Finland: The happiest country that’s suddenly afraid of freedom?

A disclaimer: this is an opinion piece. And that opinion is obviously biased, since Spacent as a company wouldn’t exist if we didn’t believe in this cause. In the hybrid. We are here neither to oppose or encourage only in-office work or only remote work.

Lately, there’s been a wave of commentary in Finnish media criticizing remote work — calling for people to “return to offices” and “fill the spaces that are there.” A lot of attention has been drawn to the policies of demanding the workforce to come physically to the office for a specific amount of days per week. The argument often sounds like this: we built offices, now let’s use them. Or, the community suffers if we don’t require employees to be at the office. Or a comment thrown around, that goes something along the lines of “it doesn’t look good, if the office is empty” in some unmentioned government agency.

But is that really the point?

To figure that out, let’s ask some uncomfortable questions.
 

Is Finland’s remote work debate really about offices, or is it about control?

How can a country that tops global happiness rankings, built on freedom and trust, suddenly be so uncomfortable with giving people autonomy at work? Finland is, once again, the happiest country in the world. A big reason for that lies in trust. Trust in institutions, in infrastructure, and in the social systems that support us. But if trust is such a cornerstone of our happiness, then why is there so little trust in how people choose to work?

We trust people to raise children, pay taxes, and vote — but not to choose where they open their laptop?

When we talk about remote work, we’re really talking about trust on a different level. Do we trust people to be productive without being watched? Do we trust teams to stay connected even if they’re not in the same room every day?

Do we trust professionals to balance their work and life in a way that benefits both?

We argue that the best person to do the judgement call, on the ways of working, is a team leader. Who knows their teams’ goals, the people, understands their talent, facilitates their success in their tasks, and is, at the end of the day, responsible for the team’s result. And the team leader is able to evaluate and decide, when working face-to-face is important and expected. Assuming, of course, that the team leaders are given the right tools to execute, in terms of workspaces, and also leadership training, to teach the team to also lead themselves. Do you argue that there is a person more capable of making the decision on how the team works the best, without all this relevant knowledge? Or finding a “one size fits all” solution that serves everyone and ends up benefiting no-one.
 

If your company can’t function without fixed office days, was it ever really working in the first place?

Finland’s culture of trust is one of our greatest assets. We trust our systems, our democracy, our neighbours. It’s part of what makes this country thrive. But that trust has to go both ways. Organizations and leaders must extend that same level of confidence to their people. That the employees get to fill their responsibilities however they see fit, as long as they fill their responsibilities.

Remote work is not new to us. Even before the pandemic Finland was at the top of remote work statistics. In 2018, 45% of Finns worked remotely, away from their main place of work, occasionally, and 59% of upper management or senior officials were working remotely, frequently (Finnish Institute of Occupational Health, 2023).

What is new to us, is the eroded trust. Remote work isn’t the enemy of productivity. Distrust is. Does the upper management trust themselves to work remotely? Asking for a friend.

Companies have invested heavily in office spaces, and it feels uncomfortable and awkward to see them half-empty, we understand that. But we think we’re riding the wave of the biggest behavioural change and phenomenon in the ways of working, and what is the universal rule in staying on top of it, or being pulled under? You can’t control the wave, only how quick you learn to ride it. If you remove the trust out of the equation, you might as well tie some weights around your ankles.

Adaptability isn’t a soft skill anymore, it’s infrastructure. It’s how companies survive uncertainty, how people stay relevant, and how societies remain resilient.

When work becomes fluid, fixed systems start to break. Hierarchies, leases, rigid schedules: they all crack under pressure. But for those who adapt, and trust, it’s a once-in-a-generation opportunity. The companies that treat flexibility as a strategic advantage will outlast everyone else. The investment needs to be made in people, in supporting their flexibility and ability to lead themselves, and we believe that they will lead themselves to the human connection. To meet up, to brainstorm, to innovate, to have fun. And then, the office, or other spaces available for connecting, have a stronger intention and meaning.
When people are trusted to choose where they work best, they don’t just work more efficiently — they work more meaningfully.

Blog published exceptionally with a not-so-anonymous pseudonym,
Spacent Founders

 

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