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The motorboat leaves the dock with sailor Wanja Rundgreen on board the connection between Trondheim and Vanvikan.
Last year he was on sick leave due to exhaustion.
– To be very open, the doctor thought it would take a year. I went back to work after two months, says Rundgreen.
He works at the shipping company FosenNamsos Sjø. They have five high-speed boat routes and seven ferry connections in Trøndelag and Møre og Romsdal.
It was a very high absence
Rundgreen had worked for the shipping company for 23 years when he first encountered the wall. She was burned and reported to be ill. Now she praises the shipping company because she managed to go back to work two months later.
Before his sick leave, he was a cafe manager at Kystekspressen, which runs between Trondheim and Kristiansund. Now he works as a sailor on the speedboat between Trondheim and Vanvikan in Trondheimsfjorden.
The new tasks helped her get back to work quickly.
– At first I did not want to quit smoking, but I needed other tasks. Then I had that opportunity and it quickly got me back to work, he thinks.
NEW JOBS: Wanja Rundgreen is enjoying her new job duties as a sailor on the speedboat. The company has reduced sick leave from 18 to 1 percent in two years.
Photo: Anders Werner Øfsti
Need for other tasks
Changes in routines and culture have reduced sick leave for the shipping company’s 400 employees. Since 2018, it has dropped from 18 percent to a total of 1.4 percent. Coastal Express is down to 0.2 percent.
– When I started, 18 percent of sick leave was at its worst, says Sølvi-Helén Antonsen. She is the team and human resources coordinator at FosenNamsos Sjø.
In September, sick leave in Norway was 5.9 percent, according to statistics from Statistics Norway.
Use a psychologist
The company has consistently worked to reduce the high level of sick leave and has taken clear action.
– There is a very low threshold to go to the nearest manager before going to the doctor. Maybe there is something we can work out together. We connect very quickly to the occupational health service, says Sølvi-Helén Antonsen
The company also hires a psychologist if necessary.
– Perhaps all you need is a conversation with a psychologist to clarify your thoughts a bit, continues Antonsen.
The occupational health service runs a race for employees. FosenNamsosSjø covers expenses if employees need a psychologist or other medical assistance.
INCREASE PROFITABILITY: Mariann Grønseth at FosenNamsos Sjø says they cover the expenses of a psychologist if needed. Cuts in sick leave have increased the profitability of the shipping company.
Photo: Anders Werner Øfsti
Save millions
Decreasing sick leave also means a lot to the company’s finances. The savings are significant compared to two years ago.
– Up to and including June of this year, we have reduced expenses by NOK 1.9 million at our shipping company. We also see that the absenteeism figures for July and August have fallen further. So we look forward to next quarter’s result, Mariann Grønseth, Human Resources and Operations Manager at FosenNamsos Sjø.
Employees are followed up immediately
Timely follow-up is crucial for employees to return quickly. This is the opinion of Geir Kaspersen, director general of the Din BHT occupational health service.
– I think that’s the main reason why absenteeism is significantly decreasing in FosenNamsos Sjø, says Kaspersen.
He believes that needs can vary greatly between employees in companies who are struggling physically or mentally.
– For many, it may be enough to reduce the working day for a while, he says.
