People by PostNord 1_2020 English

PEOPLE #1 2020

#1 2020

161

“I was scared, but I didn’t have much time to think” page 22

fabulous PostNorders in this issue: Krister pushes boundaries, Birthe fixes problems and Jimcaale is lightning fast.

Plus 158 more.

A MAGAZINE ABOUT US: WE DELIVER

Thank you for the music!

Why Sofie’s job should be a musical.

SILVER MEDAL 2019

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Welcome!

T H E C O N C LU S I O N *

PostNord

music

>>> PostNord in Aarhus is home to what may be the most musical customer service in the world: some of the desks are staffed by young virtuosos. And they aren’t alone. When People by PostNord was looking for interviewees for this issue’s music guide on pages 29–42, we were inundated with suggestions of singers, drummers, guitarists, composers, superfans, DJs, hard rockers, synth players and record collectors. We simply didn’t have room to include them all! It also turned out that some of our interviewees, beyond the music guide, were also musicians or ardent music lovers...

In conclusion: if you think it’s high time to stage a musical, your entire ensemble is already assembled: your colleagues!

P.S. >>> The music streaming service Spotify has around

217 million active users who listen to millions of songs daily. Drake’s hit ‘One Dance’ was the first track to pass 1 billion listens, while Ed Sheeran is one of the most popular artists, with over 6 billion streamed tracks. Curious about what the interviewees in this issue listen to? You can find your colleagues’ Spotify playlist here: https://tinyurl.com/Peoplebypostnord

Where are the news sections?

People by PostNord is a magazine containing stories about PostNord’s employees. If you have access to the PostNord intranet, all the latest news and information is available there. You are welcome to comment on the articles in the Yammer group: People by PostNord.

BEHIND THE SCENES

VÄXJÖ. Jimcaale Abdillahi, wrapped in plastic by Tonny Johansson for photographer Sara Bogren’s camera.

Follow us on Instagram @peoplebypostnord PEOPLE BY POSTNORD

AARHUS. Multitalented artist Sofie Randrup Mouritsen at a photo shoot for the cover of this issue.

Silver medal winner at the Swedish Design Awards 2019

Music is everywhere in our lives. It blasts from the car radio, pours into elevators and shops, spreads tranquility in yoga classes and euphoria on the dance floor. Music makes a difference in our lives, even if we don’t always notice its presence.

It’s a little like how we work at PostNord. We’re used to going to work and making a difference. We handle enormous quantities of letters, parcels and goods every workday – items and information that people need or perhaps just really want. It’s astounding to think of how many people’s lives we impact daily – even if they don’t all notice we’re there.

Some days, it’s easy to be proud of the difference we make across the Nordic countries. Other days can be more challenging. Either way, it’s important for us to take time to relax and recharge. Our free time gives us the energy to keep going and makes us MALIN NORDÉN even better at our jobs.

Editor in Chief, People by PostNord For many people who work at PostNord, music is a huge part of this revitalization. This issue includes the story of Sofie in Denmark, who works at what might be the country’s most musical customer service and who played her way home from Thailand with nothing but a ukulele. You can also read about Toni in Finland, who loves music so fast and hard that the windows rattle and his curly hair shakes when the bass comes in. Magnus in Sweden gave his friend a 50th birthday gift that was almost too good, and he now remixes singles for a UK record label. And Norway has a communication officer who literally sings for better or worse.

They all work at PostNord and they all take respite in music, and use it to find the energy to make a difference day in and day out. We hope their stories inspire you to find an interest you like.

Or perhaps to rediscover one that’s been on the back burner.

Theater, dance, movies, books – it doesn’t matter what it is, just that it’s a source of energy and revitalization.

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

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BANFA JAWLA

*The editorial teams draw highly unscientific conclusions on topics that bring PostNorders together, based on the interviews in the magazine.

Downtime brings a welcome boost

CONTENTS #1–20

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64

Johanna aims high.

Jimcaale picks up the pace.

16 Daniel loves to improvise.

14

A chat with Sara.

30

Sigurd turns up the volume.

22 Inge Birthe saves animals.

4

46

Sandra opens up.

