I’m an executive in Finland, the happiest country in the world: 5 phrases we use at work every day

Finnish workplaces tend to have a flat hierarchy, where individual contributors feel as empowered in voicing their thoughts on the business as CEOs and other senior leaders.

This phrase highlights this mindset and shows how a trusting environment, where people feel free to share their opinions, is a benefit to the organization overall.

It takes people at all ranks of an organization to raise issues and find solutions, Hallila explains: “If there is an open line of communication where anyone can ask questions, be it the CEO or anyone in the company, then there will be a path forward.”

Workers at Framery are encouraged to speak up on issues they’re working on as well as company objectives as a whole.

“I can ask any questions I need to ask in order to succeed in my role, or ask questions for the best of the company,” Hallila says. “So even if it’s not my job, and I see something that should be addressed, I have the responsibility to ask the questions for us to not stray away from the path as a company.”

In other words: Work smarter, not harder.

Leaders are encouraged to help their employees work with this mindset, Hallila says. Bosses should be clear in their expectations and manage in a way that their employees can stay focused on the business priorities that matter most.

“You can work and work and work,” she says, “but whether you actually achieve more is questionable.”

A lot of the time, the end goal supports both meeting a business need and doing so in a manageable way.

“It’s not about being lazy,” Hallila says. “It’s about being smart about what you focus on, and getting away with less in a way so that you can have a healthy work-life balance.”

Hallila says this phrase is used in a similar way as addressing the elephant in the room — as in, address the business issue at hand rather than letting it slide.

“It’s about believing in a working culture where the cat is the issue that needs to be put on the table, and for people to be able to have a a trusting and open discussion about whatever is the issue,” she says.

More simply, “we believe that things are solved when they are discussed,” she adds.

On the flip side, this phrase suggests that leaving an issue unattended will only become a problem later on.

“If you leave problems behind you, you will find them in front of you” at another point, Hallila says. “So the only way to handle it is to actually address them when they are brought up.”