Foreign Service’s values, practices and human resources strategy

The human resources strategy of the Ministry for Foreign Affairs is underpinned by values that show how we at the Ministry want to behave and act as a workplace community. The Foreign Service’s guiding principles remind us of important values and promote a positive workplace atmosphere.

Our value statements

In the picture, the parent leads the child over the guardrail. In the background you can see the city skyline, houses, windmills and the train.

  • We work for Finland and a better world. We promote the security, success and wellbeing of Finland and it's people in Finland and around the world. We foster fair and sustainable development. ​

The woman is holding a magnifying glass with the Foreign Ministry logo, which connects to the balls in the background through dashed lines. Inside the balls are objects that symbolize a variety of things, including the Twitter logo, lock, envelope, globe, hashtag, three bars symbolizing statistics, pieces symbolizing people, two wheels, and a placemark.

  • We seek new perspectives. The world is changing – and so are we. We dare to question and are not afraid of experimenting with ideas. We believe in progress and focus on what is essential.

A man and a woman climb stairs formed by message bubbles towards a lighted lamp.

  • We find solutions together. We keep an open mind and respect the opinions of others. We share information and knowledge and create partnerships. Finnish solutions offer answers worldwide.

Different colored people's hands with pen, tablet, phone, coffee cup, computer mouse.

  • We embrace diversity. Different backgrounds and a broad range of duties enrich the workplace. Each staff member's input is important and all are needed to achieve results. Together we are more than the sum of our parts.

Human Resources Strategy

Human Resources Strategy of the Ministry for Foreign Affairs 2021–2025

Foreign Service Guiding Principles

The Foreign Service’s guiding principles, which are given as text on the page.

Values and Work Community

We work in accordance with the values of the Foreign Service: we seek new perspectives, find solutions together, and embrace diversity.

We serve our clients and handle their matterswith respect and dignity in all situations.

We treat each other kindly. We do not accept any form of inappropriate behavior: respectful interaction and a functional work community are important to us. If you experience someone’s behavior as inappropriate, primarily bring it to their attention. If the behavior continues, contact your supervisor, a higher-level supervisor, and/or HAL-13.

We encourage strengthening community spirit. We invest incollaboration and flexibility between departments, units, and missions.

We give and value both appreciative and corrective feedback. Feedback helps the entire work community grow together. Corrective feedback should be given privately.

We encourage continuous learning and self-development relevant to work.

Time Management

Clear expectations and goals guide our actions. Planning, organizing, monitoring, and defining responsibilities support the achievement of our objectives.With the support of supervisors, we determine what is essential and focus on that.

We separate work and free time: there is no need to work in the evenings, on weekends, or during holidays unless a specific task or situation requires it. This should never be a permanent expectation—ultimately, managers are responsible.Overtime is done at the manager’s instruction.

We avoid unnecessary and overly long meetings:meetings have clear agendas and goals, are well-prepared, and only necessary participants attend.

Communication

We share information with each other and actively consider who needs to receive it, taking into account the need for information and the permissions to access the information.

Remote work is possible at the ministry according to agreed rules, butwe also make the most of our time at the office: face-to-face encounters and discussions are valuable.

We choose the appropriate communication channel for each situation (purpose, urgency, distribution, data security): meeting, phone call, email, Vipu, Teams, Signal, Vahva.

We keep our calendars up to date, share necessary calendar permissions, and mark remote workdays and holidays.

We pay attention to email subject lines, conciseness, clarity, and tone. If an action is requested, we mention the deadline already in the subject line.

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