PEOPLE BY POSTNORD

INDEX

We feature in e this issu We are interviewed:

Amalie Ersland Vestbø Anders Englund Anne Teilmann Annelie Hedquist Annemarie Gardshol Arne Andersson Atiba Solomon Audun Larsen Benny Henriksen Birthe Larsen Bosse Andersson Britta Clavilla Christopher Carlsson Daniel Jacobsen David Lenskjold Helge Amarp Halvorsen Henriette Gedde Linna Inge Birthe Blok Ingunn Dullum Jacob Pedersen Jakob Poulsen Jan Fredrik Jacobsen Jani Ståhlhammar Jeppe Schou Krämmer Jimcaale Abdillahi Jitender Grewal

52 9 49 43 22 57 13 66 48 49 12 18 22 16 30 57 38 22 65 57 30 52 57 30 64 22

Johanna Starck Jon Bergman Josefin Blohmé Karl Kallin Krister Enarsson Kristoffer Möller Leif Byrstrand Magnus Carlsson Maria Mossestad Mattias Kenttä Michael Andersen Nanna Holtegaard Christensen Nicklas Holk Sami Välilä Sandra Lundin Sara Petric Sigurd Mazanti Sofie Randrup Mouritsen Stefan Fougt Thomas Schjønningsen Toke Sebastian Olsen Toni Laakkonen Tonny Johansson Vanessa Bourke

11 16 57 10 44 9 57 40 52 42 30 18 18 60 46 14 30 32 22 52 49 36 64 6

We get a mention: Agnes Gustafsson Agneta Törmä Alen Jakupovic Anders Johansson Anders Öhman Andreas Tinnerholm Andreas Åkerman Antti Remo Ari-Pekka Lantto Arild Sollien Aske Normann Brix Atdhe Raci Balazs Papai Birgitta Lindqvist Bjørn Thorvaldsen Daniel Söderberg Erik Waara Emil Christopher Christensen Emil Ellonen Emil Karlsson Emil Trankjær Emma Thid PEOPLE BY POSTNORD

42 42 65 40 44 16 44 36 36 48 32 60 40 42 38 44 13 32 60 16 16 42

Espen Vikan Fetah Shala Frank Uzlastiran Gunder Bäck Haakon Nikolai Olsen Hadi Hosseini Hanne Knudsen Helena Westerlund Helle Gudio Henrik Larsen Henrik Nielsen Håkan Kemi Jacob Johné Jani Viitanen Jessica Blåfjell Jessica Niska Johan Nilsson Johan Persson Johan Wahlund Johanna Mattisson Johanna Westerlund Jon Ellingsen Jonas Hallberg

66 43 65 42 38 64 14 46 14 49 16 42 64 60 38 13 57 57 40 64 40 48 44

Jonas Johansson Jonas Wiberg Kriger Jonathan Harnesk Jonne Väärälä Jorgos Kirjakis Jouni Pesonen Julia Tano Karin Estola Kim Slot Kjell Mattsson Kristian Lund Kristofer Aho Larsson Kristoffer Hegland Kristoffer Österberg Linus Nilsson Liv Ellen Berg Magdalena Oskarsson Malgoratza Malcherek Malin Eliasson Marcus Magnusson Marcus Höjdmo

42 14 42 36 66 36 42 42 32 40 65 42 52 16 64 48 40 43 42 40 42

Maria Korban Marianne Voldfrom Mathias Lundbæk Maud Åslund Michael Schelde Mike Sossah Ole Andreas Hagen Patrik Broth Wiss Peter Andersson Peter Ernst Peter Hult Polly Holmberg Rayan Benyamen Rickard Johansson Rikke Kyllenstjerna Robert Niemi Roger Lindmark Roger Skarboe Rolf Vikström Royar Sazdar Rozsa Kiss Sami Martikainen Sandra Unander

38 49 32 22 14 43 38 42 16 44 40 42 46 42 38 42 42 48 42 40 40 60 42

Sanne Fredriksson 42 Serkan Aktas 62 Siv Kristin Stakkestad 52 Sofie Lasu 42 Sofie Skadal 38 Søren Nørremark 16 Taneli Kähkölä 60 Tanja Tindeus 40 Theresa Eriksson 44 Thomas Abrahamsson 44 Tom Antonsen 66 Tomas Paldanius 13 Tommy Tedestrand 42 Tore Niemi 42 Ulf Hjalmarsson 40 Veikka Liski 60 Victoria Rummelhoff 39 Wisam Ahmad Hasan 64 Zoran Babic 46 Åke Larsson 40 Øystein Jomyr 48 Øyvind Skjøren 65 5

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MY SPOT / VICTORIA HARBOUR, HONG KONG

“ The ferry is a constant presence in the city” “I’M A LITTLE UNUSUAL, because I was born and raised in Hong Kong. The expat community is small and very tight-knit, but many who have come to live here only stay for a few years.

I love the frenetic energy of the city. Hong Kong never stands still; it’s constantly evolving and you can always find something to eat, no matter what time of day it is.

Many associate Hong Kong with those tall, shiny skyscrapers, but 75 percent of the city actually consists of green vegetation and there are more than 200 islands in the territory. It’s a safe place to grow up and to live, and I was

exposed to lots of different cultures early on.

Having this experience has been important to me in my work at Direct Link. You could say it’s the essence of what I do. To respect every customer and understand their challenges, no matter where they are or what their problem is.

