life diversity guide provides comprehensive tips on management and the development of the work community, and explains diversity terminology in an understandable way. 

Guides to equality planning | Equality 

  • Including the following: The Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s Guide to Promoting Equality at the Workplace. 

 International Recruitment Advice Service for Employers | Work in Finland 

  • Our experts are available for questions related to international recruitment by phone and email. 

Talent Funding | Work in Finland 

  • Improve work, organizational and management practices and the ability to increase the number of international experts 

Promote DEI work in your organization 

  • Familiarize yourself with good practices for diversity, equality, and inclusion

International Recruitment Guide | Work in Finland 

  • Practical instructions on the recruitment process for recruiting a foreign employee and on their settling in Finland. 

Workplace Finnish | Work in Finland 

  • Support the Finnish language skills of your international staff. 

Workplace Swedish | Work in Finland 

  • Support the Swedish language skills of your international staff. 

Kielibuusti

  • Models and advice for creating a functioning language environment at work
 

Other useful links