IT expert Subrata Mishra lives with his partner and child in a detached house in Helsinki’s Jakomäki district. The family has a dog, rabbits, and parrots. His partner Prajnya Mishra works as a senior officer at the Finnish Institute of Health and Welfare, and their daughter attends a primary school near home.
"We have a beautiful garden in our yard, and we have a lot of plants both outside and indoors,” says Mishra.
While living in Finland, Mishra has worked for Ikea, Nordea, and Posti. He now works at CGI, an IT company offering consulting and outsourcing services.
Mishra, who works as a supervisor, starts his work day at eight, takes a lunch break at noon and finishes at four.
"After that, nobody contacts me about work matters. I can continue my day calmly and head out with my family to play badminton, bike, or go to the swimming pool. I don't stress about work in my spare time."
Mishra appreciates the high level of trust in Finnish working life. He does not have to look after or ask about the completion of his team members' tasks. No one asks about his schedules either.
"In Finland, you can trust that the work will be finished when the deadline comes."
The IT expert has experience in working in several countries. Out of the cultures Mishra is familiar with, only in Finland does he feel that people put their personal life before work. If he needs to take the family dog to the vet during office hours, it is not a problem at the workplace.
Meeting places open to all
Mishra's work benefits include extensive occupational health care, insurance, lunch vouchers, sports and culture benefits, and incentive bonuses. In addition, Mishra’s employer offers the opportunity to invest part of his salary in CGI shares.
"It is important that these benefits belong to all employees."
The daily working time is eight hours, including the lunch break. Employees can choose their own hours flexibly between seven and five o'clock, either at the office or remotely at home.
"CGI supports the purchase of work-related equipment at home with a couple of thousand euros each year."
In the evenings, Mishra spends time with family and friends in social spaces open to everyone, such as the dog park or the public basketball court. He loves how green Helsinki is, as well as the clean air, and the technology used in the city.
"There are both forests and robots that transport shopping goods."
Having previously lived in big cities, Mishra appreciates the fact that large companies in Helsinki are committed to zero emission goals. He mentions Posti as an example. He also admires the high utilisation rate of renewable energy. Houses in his neighbourhood have solar panels, and gas stations feature charging stations for electric cars.
"My family and I are heading to Lapland in the summer with an electric car."
According to Mishra, it is great that in Finland an employee has the right to four weeks of paid annual leave when a contract has lasted for a year. Employees are also paid a holiday allowance for that period. In some collective labour agreements, the amount of vacation days is even several weeks longer.
Mishra also praises Finland’s education system and healthcare.
"In many other countries schools and health are a business, but here they belong to basic rights."
