Kristine Solhaug was the first of a number of whistleblowers who appeared on news and told about objectionable conditions in the Norwegian Armed Forces. She notified that she experienced that the boss tried to pressure her to give a false statement to the police. The major was nevertheless allowed to continue in an important position. On Friday, the investigative report on the Norwegian Armed Forces came out, which reveals major errors and shortcomings in the handling of alerts. Solhaug still works in the Norwegian Armed Forces and recognizes himself in the report. – It doesn’t reveal anything we didn’t already know. It has been poorly handled, and there has been a lack of competence on the part of the managers. So it’s good to have confirmation that my moral compass hasn’t been out of whack, she says. The report states, among other things, that the Norwegian Armed Forces give final agreements with severance pay and bonuses instead of dismissing employees who have done something reprehensible. PwC, which produced the report, recommends a new notification system in the Norwegian Armed Forces. Was on sick leave After her boss collided while drunk, he is said to have tried to get Solhaug to tell the police that he did not drink alcohol at the party. She said that he visited her several times, both at work and at home. The chief disagrees with this presentation. – I disagree with the court decision in the case referred to, and it has therefore been sent for reconsideration in the readmission commission, he wrote in an e-mail to news in May. He believes he has not done what he has been convicted of. While Solhaug was on sick leave due to the pressure in 2019, the major was still at work. In several of the cases that news has discussed, the lack of consequence is a consistent theme. – Now I just hope that the recommended measures will be implemented and that we will see that it has been worth something. It has been an enormous burden, says Solhaug. Disclosures Following a series of disclosures in news about notifications and errors in the Armed Forces relating to sexual harassment, abuse of power and abuse, the agency has now been investigated by external consultants. The consultancy company PWC was hired by the Norwegian Armed Forces this summer. The company has examined systems and routines, and looked at over 50 concrete cases. – Our main finding is that we believe the defense has a non-uniform practice for alert handling where the risk of deficiencies and errors is too high, said head of the investigation Gunnar Holm Ringen in PWC during the presentation. In an interview with news, Chief of Defense Eirik Kristoffersen acknowledges that one of the main challenges is that the Armed Forces are still male-dominated. Kristoffersen says that they must get better at handling notifications. – We must be an organization that handles notifications in a credible and correct way. No one deserves to be subjected to bullying and harassment, says the defense chief. During today’s press conference, Kristoffersen stressed that the cases have upset him. The politicians in the Storting believe that the report’s conclusion is serious, but still have full confidence in the chief of defence. Høre: Obvious attitude problem The Hørek Elvenes of the Hørek say there are very serious findings, and that it is an ever-recurring problem that has been repeated in several reports. – There is obviously an attitude problem in parts of the organization that needs to be cleaned up. It is also not the first report to point out problems with sexual harassment. This is a management responsibility, and it means that it is the responsibility of the highest management of the armed forces to overcome the problem. – OBVIOUS ATTITUDE PROBLEM: This is what Hørek Elvenes of the Conservative Party thinks about the culture in the Armed Forces Photo: news – You say it has been going on for a long time. Do you have confidence that it is defense chief Kristoffersen who will clean things up? – I have confidence that the top management will overcome this. He himself has expressed disappointment and a willingness to tackle this. I have confidence that will happen, answers Elvenes. – What has the Conservative Party done to overcome this, in and out of government? – The Conservative Party has repeatedly pointed out that the Defense’s top management must tackle this. It is a managerial responsibility to turn this around. From the Chief of Defense to the heads of the Armed Forces’ departments at various levels. The follow-up of the work to overcome sexual harassment should be a fixed point in the governance dialogue between the Minister of Defense and the Chief of Defense, says Elvenes. Gram: Important job ahead Defense Minister Bjørn Arild Gram (Sp) has not been interviewed, but sent a written answer to news: – There is no doubt that the cases that have been uncovered are very serious and that the Defense has not handled whistleblowing cases well enough . I have therefore supported the Chief of Defense’s decision to initiate an external review. – I am following this matter closely and have requested a report from the Chief of Defense before Christmas. PWC’s work will form an important basis there. The armed forces have an important job to do going forward in raising their competence and ensuring the right measures so that we avoid more such cases, writes Gram. Ap: – He is the right person to clean up Åsmund Aukrust (Ap) still has confidence in the defense chief. – I have. It is the chief of defense who commissioned this report and who has been clear that this is a major crisis for the Norwegian armed forces. I have confidence that he is the right person to clean up, says Aukrust. He says what has come to light is unacceptable and that the Armed Forces of all places must be a safe place to work. – There have been many big mistakes here over many years. I am happy to say that. We need transparency around this and are glad the defense chief says he will clean it up. PWC’s proposal for measures regarding whistleblowing in the Armed Forces New central unit: Establish a central whistleblowing unit that is responsible for the area Strengthen the whistleblowing groups: Strengthen and further develop whistleblowing groups in all/central operational units that will assist both the line and the central whistleblowing unit Dedicated resources: Allocate sufficient dedicated resources to the central whistle-blowing unit and the whistle-blowing groups Clearer mandate: Develop a clear mandate that ensures the central whistle-blowing unit authority related to the recommendation of measures and sanctions, including employment law follow-up and reaction several types of notifications, including financial fraud, HSE and safety incidents Ensure that serious cases are raised: Prepare an escalation matrix that lays down assessment principles and regulates step-by-step when, how and to whom cases proceed from the central notification unit, lo competent units or other non-case-handling notification recipients Overall overview: Establish a comprehensive overview of notification cases and other deviations/incidents for the entire Armed Forces as a basis for overview, quality improvement and reporting Technical solution: Establish a technical solution in the Armed Forces as a supplementary notification channel that facilitates anonymous notification and communication with anonymous whistleblowers, and allows for the receipt of notifications from external parties External assistance: Consider acquiring external assistance to support the handling of selected notification cases Coordinate guidelines: Update, adjust and coordinate the general guidelines and routines related to notification. Ensure that only one set of documents applies to all Indicative guidelines: Ensure that the guidelines provide guidance in the specific issues and assessments that arise in the implementation of a notification case Central and comprehensive training programme: Establish a central and comprehensive training program in with a needs-based approach based on role and function Necessary competence: Ensure that employees with special responsibilities within whistleblowing have the necessary competence, including establishing mandatory refresher courses for the line manager function Annual information: Ensure that managers annually inform all their employees about the whistleblowing scheme Information campaign: Carry out an information campaign about the Defense’s whistleblowing channel and its importance. Source: PWCs report “It should be useful to speak out” – evaluation of the Norwegian Defense system for notification
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Kristine hopes it was worth coming forward – news Norway – Overview of news from various parts of the country
