Ulf Kristersson pressures his employees – officials sound the alarm

Staff alert: “rather fast than right”

20 years ago, Ulf Kristersson was a municipal councilor in Strängnäs and was nicknamed “Turbo”. Aftonbladet’s editorial page has previously told that the decisions were already made at a furious pace. Employees felt unwell.

According to old colleagues who spoke to the newspaper Svenska Dagbladet in 2018, Kristersson could get so angry that he threw pens and paper in the meeting room.

Got high blood pressure

A politician from the Liberals who worked with the Moderates in Strängnäs, Anders Svensson, developed high blood pressure. When the doctor asked what had happened, he replied that it was because he had worked with Ulf Kristersson.

Now, as you know, Kristersson has advanced to prime minister. So how are his co-workers doing today? Quite bad, shows a review of the working environment at the government office that SvD has seen.

In a survey that uses colors to show how good or bad you feel at work, less than half say they feel good (green light). 42 percent say there are things to think about (yellow light) and 14 percent say it’s really bad (red light)

Pressing down the time

In the Government Office, the independent civil servants are used to a fast pace. Newly appointed governments want to get started with their reforms and make an impression.

But Ulf Kristersson’s government excels, according to the employees.

It has become more important that the basis for legal changes is made quickly than that they are correct. The referral times for several government investigations have been shortened, thereby giving civil society reduced chances of influence.

According to SvD’s review, it is above all the political staffs and state secretaries who are trying to push the time down. They “try to keep everything to a minimum and round corners”, sources told the newspaper.

But behind it all there is only one person who may have given his approval. There are many indications that Ulf “Turbo” Kristersson rules with an iron fist.

The “big man” ideal

It is not only civil servants who suffer when it goes away.

When the workload becomes too great, the risk of error increases, and this can lead to legally insecure laws that need to be rewritten. Ultimately, it is our democracy that is being weakened.

The most important thing is that the prime minister is allowed to hold press conferences every week and show action power. The “strongman” ideal is recognized from other, darker parts of the world.

Anyone who disobeys orders risks getting a pencil thrown into the pile.

Chat with Jonna Sima about the text and Ulf Kristersson’s leadership style at 09:00. You can submit your comments and questions right now!