People by PostNord 1_2021 English

PEOPLE

PEOPLE A MAGAZINE ABOUT US: WE MAKE EVERYDAY LIFE EASIER

#1 2021 “You can’t write a manual for this job” page 42.

Equ iandus et occab ipsa, Tine Anundsen denter loste. Equlia Anders Palm denter Equ Amal in et occab ipsam, Samir Razak.

Wonderland Meet the colleagues who are already working in the future.

#1 2021

138

PostNorders in this issue: Pia gets a boost, Sten thinks about fat and Desmond spreads joy.

And 135 more as well.

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PEOPLE BY POSTNORD

T-Cross.

An interior easy to rearrange to suit your needs – T-Cross is adjustable, allowing more legroom, or more room for luggage, or the space to load very long things. Moreover, lots of advanced safety features are included.

For example, T-Cross brakes for pedestrians, helps keeping you in the lane, and warns you when you get tired. Discover the greatness of a compact SUV.

Find your nearest dealer on www.volkswagen.se Fuel consumption from 5.9 - 6.3 l / 100 km. CO2 emissions from 131 - 142 g / km. Environmental class Euro 6. The car in the picture is extra equipped. We reserve the right to make changes and deviations.

THE CONCLUSION*

PostNord

the future

→ A large, long-established company can get stuck in the past. However, it can also use its substantial strength to propel development forward. This issue interviews many PostNorders who work with technology and innovation that would make Axel Oxenstierna’s head explode (Oxenstierna founded the Swedish Royal Postal Agency in 1636). For example, Amal, who is training with virtual reality; Martin, who has employed a robot in customer service; or Sten, who runs his truck on fat. And everyone really seems to love trying out new technology and new solutions. Being at the forefront of the march toward the future. Who wouldn’t want that? * The editorial staff draws highly unscientific conclusions on topics that bring PostNorders together, based on the interviews in the magazine.

1. Downloadable digital newspapers (1938) 2. Video calls (1940) 3. Autonomous vehicles (1965) 4. Everyone has their own helicopter in the garage (1950) Source: Popular Mechanics “The Wonderful Future That Never Was”

So, where is the news section?

People by PostNord is a magazine about PostNord’s employees. If you have access to the intranet c/o PostNord, you will find news and information there. You can follow us on Instagram @peoplebypostnord

IMAGES FROM BEHIND THE SCENES

FYNS HOVED. Freddy Billqvist photographs mail carrier Lars Mørch in his favorite place. Page 6.

ÖREBRO. Photographer Pavel Koubek meets Ericka Sparr to illustrate her love of true crime. Page 10.

Follow us on Instagram @peoplebypostnord

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Looking for new challenges?

It’s nice to feel that you are good at what you do, but sometimes you also need challenges in life. To feel those butterflies in your stomach when you’re about to embark on a new task. The spring in your step when you venture out into unknown territory.

PostNord is a large group full of opportunities for those who want to develop and tackle new challenges. But before you tell your boss that you’re ready for more responsibility, it’s wise to think through what aspects you want to develop and what you want to do most.

On page 34, PostNord Norway’s Head of Recruitment Mandy Luong gives her best advice to anyone looking for a new position at PostNord. One of her tips is the importance of having an updated resume: “Write down what you have done in recent years, what your department has achieved, and how you have contributed. The more up-to-date your resume is, the better.”

M A L I N N O RD É N Feeling the urge to leave tasks and Editor in Chief, People by PostNord colleagues for new adventures can make you feel guilty, but no manager sees that ambition as a betrayal. On the contrary: it is actually his or her job to support you and help you develop. Good, ambitious employees should be cherished!

When Charlotta Sigurjonsdottir joined PostNord almost ten years ago, she knew nothing about the logistics industry. But she was inquisitive, hungry, and wanted to learn everything. And she had managers who recognized her drive. On page 35, you can read about her path to becoming Regional Development Manager.

In this issue of People by PostNord, we also step into the future.

In fact, a future that is partly already here. How does virtual reality training work? What’s it like to have robots as colleagues?

How do you train a chatbot? You can read about this in our Focus: Future on pages 24–32.

PEOPLE BY POSTNORD Editor in Chief: Malin Nordén National editors: Robert Långström (SE), Michael Kirkeby (DK), Maiju Karhunen (FI), and Sigurd Bjerke (NO) Design: Andreas Wirf Language Coordinator: Louise Holpp Other participants: Aniella Svensson, Grethe-­Birgitte Friis Jakobsen, Salla Virkkunen, Rebecka Mathers, Malin Dahlberg, and Fredrik Arvidsson Production: Spoon Printing: V-TAB Email: peopleby@postnord.com

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BANFA JAWLA

“It is difficult to make predictions, especially about the future.” This quote is often attributed to Danish cartoonist and actor Robert Storm Petersen. Here are some predictions people made about the future in 1903–1970:

Welcome!

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CONTENTS #1–21

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16

Lotte takes command.

Paul is surprised.

Ericka solves mysteries.

62

Hedvig handles secrets.

35

Charlotta is inquisitive.

30 Amal switches realities.

18 Sigrid takes the initiative.

4

54

Emil knows his stuff.

PEOPLE BY POSTNORD

INDEX We e in featur ue this iss We are interviewed:

Amal Ibrahim 30 Anders Eggen 32 Anna-Karin Karlsson 42 Barbro Karlsson 18 Charlotta Sigurjonsdottir 35 Christer Svensson 59 Desmond Okposi 9 Dorthe Christoffersen 50 Emil Behr 54 Ericka Sparr 10 Gert Friis-Larsen 36 Hansi Anderberg 54 Hedvig Bruzæus 62 Helena Ahola 12 Jan Greve 56 Jessica Nilsson 60 Jimmie Sehested Birn 14 Kasper Almroth 54 Kristin Anfindsen 29 Lars Mørch 6 Linda Enoxon 44 Magdalena Robsarve 26 Magnus Österdahl 18 Mandy Luong 34 Marcus Österlund 18

Maria Korban 51 Markus Seppälä 15 Martin Norin 28 Mathias Fogh Bang 56 Mathias Krümmel 44 Mattias Norén 13 Mattias Strandell 18 Natalie Collin 44 Palle Olsen 50 Patrik Ågren 30 Patrik Leppänen 40 Paul Anthony Cannon 16 Per Bengtsson 18 Pia Bjerselius 38 Samar Mouro 26 Sigrid Waldem 18 Sofia Leffler Moberg 43 Sofie Vesterlund 54 Sonja Heikkilä 23 Stefan Lindestam 44 Sten Blicher 56 Thomas Lauritsen 22

We get a mention: Ahmed Yasin Amarnath Das Anders Beckgaard Anders Fredén Ann-Sofie Mortensen Anna Lassbo Anne-Christine Lane Åsa Edde Audun Nordstrand Boye Telstad Løver Caroline Öfverstedt Christer Askerfjord Christine Schnipper Cindy Nanberg Crassie Cederborg Dan Hammarlund Daniel Kvistell David Holm Emil Sehested

16 24 6 62 14 62 28 28 29 29 35 36 56 42 26 35 38 14 14

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Emilia Mannari 40 Emilio Marinone 28 Erik Gunneriusson 9 Felicia Tylander 30 Frederick Martyn 22/28 Fredrik Hagnelöv 36 Fredrik Strömblad 42 Güven Kuzey 35 Haakon Nikolai Olsen 51 Hampus Hägg 26 Hanna Nydahl 62 Henriette Gedde Linna 51 Herman Petterson 36 Hermine Magnusson 30 Jaana Happonen 12 Jacob Frizell 42 Jakob Manori 56 Jacob Pedersen 56 Jan Mohr Ernst 6

Janet Friis-Larsen Jennie Bergkvist Jessica Blåfjell Johan Ornell Johannes Larsen Jukka Hyrkäs Julia Gunnarsdottir Jussi Valtanen Kim Jensen Kimmo Hyttinen Krista Yliruusi Laila Frederiksen Leif Karlsson Lina Arkin Lizzi Eriksen Malin Lindwall Malin Valentin Marcus Holmström Maria Glansk

36 10 51 44 6 12 62 40 14 23 40 6 62 38 6 26 62 35 42

Maria Mossestad Martin Pedersen Mats Lundblad Michael Frölich Michael Hagström Mikael Myhrberg Morten Mortensen Nadja Axberg Oskar Braf Per Petersson Per-Erik Leo Peter Ikonomidis Piritta Häkkinen Raikku Ijäs Robin Johansson ­Gladnikoff Ronnie Knudsen Sam Elmi Sanna Mäki

51 6 54 22 62 28 56 38 9 35 26 35 23 12 35 56 51 40

Sara Pålsson Silje Svendsen Sofie Skadal Stefan Damicolas Susanne Ljungberg Sven Tue Damgaard Talin Wannesian Theodor Nelson Tilde Bäck Trine Sand Ulrica Phillips Vesa Karjalainen Vibeke Callesen Victoria Rummelhoff Vivi Nybom William Klasson

38 29 51 9 62 22 26 51 10 51 42 23 56 51 62 9

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MY SPOT / FYNS HOVED

“I’ve never wanted to move away” “I LIVE IN the same house where my father and grandfather were born. I’ve never wanted to move away. I couldn’t be without the scenery, calm, and view up here. To the east, we can see the boats navigating through the Great Belt, with Zealand on the other side. To the north, you can glimpse the scarps on the island of Samsø and to the west, the island of Æbelø, but not Jutland behind them. After all, the Earth is round.

I pass roughly the same places every day as I’ve done all my life, and it never gets boring. I mean, every day is a little different.

The natural light up here has also attracted many artists over the years. They didn’t always have much money but paid for food and lodging with their paintings. In the living room, I have two paintings that my parents received as payment back in the day.

When I’m out with the boat, fishing for eel, flatfish, or lobster, I often see white-tailed eagles and seals. I once got close to a porpoise lying completely still on the surface. It had just caught a little seal pup. You don’t get those kinds of wildlife experiences if you live in an apartment in Kerteminde. If you live in a

‘rabbit hutch’, as I call it. In March 2021, I’ll turn 63 years old and will stop driving to Odense every morning to retrieve the mail. I’ll have done my bit. I’ll probably miss my colleagues, but in return, I’ll get more time to fish and hunt.

Or just look out across the water.”

LARS MØRCH, POSTMAN IN ODENSE, DENMARK Closest colleagues: Jan Mohr Ernst, Martin Pedersen, Anders Beckgaard, Johannes Larsen, Laila Frederiksen, and Lizzi Eriksen.

INTERVIEWED BY MARIE-LOUISE ARNFAST PHOTO: FREDDY BILLQVIST

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DON’T MISS ON INSTAGRAM! Get the best bits from the magazine as well as unique videos.

Follow us today! @peoplebypostnord

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PEOPLE BY POSTNORD

Pick up

Murder mysteries, gentlemen, and fabulous feedback. “Pick up” offers quick glimpses from PostNord’s world on pages 9–17.

TEXT: LINDA HÄLLQVIST PHOTO: NILS LÖFHOLM

Desmond Okposi Position at PostNord: Home delivery driver in Segeltorp, Stockholm.

Closest colleagues: “Erik Gunneriusson, who is also a driver, and my group leaders Stefan Damicolas, Oskar Braf, and William Klasson.”

THE COMMENT

“Mr. Mystery PostNord Man” As he always does, Desmond Okposi smiled his wide smile during a home delivery. This time, however, it resulted in perhaps the best customer comment of the year.

CUSTOMERS’ OPINIONS CONTINUE to pour into PostNord’s app. It’s not uncommon to receive positive feedback about fast deliveries, but sometimes a comment is posted that has extra everything. With a cherry on top.

Desmond Okposi drives home deliveries in Stockholm in the evenings.

For him, it’s not just a matter of handing over a parcel. He often stops for a minute and talks to the recipient.

Something that made an American both feel homesick and write a short story in the comments field:

PEOPLE BY POSTNORD

“The guy who delivered to us was SUPER friendly! I’m from Austin, Texas, where the majority of people are very friendly and outgoing. For a second, it felt like I was back in Austin! So thank you, Mr. Mystery PostNord Man, I hope you see this comment and know that you brought a huge smile to my face!

We need more genuine people like you!”

“WOW, WOW, WOW,” Desmond says when he hears the delightful comment.

“What can I say ... I am so grateful

and really appreciate this. It shows that going the extra mile actually makes a difference.”

Do you remember this particular occasion?

“No, I don’t actually, ha-ha. I have so many nice, cheery encounters with customers. I always try to give them that little bit extra by creating a positive atmosphere.”

What is the best thing about your job?

“It’s probably when the customer bursts into a smile when I try to make a joke. I can say, for example, that their signature looks like five million dollars or is as beautiful as a Picasso. And customers’ reactions make my day!

I also have fantastic managers who make me feel secure in my work.

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TOP 3 / TRUE CRIME

The Sherlock of postmen When Ericka Sparr is not delivering mail, she reads preliminary investigation reports and forms her own theories about unsolved crime cases.

SHE LOVES THE FREEDOM of her job as a postman in Örebro. She loves being outdoors, getting plenty of exercise, and meeting happy customers and colleagues.

But her dream job is somewhat darker. If Ericka Sparr could choose, she would be a police officer, or better still, a crime scene investigator like in the TV series “CSI”.

“Fingerprints, DNA analyses, and crime scene photography. That would be my dream! I’ve always been interested in murder mysteries and mysterious criminal cases. I can thank my grandma for this; she told me many exciting stories when I was a kid, but I wasn’t scared. Instead, I wanted to help solve the mysteries.”

