Recently, a group of Indian employees from Nokia's wireless-network division lunched at the company cafeteria. He enjoys life in Helsinki, but he isn't crazy about the harsh Nordic winters. He also has trouble with the Finnish practice of sitting naked in a sauna, especially in mixed company. The Finns look at me kind of funny. A native of India's software capital, Bangalore, he has a close circle of Finnish friends, speaks basic Finnish and is a big fan of the national hero, Formula One race driver Mika Hakkinen.
Food is a problem, though.
Mr. Ramamoorthy says he carries a bottle of Tabasco sauce. Some Finns think that even though he is a vegetarian, he will eat fish or chicken. Nokia tries to help foreign hires navigate Finnish culture. Recruits learn that Finnish business meetings aren't like American ones, where executives want to be sold on an idea in an entertaining way. Newcomers at Nokia get a crash course on Finland followed by a quiz.