– It is sad, but it also says something about the social debate we are having. Knut Olav Åmås, director of the Fritt Ord foundation, responds to questions about senior managers only expressing their opinion after leaving their jobs. He refers to Steinar Madsen, who has been medical specialist director at the Norwegian Medicines Agency for many years – until he retired this autumn. Not long afterwards, he appeared in Dagens Medisin and argued, among other things, for the legalization of medical cannabis. It was no coincidence that he waited until retirement to come forward with his opinion. – I had risked that people would get angry with me. They have been several times. I dare say that I have been more outspoken than others in the state administration, says Madsen. Steinar Madsen is a former medical specialist director at the Norwegian Medicines Agency. Recently, he came out and argued for the legalization of medical cannabis. Photo: Stian Lysberg Solum / NTB – No loss quota – We hear so many stories about exactly this. That people do not dare to be out in the public debate. This applies to both public and private managers, says Åmås in Fritt Ord. – I experienced it myself when I had been in politics for a year as state secretary. Then a key leader in cultural life came to me afterwards, she beamed when she met me on the street and said: “So nice to meet you, now I can finally say what I mean to you”. He describes it as polarized, and adds that it is easy to be misunderstood. – Top managers who would have liked to have contributed also see that some who have done so have burned themselves quite badly. They have little to go on – no loss quota. – There is reason to understand the situation a little too, even if it is sad. Not alone The recently retired professional director says that he had to follow certain rules of the game as an employee in public administration. His role has been to advise politicians, but not to interfere with political work. – Wouldn’t it have been better for the public if you said it when you were, after all, in a position? – It is a difficult question. We have a large group of skilled people who work to reduce the prices of pharmaceuticals in Norway. To come out and say that the work they do is unnecessary or should not have been like that would have been to torpedo their work. You have to be careful with that, says Madsen. He believes that he is far from alone in holding back his opinions as a leader. – If you ask managers in the state administration, the vast majority will express the views I am expressing – that you have rules of the game that you must follow, says Madsen. The Fritt Ord director believes that he waited until now says a lot about the actual problem. – I think this, with managers putting a little restraint on themselves, is also a result of the fact that we have a problem with the culture of expression in Norwegian working life. Research over the past ten years shows that development is also going in the wrong direction. People who speak up, ordinary employees, experience more sanctions and reprisals than ten years ago. He refers to research from Fafo, which Fritt Ord has helped start and finance. Madsen simply calls the culture of expression in working life Norway’s most important freedom of expression problem. – In freedom of expression debates, it is often the most spectacular that get attention. There is Koran burning and online hate and harassment. But what concerns the vast majority of people is precisely what concerns the culture of expression in working life. It is what people feel every day when they are at work. Challenges NHO Fritt Ord’s director has a clear challenge to NHO. – My opinion over several years has been that the parties in working life have not taken this seriously. It is not rules and legislation that are not in place. It is the culture itself, so now they have to take some initiatives to shine a spotlight on this. – The fact that we are silent in the public space is a loss for society and social development. There is no doubt that the business world is sitting on important perspectives that can contribute to an enlightened social debate. That’s what Nina Melsom, director of working life at NHO, says. Nina Melsom, director labor life and collective bargaining Photo: NHO – Why do you think that a top manager can’t say anything until the job is done? – Now it is the case that the possibilities in the legislation are absolutely there. I guess the dilemma is that we often put too much pressure on ourselves. And a general impression is perhaps that we have too much focus on the limitations of freedom of expression, more than the value of speaking out. She questions what the reasons for that are. – It can be about instructions, company culture, a fear that the reputation of a company will be damaged – and perhaps also an excitement about what can serve the business world in the short and long term. She also believes that many business leaders experience the public exchange of words as tough, and that many fear being suspected and misunderstood. – What are you going to do going forward? – This is work we have to do together with the other parties in the word change, and within the tripartite collaboration. Melsom also points out that NHO has courses, guidelines and an ambassador program to ensure the business community is able to stand up in the public discourse. – Do you yourself look forward to one day leaving the top position and saying what you think? – I feel that I have great opportunities to say what I mean already today. And it’s a bit about training as well. That we all contribute to a fact-based, good and respectful debate.
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Fritt Ord director believes Norwegian workplaces have a problem with the culture of expression – news Trøndelag – Local news, TV and radio