THESE DAYS ERICKA and her grandma Barbro watch TV detective series together.

“Midsummer Murders” is one of their

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favorites, and they also swap books with each other.

“I think my grandma has read all the crime novels that have ever been written.”

BUT ERICKA’S INTEREST doesn’t stop at fiction. She usually requests preliminary investigation reports in the most spectacular Swedish criminal cases and looks for clues that the police may have missed.

“It’s fun to play detective. I know about most of the big cases and have many theories about what happened. I am also involved in Missing People and have taken part in searches for missing persons.”

What would you be good at if you become a cop?

“I think I would be good at blending in in various environments. I’m also good at seeing details that others miss.”

Ericka’s true crime favorites

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Best TV series: “Disappeared” “American series that analyzes missing persons cases in depth. While some episodes are comforting and others tragic, many cases remain unsolved and continue to be a source of unbearable frustration.”

2

Best podcast: “Olösta fall” (Unsolved cases) “A podcast about missing persons and unsolved cases by Sofie Nyblin and Nathalie Seow. Both old and new cases are discussed and relatives are interviewed hoping that people will send in new tips.”

3

Best documentary series: “I huvudet på en gärningsman” (In the mind of an offender) “The series takes a deep dive into the psyche of some of Sweden’s worst criminals. What was their childhood like, and were there any signs back then? What drove them to their bestial acts? Super exciting!”

PEOPLE BY POSTNORD

TEXT: MALIN DAHLBERG PHOTO: PAVEL KOUBEK

Ericka Sparr Position at PostNord: Postman in Örebro, Sweden.

Closest colleagues: “There are about 30 of us in my district, but the ones I hang out with the most are Tilde Bäck and Jennie Bergkvist.”

PEOPLE BY POSTNORD

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Helena Ahola Position at PostNord: Driver at PostNord’s distribution partner in Vantaa, Finland.

Closest colleagues: Jaana Happonen, Raikku Ijäs, Jukka Hyrkäs, and route-planning colleagues.

SKILLS / HELENA AHOLA

“I don’t want to waste anyone’s time” Helena Ahola is always in the right place at the right time. An unusual trait in today’s stressful society.

TEXT: MAIJU KARHUNEN PHOTO: BENJAMIN SUOMELA “EIGHTY PERCENT OF success is just showing up,” said Woody Allen. Helena Ahola could add: “And if you want to reach one hundred percent, do it on time.”

She is always at the agreed place at the agreed time. All the people she delivers parcels to have noticed this. And so has everyone else, for that matter. Punctuality may seem like a banal superpower. But think for a moment about how many people in your circle always arrive on time. And what it can mean when they don’t.

“I don’t want to waste anyone’s time,” says Helena.

“I always strive to be on time and stick to what has been agreed. For example, it’s important to me that vehicle mechanics waiting for spare parts can start their work 12

as quickly as possible.”

She has received very positive feedback for her punctuality and passionate attitude to her work.

“People say that I’m someone you can rely on,” says Helena and laughs.

She takes it all with a grain of salt, but there is a great deal of truth in this praise.

When delivering spare parts for vehicles, speed and reliability are essential.

“I arrive at work on time every day to have time to check that the goods are where they should be. I load my van so that it enables me to get the parcels out as quickly as possible and head on to the next destination.”

HELENA STARTED DRIVING for PostNord in 2015 but has been working in

the transport industry since 2001.

“I’ve always liked it. My first contact with driving was when I sat on my uncle’s lap and ‘steered’ the car; my feet didn’t even reach the pedals.”

ADAPTABILITY TO DIFFERENT situations is crucial in Helena’s work.

“I remember when in the run-up to Christmas a few years ago, I delivered Christmas presents meant for a family’s children. Of course, the kids came to the door to see and asked, ‘What are those parcels?’ I thought for a moment and replied, ‘These parcels are for your grandma.’ The children’s mother shouted from the kitchen, ‘Oh, it’s great that they’ve arrived in good time!’

“The children believed my explanation and carried on playing; their parents were really grateful. The best thing about my job is definitely that I get to make others happy.”

PEOPLE BY POSTNORD

TEXT: LINDA FAGERLIND BERKÖ PHOTO: NILS LÖFHOLM

PICKING A BRAIN / MATTIAS NORÉN

Digital development “In recent years, we have entered the digital world, for instance, by offering digital mailboxes and mobile payment solutions. And we have done well with this; the majority of our earnings are now from the digital side of the business. Our current focus is on helping our customers in their onward digitalization journey and securing continued growth in our digital volumes.”

Billions of transactions “Our biggest asset is that we handle over one billion transactions annually. But we need to broaden our role in the value chain. In the future, we can’t just handle the transactions – we also need to develop solutions that simplify and automate our customers’ processes surrounding the transactions – that’s our journey.”

“We change the entire company structure” THREE YEARS AGO, Mattias Norén

stepped in as Strategic Product Manager for the Nordic market at PostNord Strålfors.

Today he is responsible for the company’s Strategy and Business Development unit and, together with the organization, is running the entire digital transformation at PostNord Strålfors.

“On our journey, PostNord Strålfors, which has been a process and production company focusing on print, is becoming a digital product and service company. This involves our changing the entire structure of the company. Everything from governance, culture, skills, and investments to the financial structure.”

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BY POSTNORD

According to Mattias Norén, the current restructuring of PostNord Strålfors is a textbook example of what is known as digital transformation.

“It’s a paradigm shift in the industry, much like when we went from analog cameras to digital ones. And to be successful, we need to create an agile and flexible organization. Our degree of success is not only down to the management. It is something that has to be cultivated throughout the organization and enabled by our employees. We’re at our best when we work together.”

A shared journey “I love change and trying out new things.

That was also what attracted me to this role and PostNord Strålfors – to be involved in implementing a corporate transformation from scratch. The icing on the cake is that we are a company and an organization with employees who are truly passionate about embarking on this journey together.”

PEOPLE BY POSTNORD 13

ABC@POSTNORD

TEXT: MARIE-LOUISE ARNFAST PHOTO: FREDDY BILLQVIST

“It’s so nice to put a human face on the parcel” Jimmie Sehested Birn receives a lot of positive customer feedback. And he’s earned it.

ABC@POSTNORD Are you good at giving that little extra? Or do you know somebody else who is?

Please let us know at peopleby@postnord.com

“IT GIVES YOU an extra boost to get praise on Trustpilot,”

admits Jimmie Sehested Birn. Recently, one of his customers wrote something really nice there about his parcel courier in Jyderup, Denmark.

“I have had other PostNord couriers who do an excellent job. But Jimmie gives that little bit extra. He’s always happy – even on a day like today when it’s dull and rainy. It’s so nice to put a human face on the parcel,” writes Diana Leth, who dubs Jimmie “the best postman at PostNord” in her review.

IT’S HARDLY A COINCIDENCE that Jimmie

receives such positive feedback. As a package courier, his interaction with customers is essential to him, regardless of whether he delivers parcels to a company, a care home, or an individual.

“I probably talk to about 50 customers a day. I grew up and live in Jyderup, so I know some of them from other contexts,” he says.

FOR EXAMPLE, when he takes his

daughters, aged five and seven, to gymnastics and scouting, or when it’s time to play football on the local pitch. To Jimmie, it’s a clear advantage to distribute mail in an area where he knows people. But it also means that he, in a private capacity, sometimes has to deal with other people’s experiences of the postal service. That’s why he is pleased that customer satisfaction and PostNord’s reputation are improving. And he is proud to be contributing to this himself.

“A good day at work is when I manage to deliver everything I need to the right place – and all the parcels are intact. Fortunately, this is the case on most days. I enjoy my work, and being friendly and accommodating comes easily to me. It means a lot to many customers.”

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Jimmie Sehested Birn Position at PostNord: Parcel courier in Jyderup and Kalundborg, Denmark. Has worked at the company since 2008.

Closest colleagues: Jimmie has worked for many years with his colleagues Kim Jensen, Emil Sehested, Ann-Sofie Mortensen, and David Holm.

PEOPLE BY POSTNORD

THE PHYSICS LESSON / ROUTE PLANNING

TEXT: MAIJU KARHUNEN

Parcels on track!

In Finland, customers will soon be able to track their parcels in real time. This long-awaited function takes home deliveries to the next level.

Narrower time frames In 2020, PostNord Finland trialed new → technology for time-optimized home

Successful trials Markus says that the new technology → was tested in and around Helsinki in

deliveries. The new function is expected to be launched in Finland in 2021, and similar projects are underway throughout the Group.

“It enables recipients to choose a time interval in plenty of time for the parcel that will be delivered in the evening. On the day of delivery, they receive a message stating the time of delivery with a one-hour margin.

When there are four customers before you at most, you receive an additional text message allowing you to track the parcel’s progress in real time,” says Markus Seppälä, Head of Operational & Service Excellence at PostNord Finland.

the spring and summer of 2020. In total, more than 20,000 parcels were delivered.

“The response from the recipients and drivers was mainly positive. We also managed to deliver more parcels than before. The recipients were particularly grateful that their parcels arrived on time.”

Makes daily life easier “The idea for this feature simply came → from our desire to make our services more user-friendly. In other words, we wanted to make people’s everyday lives easier. With the help of technology, recipients can plan their life better when they don’t have to wait hours for their parcel deliveries. Recipients can also request that the parcels be left with their neighbor, for example.”

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Suggestions for improvement The drivers who took part in the trial → gave good, constructive suggestions

Markus Seppälä, Head of Operational & Service Excellence at PostNord Finland.

for improvement that have already been taken on board. “For instance, they were limited by the lack of an interface; we started working on that immediately,” says Markus.

Instant reply With this delivery model, drivers’ routes → can also be better optimized. “If the drivers start to lag behind in their schedule, it will be possible to notify the recipients. We also want to develop the system, so that when the delivery of a parcel fails for any reason, a message will be sent to the recipient immediately instead of the next morning.”

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THE BEGINNING

See video and photos Follow us on Instagram #peoplebypostnord

Paul Anthony Cannon Position at PostNord: Parcel courier in Randers, Denmark.

Closest colleagues: “I mostly work with Ahmed Yasin, who stands there, ready to go every morning at the Aarhus terminal – next to a van packed in the most careful way possible.”

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PEOPLE BY POSTNORD

TEXT: MARIE-LOUISE ARNFAST PHOTO: FREDDY BILLQVIST

A TRUE-BLUE GENTLEMAN “At first I was surprised at how different the culture is at PostNord compared to Royal Mail,” says Paul Anthony Cannon.

A DANISH GIRLFRIEND brought Paul Anthony Cannon to Denmark 20 years ago.

Since then, he has not only been in love with Gitte, but also with Danish society.

“I usually call Denmark the land of opportunity. Just imagine, you can get a higher education without having to pay for it. It’s difficult in England,” says Paul, who started learning Danish at evening classes in London before he moved to Denmark.

HIS ENJOYMENT OF LIFE also extends to his job at PostNord. In London, Paul worked at Royal Mail. When a similar vacancy came up in Denmark, he was quick to apply.

“In the beginning, I was surprised at how different the culture is at PostNord compared to Royal Mail. Both are large organizations, but where Royal Mail is very hierarchical with a clear distance between management and employees, we can discuss things with each other in Denmark.

I can say the same thing to my boss as I can say to my colleague. That was not the case in England.”

PEOPLE BY POSTNORD

ALTHOUGH PAUL HAS embraced the Danish language and society, he has not given up his British accent and style. In central Randers, he is known as a gentleman who says hello to everyone.

“I really enjoy my job. We have a responsibility and we meet many people during the day – and I think that with our service and blue uniforms, we’re a familiar and secure presence. This was noticeable during the spring lockdown due to corona­ virus, for example. Many customers thought it was fantastic to see us, as we perhaps became a symbol that something remained normal at an otherwise uncertain time. We also helped keep society going by distributing goods from online stores to customers.”

ON HIS DAYS off during the week, Paul has made it a tradition to go on a trip with his father-in-law in the Danish countryside.

They usually enjoy a good lunch at a pub somewhere along the way. Maybe that’s another thing gentlemen do.

The distance from London to Randers is 862.25 kilometers as the crow flies. By car you have to drive 1,284.94 kilometers, which takes around 14 hours.

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“Opinions and discussions are welcome here” Postman Sigrid Waldem has experienced a lot of changes since she started at PostNord in 1998. Alternate-day deliveries is the biggest one to date. “You often get a finished concept from management and then you do the best you can. Here, we really got the opportunity to be involved and influential. There is a long-term perspective in the project and an aim to detect what doesn’t work, so that it turns out right in the end. I also want to highlight my boss Mattias Strandell. He listens to us and makes us feel secure. Opinions and discussions are welcome here.”

See Sigrid’s story Follow us on Instagram #peoplebypostnord

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PEOPLE PEOPLEBY

BY POST POSTNORD N O RD

THE MISSION / ALTERNATE-DAY DELIVERIES

“AN HONOR … and a major

RESPONSIBILITY“ They are the first to experience the biggest change in the almost 400-year history of the Swedish postal service. Meet the postmen who took the bull by the horns and delivered a perfect pilot project.

TEXT: MALIN DAHLBERG PHOTO: JOHAN BÄVMAN & OLA TORKELSSON

AT NÖBBELÖVSVÄGEN

A

in Lund, it’s business as usual. Well, almost as usual.

In the autumn of 2020, Marcus, Tusse, Sigrid, Per, Nikolaj, and the other postmen at the hub launched the new, Swedish delivery model for letters. Alternate-day deliveries became a reality for 38,000 households in Lund and nearby Kävlinge.

