The Director General of the Social Insurance Institution (Kela), Lasse Lehtonen, has apologised for offending agency staff members in statements he made to the media, according to the agency's board chair, Vertti Kiukas.
Lehtonen made the apology during an extraordinary meeting of Kela's board on Wednesday, a gathering called to discuss strained relations between the director general and staff.
In an interview with Helsingin Sanomat, Lehtonen suggested that it is a job seekers' market, and that Kela has "no particular need to retain its staff until the very last minute".
His comments came in the wake of a recently-announced policy at the agency to reduce employees' remote working habits.
Many staff members expressed dismay after learning they would be required to come into the office once a week. Due to branch closures, that would mean some workers being faced with long commutes to fulfil the new rule. The backlash had created a rift between top management and staff.
"The director came to the same conclusion as the board, that his choice of words was very unfortunate, and he apologises for them," Kiukas told Yle.
Kiukas said Wednesday's abruptly called meeting lasted nearly two hours, with the board finding that Lehtonen's communication style was not appropriate.
"I strongly believe that we won't see anything like that again," Kiukas said.
Lehtonen, who started at his post last spring on a monthly salary of some 20,000 euros, also addressed the matter in a press release.
"My comments have not shown the respect that the professionals working at Kela deserve, and for that I apologise," his statement read.
He noted that the agency will continue to discuss the matter with its employees.
Lehtonen retains board's trust
When asked, Kiukas confirmed that Lehtonen still has the board's trust.
"Yes, he does, that is not the issue here. But of course the board needs information to be passed on and ensure that communication channels are working," he said.
He added that it was also important for the Director General to understand that something inappropriate was said.
A Kela employee representative was also at Wednesday's meeting.
According to Kiukas, Lehtonen's comments understandably gave staff the impression that they were not valued or felt belittled.
"Of course, that's completely the wrong message. Kela is a strong expert organisation and will continue to be. We can't afford to create an image of lacking appreciation," he said.
The board did not make any formal decisions at the meeting, according to Kiukas, as the intention was to discuss the situation. He noted that so far, the discussion surrounding the matter has mainly been a public one.
Kiukas said that Lehtonen has vowed to increase communication with union representative shop stewards.
Management decides on remote work policy
Kiukas also noted that Kela's board does not make decisions about the agency's remote working policies. That is up to management.
However, he said the board has a positive view about an increase in on-site working, as there has been "a lot" of remote work.
"The goal of everyone visiting the office at least once a week is in no way different from the general rules of working life," Kiukas said.