Newspapers and television readied themselves for the wrath of the Swedish people, but six months later it has to be said that there were no screaming headlines. When the newspaper Dagens Nyheter asked residents in the area what they thought about the change, most people were very understanding. “It’s so rare to get mail in the mailbox these days; it’s nearly all advertising, so it doesn’t bother me,” said an 80-year-old lady from Lund, who added that “most things are done via computers today anyway.”

Via computers, yes. And the internet. Two

PEOPLE PEOPLE BY BYPOSTNORD POST NO R D

major reasons why Sweden is joining the ranks of Nordic countries that are adapting their mail deliveries to the digital development in society. A total of 1.8 billion letters are still sent in Sweden.

That’s no small number. But it’s significantly smaller than when Per Bengtsson began his summer job in Kävlinge in 1982.

“When I started, all mail came unsorted, and we did everything by hand. The rounds were about 300 households per postman, and the bag was packed full every day. Over the years, the number of households on the round has increased, while the contents of the mail carriers’ bags have shrunk more and more. You clearly realize that something must be done,” says Per who, together with his colleagues, now alternates between different delivery rounds: a “thick round” with letters, bills, and advertising every other day and a daily “thin round” with parcels and value letters bought online.

IMPLEMENTING ONE OF the Swedish postal

service’s biggest changes since 1636 is not

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↑ “Show commitment, be involved, and influence the process; it’s the only way to get used to it,” postman Marcus Österlund advises his colleagues who will start delivering mail on alternate days this year.

How it works

The background to the Solo project is the fact that the volume of letters in Sweden has halved since the year 2000.

In the alternate-day delivery model, postmen continue to distribute mail every workday, but not to all households.

Instead, they go on different rounds depending on what day it is. For the recipients, this means that they receive regular mail – such as letters, bills, and advertising – every other day. However, parcels, value letters, and express letters are delivered every day, just as they are today. The yellow mailboxes are also emptied every workday.

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something you do in the blink of an eye. The alternate-day deliveries result from years of planning, calculating, and simulating models at the desks of head office in Stockholm. Magnus Österdahl, Implementation Manager in the project titled Solo – Service Optimization of Last Mile Offering – says that the first seed for the new delivery model was sown back in 2009, when Posten AB in Sweden merged with Post Danmark A/S. “Denmark was forced to tackle declining letter volumes much earlier than Sweden.

It gave us an inkling of what to expect. We knew we would have to do something when we came to the same crossroads in Sweden.

Now that we are down to an average of one letter per drop-off point, it’s time to act.

Tests of the model started in April 2020 in

the midst of a raging coronavirus pandemic.

It’s no coincidence that the mail carriers at Nöbbelövsvägen were the ones who had the honor of starting the pilot project. Magnus describes a well-functioning workplace, with clear leadership and open communication.

In addition, it’s a delivery area with plenty of variety. Lund and Kävlinge have both sparsely populated and urban areas, and the hub handles everything from parcel distribution and corporate mail to rural and urban mail deliveries.

“I would like to call it a perfect pilot project. In the project group, we had continuous dialogue with the postmen, who provided feedback on things that did not work as well as other things that needed to be altered.”

PEOPLE BY POSTNORD

↑ Mattias Strandell is Production Manager at the Nöbbelövsvägen hub: “I am very proud of my employees who have done this with great skill.

Key to the great success is that we started talking about Solo back in 2019. The understanding of why we’re doing this struck a chord early on.”

Less visible, equally vital

← “At the end of the 1980s, I started working as a rural postman and brought money with me to pensioners. We ended up having many cups of coffee and kitchen table conversations. Today, there’s no time for that,” says Per Bengtsson.

ONE PERSON WHO had extra responsi-

bility in the project is postman and safety representative Marcus Österlund. He agrees with Magnus about the good cooperation during the initial phase, where the postmen were involved in designing the tests.

“The project group had an idea of what Solo was and how it would work, but it was still a product created in an office. There was no basis for what demands the new model placed on us postmen. So when we embarked on the pre-pilot phase, we postmen devised and documented our own tests and then brought our experiences back to the project team.”

As a safety representative, Marcus has always kept a close eye on the work environment. Does any working position hurt? Are new tools needed? And he doesn’t just do it for his colleagues at the hub.

“The conclusions we draw here will be crucial for everyone at PostNord in Sweden now that the pilot project is going larger in scope. It’s both an honor and a major PEOPLE BY POSTNORD

A slightly more invisible, but equally important part of the launch, is the contribution made by Malmö mail terminal. In a small corner of the 46,000-square-meter terminal, the blue boxes suddenly gained labels with X and Y, symbolizing the postmen’s various alternate-day rounds.

“For us, the project has meant that we run completely new programs in the machines and put aside some of the mail.

Storing the right mail, delivering the right mail, and also taking the right mail from the warehouse the next day – that has been the biggest journey for us,” explains Barbro Karlsson, Production Manager at Malmö mail terminal.

During the test period, there has been a sharp focus on quality.

“For those of us who are managers and leaders, it has been extremely important to ensure that all employees keep up with us on this journey and understand their role.”

responsibility,” says Marcus, who has a message for PostNord’s management: “We all realize that the postman profession isn’t what it used to be and that changes are needed, but they must be implemented correctly. There must be time to practice the new routines and an understanding that not all employees are the same. There are also local conditions to take into account. A perfect procedure on small residential streets in Skåne may not work at all for a rural postman in Norrland, northern Sweden.

EPILOGUE Proof that the pilot project in Lund was successful came on January 7, 2021, when PostNord’s Group Management gave the go-ahead for the next phase. The tests are now continuing in the Malmö terminal area and the South region. If all goes well, the Solo project will be implemented throughout Sweden in 2022.

Barbro Karlsson, Production Manager at Malmö mail terminal

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the future arrived in

DENMARK FIRST A

A FLOWER with

five petals became the symbol of the Danish delivery model introduced in 2017. The center of the flower symbolizes the local distribution center, while the petals correspond to the postal district, which is divided into five areas.

It was created when PostNord received permission from the Danish Government to distribute standard letters in five days instead of two days as previously.

THE BACKGROUND TO this was a

sharp decline in letter volumes. Twenty years ago, 1.2 billion letters were delivered in Denmark, compared with just over 200 million in 2020.

“We deliver 80 percent fewer letters today, but not because Danes send fewer letters. The billion that has disappeared consists of communication to and from banks, the state or local authorities that

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has now moved to digital platforms such as e-Boks or Kivra.”

include letters will be affected sooner or later, it’s just a matter of time.”

THAT’S HOW Thomas Lauritsen

POSTNORD DENMARK expects explains the development. He a further 15-percent reduction in heads the team that is letters in 2021. streamlining mail “We still have an agreement with delivery. The flower the Government for our symbol was fine-tuned obligation to deliver mail all in 2019 to have four over the country at the same petals, but the logic is postage, regardless of where you the same. Fewer letters live – so what do we do? means less revenue, so Personally, I don’t think it’s a Thomas Lauritsen good idea to make postage much there is a constant need Background: Thomas to find new, smarter, more expensive or to distribute Lauritsen started as a and more cost-effective every six days. Nor can we production employee at the ways to organize differentiate the postage mail terminal in Herning in 1994. At that time, there were distribution. according to how far the letter 14,000 employees in the “You could say that travels. And it’s difficult to make distribution operation in the future came to the physical distances shorter.”

Denmark. Today there are Denmark first. We are a “These are the types of issues about 6,200. kind of first mover, we are working on as we now Closest colleagues: Michael Frölich, Sven Tue Damgaard, because we were hit develop a new model. It’s too and Frederick Martyn as well harder and faster by the early to say what it will look like. as the seven distribution decline in mail than But it will come, and we are managers and two mail other countries. But all investing in a solution that is terminal managers in postal operations that Denmark. good for everyone.”

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#GOALS

TEXT: MAIJU KARHUNEN PHOTO: BENJAMIN SUOMELA

Sonja Heikkilä has wanted to develop and improve things from an early age. Now she plans to do the same with PostNord’s parcel services.

Goodbye, comfort zone WHEN SHE WAS young, she didn’t know

what she wanted to do with her life and she was led by others’ expectations. But a few years ago, Sonja Heikkilä decided to go her own way.

“It feels good to have finally figured myself out and what really interests me. It’s a much more direct path to happiness than trying to meet the expectations of others,” says Sonja, who is Business Development & Innovation Lead at PostNord Finland.

SONJA IS INSPIRED by people who do

things their own way and are passionate about what they do and she shares that enthusiasm. She now looks forward to working with PostNord’s parcel services in Finland. Sonja has wanted to develop things ever since her childhood.

“As a child, my family and I often traveled by ferry. There were nice slot machines, and when I came home I always made replicas out of paper,” she laughs.

to consumers as its competitors, Posti and Matkahuolto. So, I want to focus on increasing awareness.”

I wouldn’t swap any of my experiences for something else. They’ve all taught me something new and helped me develop in my chosen direction,” says Sonja.

AT WORK, Sonja’s task is to untangle knotty

problems. At home, she enjoys making knots. Yes, you read that right. Sonja has recently spent many hours doing macramé, a craft technique that creates patterns with knots.

“One day I might start selling my own macramé products but I’m not really there yet,” she laughs.

FOOTBALL IS A counterweight to her

SONJA'S MOTTO IS “seize the opportunity”.

She has made the most of every job and has never been picky. The traffic visionary who changed jobs, from Škoda’s digital innovation center in Prague to PostNord, has, among other things, milked cows, picked tomatoes, and sold ice cream made of rice (when no one wanted to buy plant-based products).

“Some of my previous jobs have been both mentally and physically tough, but

macramé work. Sonja has been playing football since she was eleven years old.

Right now, she is a midfielder on the team in HIFK/Reds matches.

“For a long time I was a back and hated playing in midfield. But our coach still suggested that position for me, and miraculously I like it!

“Sometimes it simply pays off to step out of your comfort zone.”

SONJA’S DREAM JOB as a child was –

­ nsurprisingly – to be an inventor. In a way, u she is one now.

“I have an ability to quickly detect shortcomings but also to find ways to solve them. In the logistics industry, the focus should be more on improving the user experience, not on the infrastructure itself.

I want to develop our services specifically based on consumer needs.”

AT THE SAME time, she wants to develop

herself. This was one of the main reasons why Sonja decided to switch industries. With an Master of Science degree in Traffic Engineering, she worked for several years with challenging traffic and movement-related tasks.

“The logistics industry is fascinating because it creates some frustration for customers. I know it’s not easy to change consumer attitudes but that’s exactly what makes this job so incredibly interesting.”

“In Finland, PostNord is not as well-known

PEOPLE BY POSTNORD

Sonja Heikkilä Position at PostNord: Business Development & Innovation Lead in Vantaa, Finland.

Closest colleagues: Piritta Häkkinen, Kimmo Hyttinen, and Vesa Karjalainen.

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See video and photos Follow us on Instagram #peoplebypostnord

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PEOPLE PEOPLEBY

BY POST POSTNORD N O RD

FOCUS: THE NEW POSTNORD

THE FUTURE IS NOW Martin’s robot is a teenager, Samar’s warehouse is alive, and Amal is training in Wonderland. No, they’re not three bizarre Netflix series, they are your colleagues.

And they’re already working in the future.

TEXT: MALIN DAHLBERG, HÅKON SANDLAND, MARIE-LOUISE ARNFAST, AND ROBERT LÅNGSTRÖM PHOTO: CHRISTIAN GUSTAVSSON

P

OSTNORD’S HISTORY looks

slightly different depending on which country you live in. In Sweden and Denmark you can talk about several hundred years of letter and parcel services. In Norway and Finland, the company is a newcomer. But the development of society looks roughly the same. The people in the Nordics send fewer letters, handle their communication digitally, and e-commerce is growing faster than you can say “click”. Our needs for digital solutions that make everyday life easier are increasing almost as fast.

PEOPLE PEOPLE BY BYPOSTNORD POST NO R D

THIS MEANS THAT service companies such as

PostNord have to keep up. New solutions are constantly needed to meet customer and consumers’ demands and expectations.

THAT IS WHY exciting pilot projects and

development initiatives are constantly in progress at PostNord. These projects and initiatives concern chatbots, 3D printing, virtual reality, robot storage, parcel boxes as well as apps that help track parcels. Let us present some PostNorders who are already working in the future.

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C H AP T ER 1: A UTO MATIC TPL WA REH O U S E

S AMAR IN T HE L IVIN G W A R EH O U SE

“If there’s a problem, it’s my job to solve it”

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PEOPLE BY POSTNORD

WAREHOUSE ROBOTS ARE fast and accurate, but there’s one thing they

can’t do: solve unexpected problems. That’s where Samar Mouro comes in.

She tried several different jobs before she found the right one – as a leader of both humans and robots.

“I have worked in a café and with telephone sales and was even a hairdresser for a short time. I had six months of training. Everything went well until a customer said ‘do exactly what you want’. I panicked. I have no imagination at all when it comes to hair,” she laughs and reveals that nowadays she only gives her family haircuts.

At PostNord’s automated third-party logistics (TPL) warehouse in Norrköping, Sweden, no one says “do what you want”. On the contrary.

Here it’s all about precision, efficiency, and target figures. Samar has taken to it like a duck to water. The warehouse where the sports chain Stadium is housed is shuttle-based, and the technology is called goods-to-person.

This means that trays with goods literally shuttle between the warehouse shelves and the picking stations. At each station, a person makes sure that the right T-shirt and sneakers are put in the bag.

“We have a packing machine at each station,” Samar explains. “The packaging is already stretched, so that you can pick and drop the goods in one single movement. The rest is done by the machine. It closes the bag and prints the label directly onto the plastic.”

PostNord’s TPL warehouse for the Stadium sports chain uses goods-to-person technology.

SAMAR IS THE group leader for delivery, that is, the department that

picks and packs the orders. She is responsible for distributing the work. It is also essential to plan breaks. When working with robots, not everyone can go and have coffee at the same time because the machines never take time off.

“I make sure that everything is running smoothly and that we keep up the pace,” Samar says. “Automation is still so new that questions can arise about the system. If there’s a problem, it’s my job to solve it.”

And that’s perhaps the major difference between human and automated personnel. The problem solving. Magdalena Robsarve is the Business Area Director. “It’s abbreviated BAD,” she says with a laugh. She has been involved in developing PostNord TPL’s automated warehousing services in Norrköping and believes that the robots have primarily taken over the tasks that don’t require human creativity.

“Instead of a person picking up an item and putting it on a shelf, we have robots that do that,” Magdalena says. “It doesn’t mean that we don’t need people in the workplace. I think basically the same number of people will work here in the future but we will do different tasks.

For example, packing items for end customers in an attractive way, assembling bicycles, or trying out skis.

The technology gives us the opportunity to focus on other things and offer better service to our customers.”

“Instead of a person picking up an item and putting it on a shelf, we have robots that do it.”

The trays literally shuttle back and forth at the warehouse.

SAMAR MOURO IS thinking along the same lines. For a

workplace to function and develop, it needs people who see opportunities. Challenges drive the work forward. Another thing that robots cannot do is create well-being.

“There’s a great atmosphere here,” Samar says. “We communicate with each other and have plenty of scope for opinions and discussions. I get on really well with my colleagues and love the pace, the feeling when we have kept to our lead times and got all the orders dispatched.

Then you can go home and just relax.”

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Samar Mouro Position at PostNord: Works at PostNord TPL in Norrköping, Sweden.

Closest colleagues: Per-Erik Leo, Crassie Cederborg, Talin Wannesian, Malin Lindwall, and Hampus Hägg.

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C HAP T ER 2: AI IN CUSTO MER SERV I CE

MARTIN’S TEENAGE ROBOT

“We don’t give it completely free rein” IN 2019, POSTNORD hired a baby to work in

customer service in PostNord Sweden.

No, not that kind of baby. This is an AI bot called Intelligent Virtual Agent (IVA). A little more than a year later – after a lot of training – the baby has already become a teenager and talks to 12,000 Swedish customers a day. It works around the clock and answers 25 percent of customers’ questions itself. It forwards the rest to its colleagues made of flesh and blood.

“There was a need and we wanted to show that it was solvable with technology,” says Martin Norin, Data Scientist at PostNord.

IVA IS BASED on natural-language

understanding (NLU), a technology that allows an AI bot to analyze and understand languages, both through speech and text.

IVA is designed for PostNord’s needs and is based on a number of existing components, including some from Google. It was built in-house with a Dutch team. Martin’s team have tailored the bot to work with Swedish customer chat scenarios, together with customer service in Sweden. The parents of the IVA concept are Mikael Myhrberg and Åsa Edde, who both have extensive experience of PostNord’s customers.

“The bot goes to school several times a week, to PostNorders who train it,” says Martin. You could say that I’m like a godfather; my role is to see how its intelligence and function can be developed.

“We train it in PostNord-related things that can collect, interpret, learn, and and give it many examples. For apply information itself. They want example, ‘I want to trace a parcel’. full control over how IVA works.

A certain sentence corresponds “We want to utilize its to a certain intention of the strengths. It’s important to person phoning in. We make sure introduce it with caution. It that IVA understands. The relieves the pressure on customer says that they want to customer service by taking care track a parcel; sometimes it means of the first step. If it’s unable to that they want to book a home respond, it forwards the case to delivery and sometimes that the personal service. This enables Martin Norin parcel is delayed. IVA then customer service employees to Position at PostNord: performs a check against the be more specialized.”

Data scientist in Stockholm. underlying data. It takes a mere few hundredths of a second WHEN MARTIN STARTED work Closest colleagues: without the customer noticing as a data scientist at PostNord Anne-Christine Lane, Emilio Marinone, anything. This enables IVA to in 2020, he was the first in his Amarnath Das, Åsa Edde, make assumptions about what field. Today, there is a team of Mikael Myhrberg, and the customer wants help with.” nine people trying to find the Frederick Martyn. gold nuggets inside the huge AT THE SAME time, IVA learns mountain of data. This may from customer calls. It collects involve looking at delivery data data that the trainers can then analyze and to be able to predict when complaints or use to teach the bot new things. It can possible thefts will occur. already pick out information from a call, “We try to find patterns. It’s great fun! such as a parcel number or a specific time Data itself is rarely self-evident; you always and date. have to interpret and analyze it. You must “But we handle all data and training manual- understand the whole picture and be skilled ly. We do not give IVA free rein. It’s crucial to in statistics, programming, and domain understand that it’s good at handling specific knowledge,” says Martin and concludes: things. It’s not a human being.”

“The solutions can be more or less advanced depending on what you want to WITH THE WORDS “ don’t give it free rein,” achieve. The main thing is to solve the task Martin says that they don't let it be an AI in hand.”

PHOTO: PEXELS

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CH A PT ER 3 : EX T ER N A L A N A LY S I S PHOTO: PEXELS

K R I S T I N ’ S FEEL FO R CO NS UMER S

“Making things simple is the hardest part” A LARGE PART of Kristin Anfindsen’s job

digitally, either via their own online store, involves getting into the minds of Instagram or digital marketplaces. So, customers and understanding we need to make it easy to control what they need. Even before the logistics from the store, for they understand it themselves. example, with the help of She is Head of Digital self-service solutions.”

Business Development at Another trend is that we are PostNord Norway. Her job buying more used goods from includes analyzing prevailing each other, on websites such as trends in society.

Finn and Tise in Norway or Blocket “An enormous amount of in Sweden. “This is especially Kristin Anfindsen what PostNord is doing right clear among young people who Position at PostNord: now concerns things that the think sustainably. It will become Head of Digital Business customer encounters on a even more common and Development in Oslo. digital screen,” Kristin says. everyone will need to have Closest colleagues: “And that’s where we come in: their purchases sent to them.

“I work with many talented how should it be developed, MyPack Go is the perfect people, but I am lucky to be how should the service work, product for purchases between able to work very closely with and how should it be private individuals. We this fantastic gang: Silje presented so that all launched it back in 2015 in Svendsen, Audun Nordcustomers understand?”

Norway, and now that the need strand, and Boye Telstad for it is increasing, we are Løver.”

THE LATEST MAJOR change developing the service.” is, of course, the coronavirus pandemic, which significantly has altered IN THE PAST, PostNord focused a lot on consumer behavior. making everyday life easier for large “When customers stay at home, more corporate customers. Now the focus has physical stores start to offer their products shifted to the private market.

PEOPLE BY POSTNORD

“It’s all about making our services as efficient and easy to use as possible,” Kristin says. “This applies to everything, right down to that crucial button that the user needs to see and understand. Making things simple is the hardest part.”

How do you develop a new function?

“We map what consumers need and perform tests where we let people go through the process while we register each movement.

Do they understand the service immediately?

We notice where people drop out, we analyze why it happens at that particular point, and we make adjustments.”

ANOTHER TREND OF great interest to

PostNord is recipient-controlled logistics.

“This may involve diverting the parcel to another delivery point, or to another locality, if you go away for a few days. We were the first in the market to offer this service to private customers, and as a variation to entrepreneurs,” Kristin says.

“We also develop solutions where the sender can update and adjust any incorrect information for a parcel that is already on its way. Everything we do has the same aim: to make customers’ lives easier.”

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C H A PT ER 4: T R A INING WITH V R

This is how VR works

The games and videos produced for virtual reality (VR) divide the screen inside the headset into two parts. Both display exactly the same thing, but slightly offset. Your eyes make the two parts blend together and this creates the 3D effect.

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PEOPLE BY POSTNORD

AMAL I N WONDERLAND

“It feels modern and innovative” NEW TRAINING IS currently being tested at

PostNord in Sweden. Gone are classrooms, paper, and pencils. Instead, you perform tasks in a simulated 3D world.

“It feels strange to put on the headset.

You really feel like you’re standing in a room. You can look around, both backwards and forwards, and it feels like there is actually a person in front of you explaining,” says Amal Ibrahim, who is a postman in Stockholm.

the tasks and practice them over and over again until you’ve nailed them.”

HE GOT THE idea for the VR training seeing

how the clothing company H&M used the technology to train its warehouse staff.

“I got the opportunity to test H&M’s training environment and was fascinated by how natural it felt to walk around the virtual warehouse and solve various tasks.”

AMAL IBRAHIM HAS tested the training

THERE ARE SEVERAL benefits of learning

through virtual reality (VR). The training period is often shorter, and you don’t have to depend on colleagues to learn new things. In addition, muscle memory and cognitive ability are trained – that is, memory, performance, and problem solving.

Patrik Ågren, Head of Leadership and Competence Development at PostNord Sweden, says that, “You could say that VR combines and compresses the learning process. You receive instructions, just like in a classroom, but then you can try to perform

PEOPLE BY POSTNORD

called “Vehicle Control”. This is the check that all drivers do before they go out on their round. Inside the training environment, you can study the virtual vehicle yourself, see if there is air in the tires, and look for damage. She says: “The procedures are explained in a way that is easy to understand, much easier than if I had read the same thing on a piece of paper. It’s fun that PostNord is running this initiative. It feels modern and innovative.”

Amal Ibrahim Position at PostNord: Postman in Solna, Sweden.

Closest colleagues: Felicia Tylander and Hermine Magnusson.

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C H A PT ER 5: NEW STA RT FO R BO XES

ANDERS AND THE NEW PARCEL BOXES

"We’ll set up more parcel machines during the year" stores offer parcel collection. So, the demand for parcel machines has therefore success in Denmark and Sweden, with been lower than in our neighboring countries.

Finland hot on their heels. Now PostNord People like to pick up their parcels at the Norway is taking over the baton, same time as they buy food. But now launching them in the promised we’re seeing a change.” land of convenience stores.

Admittedly, an attempt was THE EXPLOSIVE GROWTH of made to introduce parcel e-commerce has put pressure on the machines in Norway five convenience stores’ storage years ago. But then the capacity. In Norway, e-commerce machines needed access to increased by about 36 percent in both the internet and 2020. But, of course, it was a very electricity, and they could special year. In April alone, when the only be installed indoors. The Anders Eggen, most stringent coronavirus restricmarket was probably not Development Manager tions were introduced, e-commerce for Logistics Services. really mature either, increased by almost 60 percent. It according to Anders Eggen, was time to give parcel machines another try.

Development Manager for Logistics Services, “The stores must tackle parcel volumes in a PostNord Norway. completely new way,” Anders says. “The parcel “Norway is a country with a great many machines are not only for the benefit of the convenience stores. Most people visit their consumer. The store network also needs relief. store several times a week. Many of the PARCEL BOXES HAVE already been a

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Especially during the extreme periods we have seen over the past year. And then, of course, it’s positive during a pandemic that you don't have to deal with other people or opening hours with the new parcel machines. A mobile phone, an app, and Bluetooth are all you need.”

THE PARCEL MACHINES provide consumers

with several benefits. They are placed close to their homes. The parcels can be collected at any time, without you having to go to the store or stick to certain times. And the parcels are stored securely until they are collected. In January, PostNord Norway placed the first hundred parcel machines in and around Oslo, as a test.

But the experiences thus far in the Nordics are so positive that it has already been decided to set up more parcel machines during the year.

THEY HAVE BEEN placed where there are

many potential users: by apartment blocks, terraced house districts, hubs in public transport, shopping centers, and stores that PostNord cooperates with. There are good reasons to start in the Oslo area.

“The largest number of people in Norway live there, they like to shop online, they like to try new things, and like to have as many choices as possible,” Anders says.

PEOPLE BY POSTNORD

The Guide

A N E W STA RT Being an expert at your job is a great feeling. But it can be even more satisfying to try your hand at something totally new.

34 38

Mandy’s top tips if you’re looking for a new post internally.

Postman Pia became the most enthusiastic truck driver in Norrköping.

35 40

Party planner Charlotta got into a PostNord van and her career took off.

Patrik swapped from customer service to customer manager.

The right experience mattered more than having a degree.

36 42

Gert went from postman to IT guru without any formal training.

Anna-Karin has done everything at PostNord. Including trying to leave.

See more images Follow us on Instagram #peoplebypostnord

33 PEOPLE BY POSTNORD

PEOPLE BY POSTNORD 33

The Guide

8if you’re TOP TIPS looking for a new job Mandy Luong, Head of Recruitment at PostNord Norway, shares her eight top tips if you’re looking for a new position within the company.

TEXT: HÅKON SANDLAND PHOTO: PRIVATE

1

Work out what you want

Before applying for a new position at PostNord, ask yourself the following questions: What are you good at? What do you want to do? And what do you think the right step is for you right now?

2

Keep your eyes peeled

All internal vacancies are published on the intranet. You might find a job that you didn’t even know existed but might have been made for you.

3

Talk to your boss

You don’t need to keep the fact that you’re looking for a new job within PostNord secret from your manager. It’s not about wanting to leave your current job, but about being ready to take on new challenges. Having career ambitions is an impressive thing, and your boss should help you achieve them. But you need to take the initiative and find the new position yourself.

“It’s not about wanting to leave your current job, but about being ready to take on new challenges.”

MANDY LUONG, HEAD OF RECRUITMENT AT POSTNORD NORWAY

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4

Update your resume and write a presentation

Show what you have done in recent years, what your department has achieved and how you contributed. Demonstrate that you showed commitment and put the work in. The more up-to-date your resume is, the better. Then you can send it to the internal recruitment system.

5

Use colleagues as references

You colleagues are usually the people who know you best. Pick some colleagues you trust and ask them, as

well as your boss, to act as references when you apply for an internal position.

6

Prepare well for the interview

Some people think that when you’re being recruited internally, the interview is merely a box-ticking exercise.

I know lots of people think, “But they know who I am already”. However, we have high numbers of applicants and have to evaluate everyone on the same terms. Those who prepare best will have the greatest chance of getting the job. Think about the qualifications the ad asked for and how you can show you have exactly the skills required.

7

Give it a try

Sometimes PostNord advertises temporary project positions. When the job is over, you go back to your old position. Sometimes the position is made permanent, and then you might be offered the option of staying if you want to – given that you performed well in that role, of course. Tell your boss that you are keen to take part in projects. This will give you a chance to learn more, expand your network, and demonstrate your skills.

8

Never give up

We have lots of talented colleagues at PostNord, so competition can be fierce, even for internal vacancies. The best way to show what you can do is to perform well in your current job. Your boss will notice and can then put you forward for further challenges. And remember: don’t give up!

PEOPLE BY POSTNORD

Charlotta Sigurjonsdottir

“You have to be bold enough to ask and show a keen interest to attract attention,” says Charlotta Sigurjonsdottir.

Background: Has done everything you could possibly do at PostNord, from traffic manager at Veddesta Skåpbil to production manager at the mail delivery office in Kista in Stockholm. Charlotta has also attended several internal training courses, including the aspirant program, and participated in Panorama, a leadership program for women.

Closest colleagues: Marcus Holmström, Robin Johansson Gladnikoff, Per Petersson, Peter Ikonomidis, Dan Hammarlund, and manager Caroline Öfverstedt.

even when things went wrong. In my first management role, I switched from parcels to letters, which was a whole new world. My boss at the time was hugely supportive and recognized that I needed more time to learn the ropes.”

CHARLOTTA SIGURJONSDOTTIR IS now

“YOU HAVE TO PUT YOURSELF OUT THERE” She entered PostNord with no experience of the industry. But she was keen to learn everything she could. “I had managers who recognized my potential,” says Charlotta Sigurjonsdottir, now Regional Development Manager.

Regional Development Manager in Stockholm North with a team that incorporates operational support. The work includes improving production methods and putting changes in place region-wide.

“The best thing about the job is being part of the massive improvement effort going on in Sweden at the moment. My broad experience is coming into its own,” she says.

What do you look for yourself when you’re recruiting?

“Exactly the qualities that I think others must have seen in me. A willingness and a hunger to learn and grow. As a manager, I think you have a responsibility to support people who want to get ahead.”

Charlotta’s best tip for anyone looking to advance in their career is to show an interest and have the courage to ask for what you want.

“If you want to be noticed, you have to put yourself out there. Tell your boss that you’d like more responsibility.”

TEXT: MALIN DAHLBERG PHOTO: KRISTINA SAHLÉN CHARLOTTA SIGURJONSDOTTIR’S previous

roles include restaurant manager, wedding coordinator, and party planner. They were fun, creative jobs, but the working hours were less than ideal. When her fourth child was born, she felt enough was enough. She was looking for a job with more regular working hours and heard that PostNord was looking for drivers. Delivering parcels? How hard could it be?

“I drove a van in Norrmalm in Stockholm city center, and it was tougher than I’d thought,” she remembers. “The physical effort especially. I soon realized I needed to put my

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best foot forward and learn about the whole system behind all those parcels.”

A manager noticed that she was keen and solution-oriented and gave her a trial as a team leader. After a brief, temporary stint in charge of home deliveries at the Tomteboda distribution subsidiary, Charlotta went to her boss and said, “I enjoyed that. If anything similar comes up again in the future, bear me in mind.” And that set the pattern for her whole career at PostNord.

“I’ve always had managers who have spotted my potential and given me opportunities to grow. I’ve always known they’ve had my back,

Charlotta Sigurjonsdottir coached driver Güven Kuzey in the In Car Coach project at Veddesta outside Stockholm, Sweden.

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Three tips if you’re looking to try something new at PostNord

1 Work out what you are interested in. After that, the decision and the satisfaction and motivation usually come naturally.

2 Take the initiative yourself instead of waiting to be handed things on a plate.

3 Look for something new and exciting to move on to rather than just focusing on wanting to leave where you are.

Gert Friis-Larsen Position at PostNord: Service Manager for Workplace Production in Copenhagen, Denmark.

Closest colleagues: In Stockholm: Christer Askerfjord, IT Architect, and Fredrik Hagnelöv, Service Manager.

In Copenhagen, IT Manager Herman Petterson – and many others too.

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The Guide

A LONG AND WINDING ROAD “I’m in a good place in my career. Actually, that’s what I’ve always felt about my various jobs in the company,” says Gert Friis-Larsen.

TEXT: MICHAEL KIRKEBY PHOTO: FREDDY BILLQVIST

A MOBILE PHONE rings. Gert

Friis-Larsen smiles at his wife Janet Friis-Larsen, sitting at her laptop on the other side of the dining table, and walks over to the window to answer the phone. Outside their apartment, it’s a dreary winter’s day in Copenhagen. It’s probably Gert’s colleagues up in Stockholm, calling to talk about one of the many IT solutions that make PostNord work.

Gert is Service Manager for Workplace Production at PostNord. It’s his responsibility to enter into contracts with external suppliers and make sure they deliver accordingly – that is, that the mobile systems and PDAs work.

So, there’s always something to discuss. There’s always something that could work a bit better and a bit smarter today than it did yesterday.

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BEFORE THE CORONAVIRUS pandemic, Gert

enjoyed going to Stockholm a couple of times a week. But now, he mainly talks to his colleagues on the phone or via online meetings. It works well, but he misses seeing people in person.

“You have to be flexible, and I’m fine with that. But although virtual meetings are often efficient, face-to-face meetings are still valuable. After all, we’re social animals. I miss bumping into my colleagues more informally, both at the country office on Hedegaardsvej in Kastrup and in Stockholm.

“It’s about professional input, but also about hearing everyone’s tall stories. Which is probably what I miss the most,” Gert laughs.

AT THE DINING TABLE, Janet has started a video

meeting of her own. She works at PostNord too,

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in sales. During the many months of the pandemic, they have both been working from home. They have established fixed routines to provide help without disturbing each other. For example, they take turns making the coffee. When the phone rings, they go to the window or into another room.

And at the end of the working day, they try to go outside into the fresh air.

“I like our little routines. My working day is usually much more varied. In fact, most of my career has been one long change management process. It’s partly because I work in IT, which is practically the very definition of constant change. I started as a postman back in 1994. A few years later, I got an office job, and that was where I started working in IT professionally. I’ve never looked back.”

GERT’S JOURNEY FROM postman to being

responsible for the part of PostNord’s IT that involves production began way back. As a boy, he was sitting in his room, learning to code on a Commodore 64. He has no formal training in IT. “You definitely wouldn’t get away with it today,” he says. “Of course, I’ve taken a lot of courses along the way, but these days you absolutely have to have the formal qualifications as well.”

IT’S NOT AS if he had a set career plan. His

trajectory has instead been driven by interest and curiosity about new things.

“I’m in a good place in my career. Actually, that’s what I’ve always felt about my various jobs in the company. Most mornings, I wake up and look forward to coming to work, meeting colleagues and getting the job done. But does that mean I’ll still be in the same place in five years? Well, you never can tell, can you?”

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Pia Bjerselius Position at PostNord: Driver in Norrköping, Sweden.

Closest colleagues: Lina Arkin, Daniel Kvistell, Sara Pålsson, and Nadja Axberg in Team Unit Loads.

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The Guide

WOO-HOO! When she agreed to change jobs, Pia Bjerselius didn’t really know what she was getting herself into. Now she’s the most enthusiastic truck driver in Norrköping.

TEXT: LINDA HÄLLQVIST PHOTO: CHRISTIAN GUSTAVSSON WHEN SHE WAS offered the

chance of switching from postman to truck driver, Pia Bjerselius had never driven a truck.

“I didn’t think about it too much, I just said, ‘Yes why not, it’s an extra skill if nothing else’. And when I have a go at something new and it turns out I can do it, I just feel – Woo-hoo!”

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THE BEST THING about her job as truck driver

almost seems to be the vehicle itself. Pia and her truck have become a single unit.

“I love getting into the truck, it’s so liberating. At first, I thought it was going fast at 40 kilometers per hour. But now the very best thing about my job is the fact that I’m actually driving a truck.”

IN NORRKÖPING, SWEDEN, the mail and logistics

operations have shared the same roof for the past three years. The hub encourages employees to develop in their roles and help each other across traditional boundaries. Everyone is employed at

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the hub, and the job can include all manner of things. There is no such thing as “your letters”, “my parcels”, or “the other side”. Everyone is employed as distribution staff. Any invisible walls have been knocked down.

IN THESE MIXED positions, you work with almost

all the flows there are. For example, if people on home delivery finish early, they help sort nonpriority mail with the truck drivers in the evenings, and it’s completely natural for a postman to also do runs in pure parcel districts.

FOR PIA, THERE have been constant changes since

she joined PostNord in 2007. She is keen to encourage others to give new things a try, at work and in their free time.

“Some people worry a lot and think, ‘Oh no, how’s this going to go?’. But it all works out in the end,” she says. “You can’t do better than your best.

I’ve learned to play padel too! It’s been a great way to get to know my new driver colleagues. It’s great fun, a lot of us play and it makes for good team spirit at work.”

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The Guide

“I’m never in a bad mood at work” Patrik Leppänen has run on 100 percent positive energy the past year. So, no surprise that he also changed jobs.

TEXT: MAIJU KARHUNEN PHOTO: BENJAMIN SUOMELA THE WORLD MAY have

stopped turning, but Patrik Leppänen’s life has shifted up a gear.

In autumn 2019, he walked into PostNord’s office in Vantaa, Finland, and started his job as a specialist in the claims settlement department. A year later, he had changed jobs, become a father, and proposed to his girlfriend Jade.

“My daughter Beata was the star when I proposed. I can’t believe she’s one year old already. One advantage of the pandemic has been that I’ve been working from home and seen Beata grow develop,” says Patrik.

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smile about it. He describes himself as a super positive person. It’s a characteristic that didn’t just make him good at customer service, it also took him to his new job as a Customer Manager.

“It was great to find that not having a degree wasn’t an obstacle. At PostNord, it’s about work experience and personality too.”

BEATA? STAR? Well, in the maternity hospital,

Patrik dressed his newborn daughter in a bodysuit when her mom Jade was out of the room. It had the message “Will you marry my dad?” on the front. Who could say no to a proposal like that?

It says a lot about Patrik. He’s the kind of person whose most serious face has a faint

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“I’m never in a bad mood at work. I enjoyed my previous job, but I felt I had more to offer by working with customer relationships and customer acquisitions.”

Patrik was interested. Then he got cold feet.

Could he apply for the job? He hadn’t been to university, and his highest qualification was his matriculation certificate.

“But my boss in the claims settlement department, and his boss too, encouraged me to apply,” he says. “So, I got my act together and put in an application.”

The rest, as little Beata would say, is “histwee”. Patrik got the job.

“It was great to find that not having a degree wasn’t an obstacle. At PostNord, it’s about work experience and personality too.”

IN HIS NEW position, Patrik gets to do what

he likes the most – interact with lots of different kinds of people.

“The best thing about my work, though, is my colleagues. We’ve got a fantastic team here, although we do work very indpendently too. I’d like to thank my team for making me feel welcome in such a friendly way.”

IN MAY, PATRIK will marry his Jade.

POSTNORD FINLAND WAS looking for a

customer manager for autumn 2020.

The chief bridesmaid job is already taken.

Provided she stays awake ...

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Patrik’s tips if you’re looking to change jobs within PostNord

1 Think about the type of task where you’d be able to make best use of your strengths.

2 Talk to your line manager.

They might already have an idea to suggest.

3 Keep an eye out for PostNord’s internal job ads.

Apply even if you don’t meet all the requirements. Ask your manager to put you forward for the job.

Patrik Leppänen Position at PostNord: Customer Manager in Vantaa, Finland.

Closest colleagues: Emilia Mannari, Jussi Valtanen, Krista Yliruusi, and Sanna Mäki.

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The Guide

THAT FEELING of coming home Anna-Karin Karlsson has PostNord DNA in her blood. No wonder she chose to came back.

TEXT: LINDA HÄLLQVIST PHOTO: NILS LÖFHOLM

IT WAS ALL different when

Anna-Karin Karlsson started working for the Swedish firm Poståkeriet in 1994. Her job at the terminal in Kallhäll, just north of Stockholm, was sorting parcels.

And we’re not talking about online shopping parcels, the kind that are almost swamping the terminals these days.

No, these were practically all business parcels.

“I took great pride in learning as much as possible by heart. Postcodes, addresses, company names, and which routes they belonged to, and so on,” says Anna-Karin.

She spent fifteen years at PostNord in many different positions – working as a driver, in customer service, as a customer solution specialist, and product manager – before deciding to move on to another company. It was quite a contrast, as her new employer only had 35 employees.

“I was developing software for last-mile deliveries. It was a much smaller company, a different way of working, and a different climate. But it was a positive experience, and for me, it was good to learn new things with another company.”

Nevertheless, it only took two years before Anna-Karin realized that the grass was, in fact, greener where she’d started. Today, she’s back at PostNord, working as a Product Manager for value letters and express parcels.

“When I walked through the door to the office this summer, it actually felt like coming home,” she says. “I got a great first impression, from my new boss and the activities going on. We support each other at PostNord. It’s a flat organization, something I realized while at my former workplace. I also think there’s a different feeling in the air now. The organization is clearer, more positive, and it has a stronger drive!”

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“For me, it was good to develop further outside the company, and then realize I wanted to come back.”

Anna-Karin ­Karlsson Position at PostNord: Product Manager in the eCommerce & Logistics business area, PostNord AB. Closest colleagues: Maria Glansk, Cindy Nanberg, and Ulrica Phillips.

Manager Fredrik Strömblad and consultant Jacob Frizell too. “We are a superb team and you can rely on every one of us in our varied areas of expertise.”

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WAIT, WHAT?

TEXT: LINDA FAGERLIND BERKÖ

A bold target: fossil-free by 2030 The climate change issue is crucial. Most people would agree. But what exactly is PostNord doing? And why is it so important to be a trailblazer on climate change?

POSTNORD HAS JUST met the

climate target it set in 2010. A lot of people were skeptical at the start, but the Group has managed to shrink its climate footprint by 40 percent compared with 2009.

Before there’s even been time to celebrate, work is underway towards the next target. And yet again, it’s an almost provocatively high aim – the Group is to be totally fossil-free by 2030.

“When they set the target back in 2010, they had no idea how we were going to achieve it,” says PostNord Sustainability Manager Sofia Leffler Moberg. “Then, as now, it was just something that had to be done for the sake of the climate itself. Today, the climate issue is vital to our customer and consumer relationships. Like in 2010, we don’t know exactly what the plan is going to look like, but we’re going to hit that target.”

What does the target mean?

“By then, all our transports and facilities will be run on renewable energy. First and foremost, we

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have to stop doing anything that What challenges do we face? isn’t absolutely essential. We need “The fact that everything’s to get rid of the air in parcels, moving so fast when it comes to optimize routes, and take a closer climate issues. So, we need to look at how we fill our vehicles. speed up. It’s not part of the But it’s not just down to us. culture of a big company but if Three-quarters of the emissions we’re going to turn things around, come from the transports we we’ve got to be much faster on purchase. If we’re going to hit our our feet.” target, we need our suppliers to The Paris Agreement goal is play their part in the transition.” climate neutrality by 2050. Why As employees, why should we is PostNord aiming for 2030? care?

“The Paris Agreement is a “Many of the changes global agreement that will be made on the the whole world needs ground in the to sign up to. We are a workplace. We’re such state-owned Nordic a big organization. If company, with a every employee who functioning infrastrucdrives a vehicle does so ture and the opportunifuel-efficiently and fills up ties offered by biofuels, Sofia Leffler with renewable fuel, and if hydropower, and clean Moberg. every employee in a energy. Compared to terminal shuts gates that ought to many other countries, we can be closed, it will have an impact. afford to invest. With all these If we set demands for our suppliers things in place, if we don’t act in procurement or talk to online faster than the Paris Agreement, retailers about minimizing the who else will?” amount of air in parcels, it helps.”

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Linda Enoxon Position at PostNord: Head of the Control Tower in Örebro, Sweden.

Closest colleagues: “There are so many people I’d like to call my closest colleagues. Networks and contacts are so important for success! But obviously, the key people are our management team in the Transport unit and my team!”

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AN INSPIRATION

“You can’t write a manual for this job”

Linda Enoxon’s job is dealing with the unexpected, with things that go wrong. It’s a good thing she’s got problem-solving in her blood.

TEXT: DAN NILSSON PHOTO: PAVEL KOUBEK

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E

“EVERYONE KNOWS WHO we are, but no one has ever seen us.”

Linda Enoxon is sitting, leaning against a desk where she works as she light-heartedly describes her department at PostNord. It’s a place in Örebro that deals with 3,000 transports every single day. Known as the Control Tower, thanks to its similarity to air traffic control, its real name is the Traffic Management Unit. But perhaps a better name for it would be something to do with “safe hands”.

It’s their hands you want to be in when your truck has ground to a halt in front of a fallen pine tree in the middle of nowhere at a quarter to three in the morning. There are many tales describing how Linda and her colleagues have come to the rescue of PostNord’s drivers in their hour of need.

“What’s also special about my unit is that we aren’t often dealing with things that work.

Usually, most things run smoothly, in both traffic and production, but when it doesn’t, that’s where we come in,” says Linda, who is Head of the Control Tower.

IN TERMS OF career choices, Linda is in

precisely the right place. She’s the type of person who could thread a needle while being in a tumble dryer. Her voice stays calm and controlled, even though the job she describes could put an extra “s” in the word stress. She even smiles when talking about the kind of chaos that can happen.

“There are times when you haven’t got time for anything other than working and eating. The phone can keep ringing until 11 at night. But you need to stay up-to-date with what’s going on. I keep my phone on round the clock, even though it doesn’t often ring in the middle of the night at the moment.

“But problem-solving is in my DNA, and it’s the same for everyone in my department,” she says. “You want to sort out the problems one by one, to feel like you can move on, check them off.”

LINDA JOINED THE company, then

known as Poståkeriet, 20 years ago as a driver. After that, she got hooked on logistics. Basically, Linda has just burrowed her way through PostNord, with new kinds of jobs even being created around her.

After a period as a team leader at the Torsvik terminal, she started working with pallets for the customer Rusta in 2004. It was a pilot project, and Linda was the pilot.

As a consultant on-site at Rusta, she spent three years working with external and internal logistics.

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“Being at a different workplace was quite a unique experience, but you never forget where your heart, your strength, and your pride belongs,” she says.

“The job included being in direct contact with Traffic Management in Örebro. I was their eyes on the ground, you might say.”

The managers saw how well Linda was doing and expanded the model in all kinds of directions. By this point, she had practically already started her career at Traffic Management.

Via a similar post with H&M in Eskilstuna, the winding roads through Sweden’s geography soon took her all the way to her destination. In 2015, she walked into the office in Örebro.

WHEN LINDA JOINED Traffic Manage-

ment, it had been running for 25 years. But as had so often been the case, she got to put her stamp on this job too.

Things kept on growing up around her, just like the garden at home in Kumla.

Gardening is her main interest outside work. It’s what happens when you’ve got a natural talent.

“For years I was responsible for everything myself: customers, traffic, and staff,” she says.

Linda – the number one captain of the Control Tower – had come home. But when she decided to divide operations in two, more captains were needed to steer the ship. One part was the internal part. The second part was aimed at customers because the major market participants have such a significant impact on PostNord.

Linda waves to Natalie Collin, who comes over and sits down beside her.

“Everyone who works here is a leader,” says Linda, looking at Natalie, Head of Operations for the customer team.

The other Team Manager, Johan Ornell, is in charge of the road network.

“Leadership qualities are essential for everyone who comes to work here. Part of the job is having the confidence to make decisions. And not just make them, but make them quickly. We usually say that you get ten points for making the right decision and five points for making a wrong decision. But if you don’t make a decision at all, you get minus points,” says Linda.

Natalie nods in agreement.

“It’s about solving problems and getting as good an outcome as possible. You absolutely mustn’t get stuck,” she says, adding that this is where the buzz comes in: “That’s the definite attraction of the job.

One hundred percent.”

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“Linda is a competent employee who has worked with us for a long time. She has taken on a new function that she has handled in an incredibly professional way.

Linda always keeps a cool head, and is an ocean of calm when rough winds are blowing. She’s committed to what she does and has the ability to get everyone in the organization on board.

Basically, a good balance between heart and intellect.”

MATHIAS KRÜMMEL, HEAD OF POSTNORD SWEDEN

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“In the past, I might have said ‘this isn’t a job for wimps’.

And that’s still true.”

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“Working with Linda is always inspiring. It’s very rewarding. She’s incredibly knowledgeable and has a lot of experience thanks to her long career at PostNord.

Her expertise and energy bring a great deal to the whole team.”

STEFAN LINDESTAM, HEAD OF TRANSPORT, POSTNORD SWEDEN

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“Leadership qualities are very important for everyone who comes to work here. Part of the job is having the confidence to make decisions,” say Natalie Collin, Head of Operations for the customer team and Linda Enoxon, Head of the Control Tower.

CAN ANYONE WORK at the Control

Tower? Linda and Natalie pause before answering that question.

“In the past, I might have said ‘this isn’t a job for wimps’. And that’s still true,” says Linda, exchanging a smile with Natalie.

“For me, the character of the person you’re going to be working with is vital.

Their mentality. Their attitude. You have to have the confidence to act.”

When Natalie is asked how she would describe her boss, “fearless” is the first word that springs to mind.

“Linda really isn’t afraid of introducing new ideas,” Natalie says. “She stands up for herself and she shows she has a lot of confidence in us as employees. We appreciate that.”

Linda counters that it takes people like Natalie to be able to do a good job.

“I usually say that you can’t write a manual for this job. While the same thing might happen more than once, the solution isn’t always the same. But one thing all problems have in common is that they should affect customers as little as possible.”

IN FRONT OF them on their desks, each

traffic controller has three computer screens. They show ongoing transports, timetables and weather forecasts.

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Together, it provides an overall picture, helping to predict the hours ahead. Always with the worst case scenario in mind.

“We plan the traffic accordingly,” Linda explains. “If we need to buy extra transport, we do that the same day, or ideally a couple of days in advance. But you don’t want to be transporting air either. The bottom line is, you never know whether you’ll have enough traffic to get through the whole day. And that can mean having to make quick decisions in the evenings.”

There are lots of digital aids in the Control Tower that are linked to the transport system.

But according to Linda and Natalie, there is an old gadget that is superior to most modern technology. The phone.

“Our drivers are our best messengers. They call us as soon as anything happens. Then we get started on doing what needs to be done, like redirecting transport if a road is closed. The drivers are our best source of information.”

So what might happen on an ordinary day at work?

“You mean, what can’t happen?” Linda fidgets in her chair, painting a picture of every conceivable incident.

The nightmare is a power cut at a terminal, but there’s even a plan for that. Out on the roads, there are all manner of totally unforeseen events: accidents involving wildlife, road

accidents, punctures ... you name it.

Add to that the pressure to deliver within the planned time window to make sure the next link in the logistics chain works, and suddenly the traffic controllers’ screens are lighting up with a whole stream of problems.

And it can get even worse sometimes.

Linda recalls the summer of 2019, when a warehouse fire near the railway station in Hässleholm, meant life got rather challenging for her and her colleagues. They are also responsible for rail deliveries.

“It was the end of the summer vacation period and there weren’t many of us here. It meant we had to find road transport to and from Malmö on the fly. And it wasn’t just for one day. It was a whole week before things were back to normal again. Letters are highly time-sensitive, so you can safely say that it was a race against the clock.”

It’s a good story about the heroes of the Control Tower, with a happy ending. That’s how things usually end, to be fair. Fortunately, so that Linda Enoxon can go to bed at the end of the day feeling satisfied at having solved another problem.

Otherwise, she wouldn’t be able to get up in the middle of the night to solve the next one when the phone rings.

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TEXT: MARIE-LOUISE ARNFAST

HOT TOPIC

The parcel explosion

POSTNORD DENMARK IS in the midst of

a parcel explosion. They have basically already achieved their growth targets for 2021. All they have left to do is meet their overarching goal of being the customers’ favorite supplier by 2023.

Dorthe Christoffersen is a parcel courier in Hasseris near Ålborg, Denmark.

She has noticed how much the parcel business has grown every day.

“It’s mad. In the past year, we’ve had so many more parcels. The vehicles are fully loaded, and we’ve had to divide the routes between three of us.”

When Dorthe arrives at PostNord’s parcel terminal in Ålborg at six in the morning, the first thing she does is get a good overview of the parcels for the day.

Surprises along the route aren’t common.

But if something unexpected should happen, she calls in some of her colleagues who have an agreement to help each other out. Although parcel volumes are increasing, Dorthe is finding that recipient feedback is improving.

“I haven’t had any negative comments for ages. The quality of our work keeps getting better. If I have the odd customer with a problem, I do my best to solve it.

Doing a good job out there means a lot to me,” says Dorthe.

MORE THAN 63 million parcels were

delivered in Denmark in 2020. PostNord’s success in coping with the rocketing

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One of the latest moves has been introducing a seven-day week for parcel deliveries.

“The recipient customers of the future will expect to get their parcels within 24 hours of their order,” Palle says. “And all the signs point to more people ordering goods at the weekend. As long as the shipments reach one of our parcel terminals before 11 p.m., we’ll be able to deliver them to the receiving customer the next day – even on a Sunday.”

Delivery Discipline is another focus area where several tangible measures have been put in place.

“For example, you must have enough capacity, so that there always is enough space in the box that the customer has ordered their parcel to be delivered to,” Palle says, and continues: “There must also be a clear agreement with the customer on what happens if no one opens the door when the driver rings the doorbell. And we have to make sure parcels reach customers undamaged. One of the ways of achieving this is through a close dialogue with shipping customers about how best to package the goods to protect them.”

increase so well is down to the current transformation of parcel operations.

“Decentralization is a big part of this transition,” says Palle Olsen, who’s in charge of the operational aspect of parcel production in Denmark. “We’ve moved decision-making Dorthe further down the organizaChristoffersen tion, closer to the Position at PostNord: employees who have to Parcel delivery in make everything run Hasseris, near Aalborg smoothly every day. The in Denmark. result is rapid decision-making and improved dialogue between the units on the ground in terms of collection, sorting and distribution.”

OF COURSE, becoming customers’

preferred supplier also has to do with price. This is why Win in Parcel is very much about reducing costs and optimizing collection, sorting, and distribution.

“Our tactics are to work smarter, not harder. We constantly have to look at how we can get more parcels through the system faster, to reduce cost per parcel, and make sure parcels arrive on time, and, not least, as agreed.”

THE CORONAVIRUS PANDEMIC

has speeded up progress. In spring 2020, parcel volumes increased sharply, practically overnight.

During the first lockdown, and EVERY DAY HE logs in to a before Christmas, volumes in digital meeting with the Denmark were up 40 percent on regional managers of than the same period in 2019.

Denmark’s six parcel Palle Olsen “The coronavirus pandemic has terminals. Have any of the Position at PostNord: forced us to react and develop terminals got more parcels Head of the operational faster than we had planned in our than they can handle? Are part of parcel strategy. The customers want us, there any complaints that production in Denmark. and luckily, we’ve been able to keep need to be addressed? up. It’s because of the initiatives Besides the daily problem that we’d already launched before the solving, Palle keeps a close eye on the pandemic moved a huge part of shopping statistics to make sure they are reaching online,” says Palle. their targets in the Win in Parcel strategy.

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From the left: Jessica Blåfjell, Victoria Rummelhoff, Sofie Skadal, Theodor Nelson, Maria Korban, Trine Sand, and Henriette Gedde Linna.

Not pictured: Haakon Nikolai Olsen.

Four shades of blue FOCUS / THE BRAND

Thanks to color and design, PostNord is set to become friendlier, warmer, and more personal. Maria Korban and her Norwegian marketing team welcome the new design with open arms.

TEXT: HÅKON SANDLAND PHOTO: GEIR ANDERS RYBAKKEN ØRSLIEN

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↑ Maria Korban is delighted with the new concept.

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WHY DO YOU regard

some brands as being youthful and forward-looking, while others look tired and stale? The businesses might be selling exactly the same thing, but the feel you get is completely different. It's about color, design, and tone of voice.

PostNord has produced a new brand strategy and an updated brand design. The logo and the iconic blue color will stay on for recognition. Apart from that, PostNord will be presented in a new, clearer, and more consumer-focused way, with an updated visual identity. Warmer colors, new softer typefaces, modern illustrations, and rounded design elements are teamed with the tagline “We make everyday life easier”.

“The new concept highlights all the services we know consumers are interested in and makes them stand out. We especially looked at digital developments and interaction with customers. Good services shouldn’t be a secret,” says PostNord Norway's Acting Communications and Marketing Manager Maria Korban.

“The response has already been incredibly positive, and we know that competitors are keeping a close eye on us.”

WHEN THE WORK started, PostNord first

conducted thorough analyses of what driving forces consumers find essential, and of how the company is perceived, by the public and by its employees.

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Maria Korban, PostNord Norway’s Acting Head of Communications and Marketing.

The new strategy is the result of close co-operation between all the Nordic countries, where everyone shared the same goal: developing a concept that strengthens the brand impact.

“The new design reflects our value as a key link between people’s wishes and expectations, and their delivery,” Maria says. “It’s an identity that, like the brand, is dynamic and constantly evolving. While it simultaneously remain unique and recognizable.”

THE POSTNORD BRAND has had its ups

and downs in Sweden and Denmark, while the Norwegian branch has avoided the worst storms. But that doesn’t mean there aren’t any challenges: “Our main strength in Norway has been a strong focus on developing good consumer services that make lives more efficient. Hopefully, this will make them remember us the next time they shop online. Our challenge has been that we’re a lesser-known player, and seen as a bit neutral compared to our main competitor.

We’ve still got some work to do there.”

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↑ Sofie Skadal with a fabric bag in the new design. ↑ At the customer center in Oslo, Sam Elmi presents an example of the new design that’s going to be a real boost for the PostNord brand.

“We need to put more effort into spreading awareness of what we offer, and build preference for us in everything from paid campaigns to the app, customer service, and the website,” Maria says.

“Consumers often make decisions in the space of a few seconds. Subtle and unconscious influences through design, shapes, and colors can make a difference in how they perceive their interaction with us.”

THE JOINT PROJECT on the new profile

has seen great commitment between and within the countries. Maria Korban thinks the cutting-edge expertise and experience of the Norwegian team has been invaluable: “I think we’ve done well in preserving things that guarantee a sense of continuity and our uniqueness, so ensuring recognition,” she says. “We’re probably most satisfied with the color palette, which PEOPLE BY POSTNORD

reflects the diversity of the company as a whole. On top of that, we’ve chosen not to be so angular, with the design taking on a rounder shape.”

THE BRAND WAS launched internally in

October 2020, and development will continue in 2021. But what can PostNord’s employees outside the marketing and communications departments do to consolidate the new brand strategy in the market?

“That’s an easy one to answer: Use it!

Become brand ambassadors, for example, by using a new, proper presentation template, and finding your favorite background when you’re in Teams meetings with others. The response has already been incredibly positive, and we know that competitors are keeping a close eye on us. That’s always a good sign.”

↑ Maria Mossestad with some of PostNord’s colors. Coral red is totally new.

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BEHIND THE SCENES / LASTA BREV

TEXT: MALIN DAHLBERG PHOTO: CHRISTIAN GUSTAVSSON

e r u t a i n i Am d r o N t s o P

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When it was time to start scanning value letters in a completely new way, everyone was listening to Emil Behr. Hundreds of managers were asking him questions about the pilot project in Finspång.

IMAGINE THAT YOU took

I

the entire PostNord Sweden, all 20,000 people, and shrunk them with a shrink ray. Then you get an approximation of the postman office in

Finspång, Sweden.

On a normal day, about 20 people work here. But the office has got it all – urban mail delivery, rural mail delivery, a Business Center, internal mail, and parcel deliveries. This might have been why Finspång was chosen when Hansi Anderberg and Kasper Almroth needed somewhere to test-run the Lasta Brev (Load Letters) pilot project.

“I was a bit surprised at first when they asked us,” says team leader Emil Behr, who has had special responsibility for the roll-out.

“I thought we’d be running it jointly with Norrköping, the main center in this region, but they wanted Finspång to try it out first.

As far as I know, this is the first time we’ve been involved in a pilot scheme this big.”

THE PROJECT CAME about following last

year’s soaring increase in value letters and the scanning challenges this involved. Postmen found it increasingly hard to get through their rounds as more and more items had to be scanned.

Emil is relieved that he and his colleagues no longer have to keep taking their phones out while balancing their bikes in the rain and wind. Or while standing in a dark stairwell, arms full of direct mail.

Lasta Brev means that all tracked mail is scanned in peace and quiet in the office instead. As the postman then attempts delivery, when out on their route, they only have to press one button on their phone and the recipient is notified that the letter has been delivered.

It’s a big improvement, but it’s also a big change.

WHEN THE PILOT project started, the

Finspång postmen’s task was to identify shortcomings and to report everything back to the project group.

“Everyone got on board immediately,” Emil says. “Our scanning quality has always been high, often close to 100 percent. I think many of PEOPLE BY POSTNORD

Emil Behr Position at PostNord: Team Leader in Finspång, Sweden.

Closest colleagues: “Mats Lundblad, my team leader colleague. It’s almost as if we’re joined at the hip.”

us were keen to show what we can do. The ultra-rapid response from the project team made everyone even keener. When a postman found an error, it was corrected in the app the very next day.”

EMIL ALSO HAD the honor of contributing to

the roll-out across the rest of the country. Every day for a week, he attended Teams meetings with Hansi and Kasper to answer questions from a total of 600 team leaders and production managers eager to know everything there was to know about the new way of working.

“It was a bit different, but it’s nice to feel you’ve got a handle on something and can help others to get to grips with it too,” he says.

Hansi emphasizes how useful it was to have a someone “on the ground”, able to give informed answers about the process.

“Emil demonstrated fantastic commitment and leadership, all the way through the pilot,” he says. “As well as helping other postmen when they encountered difficulties, he was in close contact with the project team on improvements and on any bugs that cropped up along the way.”

“All in all, we felt that it went really well,” says Kasper. “The staff were interested and committed. The postmen’s observations made us pick up on several minor issues that we could correct and fix on the spot.”

SOFIE VESTERLUND Sofie Vesterlund is a postman in Finspång and she loves her job. “It’s a non-hierarchical environment where everyone’s opinions are welcome. We discuss things, disagree, and find common ground. It’s like a small family.”

Sofie thinks it makes perfect sense for more of the job to be done using a mobile phone app.

“I’m 29, so to me it’s nothing out of the ordinary. I grew up like this. I find it weirder that we still have to cut and paste and write notes sometimes.”

How do you find being able to scan all the tracked mail in the morning?

“It’s really easy. Everything is in a list on your phone, and you just have to go through it and check things off. In the old system, you could easily miss a value letter and then you’d have to take it back. That doesn’t happen anymore.”

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Yes, Sten really is related to one of Denmark’s most famous 19th-century writers, Steen Steensen Blicher.

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OUTSIDE THE BOX / STEN BLICHER

FAT! Sten Blicher has cows and pigs in his fuel tank. No, really!

TEXT: MICHAEL KIRKEBY PHOTO: FREDDY BILLQVIST

A VOLVO FH500 is a big, thirsty

truck. Sten Blicher sometimes has to fill up his 690-liter tank with diesel twice a week. He distributes parcels from the big parcel terminal in Køge to distribution hubs, depots, post offices, and Collect Shops across the island of Zealand in Denmark.

But since September 2020, he hasn’t been refueling with regular, oil-based diesel. He’s been filling his tank with pigs (!).

No, just joking. It’s not only pigs. It’s cows as well. It may sound revolting, but it’s actually true.

We’re talking about a new kind of biodiesel that helps cut carbon emissions by almost 90 percent. It’s made from slaughterhouse waste. Basically, it comes from the unusable remains of dead animals, such as cows and pigs.

“I drive up to 400 kilometers every day, and I haven’t noticed any difference in engine power. The Volvo FH500 is our largest truck. I love it – and it runs well on green diesel.

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THE ENERGY MAINLY comes from animal fat. It's called

second-generation biodiesel because it’s made from an existing waste product. A truck run on ordinary diesel adds 1,020 grams of carbon dioxide per kilometer driven.

A truck run on biodiesel adds only 144 grams of carbon dioxide, an impressive 86 percent less.

“I’m quite proud to work at a place like PostNord where green initiatives are a priority,” Sten says. “I don’t think about it every day but it’s clear that we’ve all got to think about what we can do for the climate and the environment in general. When I’m driving my truck, I get to see amazing views of fields and countryside. You don’t have to be an expert to notice that biodiversity is under threat.”

There aren’t as many wild flowers in fields or on the verges as there used to be?

“That’s it. But my wife has let me dig up 400 square meters of our lawn to make a biodiverse Nordic wildflower meadow. It took a bit of persuading, I might add. We’re looking forward to a garden with a difference this spring.”

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GETTING OUT INTO the countryside is something Sten

has always enjoyed. The wilder and more untouched, the better. He’s been going hunting in the forests of Central Zealand since he was “a big boy”. When it’s hunting season, he might head out three times a week with Agger.

Not the former star of the Danish national football team, Daniel Agger, but Sten’s rough-haired gun dog.

“As a Liverpool defender, Daniel Agger was compared to a tough dog that never gave up until he’d caught and brought down his opponent. Just like when Agger retrieves game in a hunt.”

STEN LOVES HUNTING . “It’s the perfect thing when

you’ve spent the whole day behind the wheel. It’s a great reason to get you out in the woods. If we bring something home for dinner, that’s a bonus. In the autumn, we mostly hunt pheasants and hares.”

Sten and his wife Liselotte often eat game at home several times a week. As Sten explains, they have “a big freezer and some hungry friends”.

So what do you do with the remains of the hares and pheasants that you can’t eat?

“I thought you might ask me that. At the moment, I think we just throw them away. But who knows, maybe one day, pheasants and hares will be helping to deliver the mail too.”

Sten Blicher Position at PostNord: Truck driver in Køge, Denmark.

Closest colleagues: Ronnie Knudsen, Morten Mortensen, and many others.

“It’s set off a positive chain reaction” IN 2020, POSTNORD Denmark started using

a new type of diesel, which isn’t made from oil but from waste products from slaughtered animals. In 2020 alone, the move has seen PostNord cutting carbon emissions by close to an additional 3,000 tonnes.

“That’s quite a lot. It’s roughly equivalent to the amount of carbon a truck would emit if it drove round the earth at the equator 73 times,” says Mathias Fogh Bang, transport consultant and data analyst at PostNord in Brøndby.

Mathias’ job is to calculate how much various new initiatives will reduce PostNord’s carbon emissions.

The fat from dead animals contains the energy to produce climate-neutral diesel.

It’s known as second-generation biodiesel because it’s made from an existing waste product.

SINCE SEPTEMBER 2020, 118 of PostNord’s

large trucks in Denmark have run on Q8’s green HVO100 diesel. But this is by no means the first time that PostNord has cut its carbon emissions. PostNord Denmark has reduced carbon emissions by no less than 67 percent since 2009.

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Mathias Fogh Bang

Jan Greve

Position at PostNord: Transport Consultant and Data Analyst at PostNord in Brøndby, Denmark.

Position at PostNord: Head of Development at PostNord in Brøndby, Denmark.

Closest colleagues: Jan Greve, Christine Schnipper, and Vibeke Callesen.

Closest colleagues: Jakob Manori, Jacob Pedersen, and Mathias Fogh Bang.

Jan Greve is Head of Development at PostNord in Brøndby and part of the team that’s constantly looking for new ways to be more climate-friendly.

“We’re always trying to do whatever is most efficient. Technology, and the opportunities it offers, are constantly changing, so we can’t guarantee we’ll be running on biodiesel in five years’ time. But right now, it’s a good way of cutting our carbon emissions. And it means we don’t have to invest in new trucks either, just switch from black diesel to green. In purely chemical terms, there isn’t much difference,” Jan says and continues: “PostNord’s customers want us to be as green as possible. That’s what we’re aiming for, and in turn we make the same demands of all our contractors. It’s set off a positive chain reaction.”

But PostNord has some tough targets to meet too. The Danish government has decided that Denmark is to reduce its total carbon emissions by 70 percent by 2030.

“And at PostNord, Read more we’re aiming to be about the totally fossil-free by climate targets 2030. I find it hugely satisfying to play a on page 43. part in achieving that goal.”

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The list

News from the Nordics Electric transport for coffee, better deliveries in sparsely populated areas, and temperature checks for medical products. It’s all happening right now in the Group.

TEXT: MALIN DAHLBERG

PEOPLE BY POSTNORD

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PHOTO: ZOÉGA

Sustainable coffee transports Every day, an electric truck will transport 150 pallets of coffee from Zoéga’s coffee roastery to PostNord’s TPL warehouse in Ättekulla, Helsingborg, Sweden. The roastery is about 10 kilometers from the warehouse, one way. Each day, the electric truck will make about eight round trips.

“We’re delighted that, working with Tommy Nordbergh Åkeri, we’re able to offer Nestlé, one of our largest customers in Helsingborg, a totally fossil-free transport solution,” says Christer Svensson, head of transport at PostNord TPL. The vehicle is a Volvo FE Christer Svensson.

Electric with two electric motors, four battery packs at 50 kWh each, and a range of 170 kilometers. In total, it will make about 1,500 trips a year between the roastery and the warehouse. In other words, the new transport solution will mean a vastly reduced environmental footprint.

Zoéga’s factory manager Louise Juul Østergaard says, “We hope that this investment will lead to more sustainable, efficient transport. Ultimately, we want all our vehicles to be completely emission-free. This is a good step in the right direction.”

In the autumn, 200 expectant employees moved into new environment-friendly premises in Helsingborg, Sweden. The building is environmentally certified to the Miljöbyggnad Silver 3.0 standard, guaranteeing a high-quality working environment in terms of ventilation, energy consumption as well as heating and cooling.

“The premises are bright Jessica Nilsson. and fresh, with lots of glass, and solar panels on the roof. The energy they provide would be enough to supply 40 detached homes,” says Distribution Area Manager Jessica Nilsson.

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PHOTO: PRIVATE

Going super modern with solar panels

PHOTO: TRUSTMARY

More transparent temperature control PostNord Finland has launched a new service that gives the sender an overview of the temperature of a shipment via PostNord’s customer portal. The service was initially launched for healthcare customers.

For example, pharmaceuticals tend to be particularly sensitive to temperature fluctuations, making monitoring especially important for actors in the sector. Healthcare transport accounts for almost a third of PostNord’s daily volumes in Finland, so there’s great financial potential in developing services for operators in the industry.

The new monitoring tool is also useful internally, as it gives the PostNord better control of its temperature-controlled transport.

In the future, the new service will also support customers outside the healthcare sector that need thermoregulated transport, such as companies that work with food.

Another option may be that the same vehicle carries blood samples during the day and food in the evenings.

PHOTO: CHRISTINE OLSSON

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Welcome to the future Lifvs is a grocery store chain operating in sparsely populated areas of Sweden. The stores are unmanned, which keeps prices down. Customers scan their shopping themselves and pay via an app. PostNord is now adding an additional self-service element by siting parcel boxes at the stores, currently found in 23 locations in Sweden. Both the parcel boxes and the stores are open twenty-four seven, which increases service levels in rural areas.

The first box in a sparsely populated area was sited in Veckholm outside Enköping in October 2020. The parcel boxes are now being tested in more places where Lifvs has stores. The system works by adding the box as a delivery option at the e-retailer’s checkout. The recipient identifies themselves using PostNord’s app and the door opens using Bluetooth technology.

PHOTO: POSTNORD

35,000 square meters with all the bells and whistles

A brand new TPL warehouse is currently being built in Køge, south of Copenhagen. The first sod was broken in November 2020. When the warehouse building is completed in 2021, spanning 35,000 square meters, it will take the crown as the biggest, and possibly the best warehouse in Denmark.

The existing warehouse in Køge is 31,000 square meters in size. Along with a number of smaller warehouses, PostNord Denmark’s TPL capacity will more than double, reaching a total of 85,000 square meters and kilometers of storage space. The decision to build another vast warehouse is based on an extended agreement with Coop. PostNord TPL now take care of all the pallets and parcels that Danes buy at coop.dk every day. This involves storage, packaging, and delivery of volume goods, such as garden furniture, trampolines, and bicycles.

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ABOUT THE LETTER Hedvig Bruzæus holds a 17th century letter from Queen Kristina to Governor Schering Rosenhane. “She thinks he should come home. She needs to talk to him – a request that would probably be conveyed by text message today.”

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THINGS / HEDVIG BRUZÆUS

Love letters and murky secrets A physical letter has a sense of sincerity and care that Hedvig Bruzæus loves.

Even when it leads to sudden death.

TEXT: MALIN DAHLBERG PHOTO: NILS LÖFHOLM

THERE IS A clear “before and after” when it comes to letters.

Before and after the internet. Hedvig Bruzæus remembers her childhood feeling of receiving a handwritten letter in the mailbox. Thick envelopes with tightly written stories in pencil.

Colorful stationery. A pencil that felt good in your hand.

“I kept walking around waiting for letters. It was exciting and tantalizing to open the envelope, especially in my teens when it was from a boyfriend. If the relationship was shaky, you could write down what you couldn’t say. Ask questions and then impatiently wait for answers,” says Hedvig, who is an Exhibition Producer at Postmuseum in Sweden.

Physical letters are part of her working day. Both through the museum’s own collections and the letter memory collection that took place during the winter. In the collection, ordinary Swedes tell of letters that were of great importance. Conflicts. Jealousy. Love and murky secrets.

“Letters reveal a lot about what people have thought and felt in different periods. Almost like a time machine. There is a reflection and seriousness in letters that you don’t always feel in a couple of hastily written lines in text messages.”

Of all the letters Hedvig has received over the years, she remembers one particularly well. It was a letter which, without formulating it particularly sensitively, delivered a death notice.

“A friend was going to look after my golden hamster for a couple of weeks when my family was on holiday. I wrote a letter to her and jokingly asked ‘is she alive?’ ‘No, she died the day after you left’, was the reply I received. I was completely in shock. All summer I’d had no idea that Chiquita was dead.”

Hedvig Bruzæus Position at PostNord: Exhibition producer and educator at Postmuseum in Stockholm.

Closest colleagues: Julia Gunnarsdottir, Michael Hagström, Leif Karlsson, Anna Lassbo, Susanne Ljungberg, Vivi Nybom, Hanna Nydahl, Malin Valentin, and Anders Fredén.

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Now & Then POLYESTER VS. WOLFSKIN

From regulatory coats to sportswear PostNord’s uniform has taken a long journey, from leather trousers and square embroidered gold eyelets, to shell and softshell jackets.

TEXT: DAN NILSSON ILLUSTRATON: JOHAN HÖRBERG

Then WHEN THE DANISH and the Swedish postal services

introduced a uniform requirement in the 17th century, they looked at the military and royal courts to find the correct, elevated style. The riding postilions were the first in Sweden to follow a dress code. They had to wear regulatory coats, leather trousers and boots.

DURING THE 19TH CENTURY, senior officials in Sweden

could wear a parade uniform. Those who held a lower rank only had permission to wear an everyday uniform.

Square embroidered gold eyelets sewn into the sleeves showed what rank you held. The wider the embroidery, the higher the status.

UNMARRIED WOMEN WHO worked at post offices had

no uniform requirement. Their employment was considered temporary, as they were expected to get married later on. Female postal workers in Sweden did not receive uniforms until the 1940s. These were reminiscent of French fashion at the time. In Denmark, women wore red uniforms with dark blue, short skirts in the 1970s.

IN THE 19TH CENTURY, postilions in

Norrbotten and Västerbotten in northern Sweden dressed in wolfskin furs. It was cold to ride a horse and sleigh. In the late 20th century, the classic burgundy winter jackets in beaver nylon warmed the mail carriers instead. Summer clothing has also been worn in both Denmark and Sweden, everything from jackets in linen fabric to Bermuda shorts.

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AFTER THE SECOND WORLD WAR, the peace move-

ment protested against the uniform. Some Swedish regions had to run tough campaigns with, among other things, salary deductions for those who refused to adhere to the dress code. However, when there was a shortage of postmen, the attire became voluntary. The uniform made a strong comeback in the 1970s, this time with a side cap.

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Now TODAY, THE CONTRAST with the parade

uniforms of the past and the high collars couldn’t be greater. Today’s uniform is more like sportswear than strict workwear.

THE LATEST VERSIONS of the garments contain polyester. A fabric that does not bind water and dries faster than cotton. Cycling postmen should not get wet.

Nor get cold later either.

The shell jacket and shell trousers are windproof. In addition, there is a softshell jacket that can be worn under the shell jacket.

BEFORE THE NEW uniform was mass-produced

in 2017, 32 selected Danes and Swedes got to test the garments. It turned out that many people missed the useful chest pockets that were previously on the t-shirts, so the pockets were reinstated.

MANY HAVE ALSO lacked rainwear

over the years, but in 2019, a number of employees had the opportunity to test and approve raingear. The coronavirus pandemic delayed both production and delivery. It took until November 2020 before the long-awaited garments were in stock.

2009

THE DANISH AND SWEDISH

postal companies merged in 2009.

But it was not until mid-2015 that all employees on both sides of the strait wore the same clothes. Nowadays, citizens throughout the Nordic region recognize the special blue color that is called PostNord Blue.

Sources: Postmuseum, Digitalt Museum, Ted Bernhardtz, PostNord.

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ILLUSTRATION: JOHAN HÖRBERG

THE ODDER STORY / A BUILDING WITH A HISTORY

The post office pirate Who said a post office has to be boring? Welcome to Lilla Nygatan in Stockholm, a fairytale location once home to a balloonist and a pirate.

IF THE WALLS of this building on

Lilla Nygatan in Stockholm could talk, they would be bending your ear for hours. As post offices go, this one has a colorful history, to say the least. The only post office in Stockholm until 1869, up until 1855 anyone wanting to send or collect mail had to pass through its columned portals.

IT’S HIGHLY LIKELY that Swedish

author August Strindberg would have come striding in with a fistful of letters, twirling his moustache.

Johanna Hård, suspected of being a pirate, used to sit in her apartment a few floors up, drinking illicit liquor, while polar explorer August Andrée wandered round the library dreaming of hot air balloons. You get the picture. This building is a bit different from your local post office.

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Let’s go back to the beginning ...

There are no documents to prove it, but in all likelihood Strindberg was one of the guests at Lilla Nygatan.

According to the Strindberg Society, he wrote about 15,000 letters during his lifetime, maybe more. He used to correspond with the intellectuals of the day, such as Émile Zola and Friedrich Nietzsche.

But Strindberg didn’t have to stand in the entrance studying the lists to see if Nietzsche had replied to his last letter. The names of everyone who had received mail used to be written up there. In 1855, stamps were introduced, and mail delivery began in some Swedish towns in 1861. And as a result, the people of Stockholm no longer had to go to the post office to pick up their letters. In Strindberg’s lifetime, the number of items posted

increased from just over 7 million in 1850 to 260 million in 1900.

People lived in the building too, and Johanna Hård was one of its more infamous residents. She originally came from Gothenburg, where she had married a herring salter. Her life of crime began after her husband’s death. She started selling alcohol illegally and smuggling fabric. In 1822, she was accused of infanticide. When a looted ship floated ashore a year later, Johanna was accused of being a pirate.

The four men arrested for piracy included her servant and a married relative. All four said the plan had been Johanna’s idea.

Nothing could be proved, however.

You can imagine her, years later, sitting at her kitchen table on Lilla Nygatan, hatching new plans.

Polar explorer August Andrée worked at the Patent Office, which was housed in the building from 1885. Four years later, he was sent on a business trip to the World’s Fair in Paris, where he flew in a balloon for the first time. In 1890, the post office needed space for its stamp warehouse, and the Patent Office was forced to move out.

Seven years later, Andrée set out on his journey to the North Pole. He never came back.

THE PROPERTY HAS now been in

the ownership of the Swedish post office for 300 years.

Appropriately enough, it now houses the Post Museum and its historic collections.

But its very best stories are probably embedded in its walls.

MALIN DAHLBERG

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