My favorite place is Victoria Harbour, the heart of the city. It’s been a successful center of trade for more than 200 years. I usually stop and watch the huge container ships, cruise boats and small fishing boats passing each other in the water. I often take the ferry, which crosses the harbor and takes over 70,000

people from Kowloon to Hong Kong Island every day. The nine-minute-long ferry ride is a constant for me in this ever-changing city. It’s where I can pause and recharge for yet another hectic day.”

VANESSA BOURKE, REGIONAL CUSTOMER SERVICE MANAGER AT DIRECT LINK Direct Link is a part of PostNord. The company sells logistics services globally, with offices in Germany, the UK, the US, Singapore, Hong Kong, Australia and Sweden.

TOLD TO MALIN DAHLBERG PHOTO: JULIA BROAD

P E O P L E BY P O ST N O R D

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DON’T MISS ON INSTAGRAM The best bits from the magazine, and unique video clips, are available here.

Don’t forget to follow us! @peoplebypostnord

Birdwatchers, cheerful drivers and magical parcel machines. ‘Pick up’ offers quick looks at PostNord’s world on pages 9–15.

MY PHOTO

350 species spotted “IT’S A very special feeling to be out in the

Kristoffer Möller is a birdwatcher or “birder.”

morning mist, my binoculars around my neck, waiting to see something rare. I’m a true ‘birder’ and have spotted a total of 350 bird species. The jewel in the crown is a griffon vulture, which has only been seen a few times in Sweden. It’s a big bird with a wingspan of 250 cm and weighs up to 13 kilos. A majestic site.

“In the top picture, I’m making an X with my arms after spotting a very fine rarity in Skutskär near Gävle: Cretzschmar's bunting, which hasn’t been seen many times in this country. I take a lot of photos with my digital camera, but on my phone I have a mix of pictures of nature and of birds that I come across while working as a driver for PostNord.

Like this male pheasant with two hens, which I saw during a work shift in Tyresö.”

Kristoffer Möller, driver in Länna, Sweden

PostNorders share pictures from their phones. Email us and tell us about a photo you’ve taken with your phone: peopleby@postnord.com

“ I’ve always done my own thing” “MY BROTHER Thomas and I have been fans of the singer

Molly Sandén since 2012. We go to every concert we can. I think we’ve probably seen her about 40 times, and have driven thousands of miles all over Sweden. I like her personality and her music. The positivity she radiates when you meet her is indescribable.

“My brother and I both have her autograph tattooed on our arms. We sent her a letter asking for her permission first as we didn’t want to do anything without her approval. At a concert in Örebro, she came out with a piece of paper that she’d written ‘Molly’ on in different sizes. She asked, ‘Are you sure about this?’ We both said ‘Yes’ and she replied ‘Then it’s a huge honor for me.’

“Yeah, some people think we’re a bit crazy.

But they can think what they want. I’ve always done my own thing.”

Anders Englund, driver in Västerås, Sweden P E O P L E BY P O ST N O R D

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THE PHYSICS LESSON / ANTI-AIR MACHINE

TEXT: SUSANNA BERLING

The Carton Wrap 1000, reduces air in parcels and cardboard use by 20 to 30 percent.

Packaging everything but air Ljungby, southern Sweden, is the location of a magical machine that builds boxes around products.

PACKING PARCELS PostNord’s TPL warehouse in Ljungby houses one of the Group’s most modern machines. The Carton Wrap 1000 – or the “anti-air machine” – builds boxes that are adapted to each product, reducing air in parcels and cardboard use by 20 to 30 percent.

>

SANTA’S WORKSHOP, ALL YEAR LONG The anti-air machine packs in a flash. Up to a thousand items per hour are packed in almost air-free boxes, before the parcels are sent on in the distribution network.

>

6 SECONDS PER PARCEL The product to be packaged is placed in the machine. A scanner measures the item and cardboard is cut to the correct size. It’s folded into a box with a glued base.

The product is placed in the open box and a final piece of cardboard is glued on. The whole process takes six seconds.

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A BOOST FOR THE ENVIRONMENT PostNord usually uses six different box styles to package parcels. The anti-air machine just needs a roll of cardboard, reducing use of materials by 30 percent and filler materials by 100 percent.

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“PARCELS WITHOUT AIR ARE THE FUTURE” Each truck has room for almost a third more parcels when they don’t contain unnecessary air. The perfectly measured parcels are also easier for employees to handle.

“Parcels without extra air are the future, especially in the e-commerce sector,” says Karl Kallin, Supply Chain Development Manager at PostNord TPL AB.

>

ALWAYS A RAPID PACE The anti-air machine is in use 14 hours a > day. It packages between 5,000 and 10,000 items daily, depending on the season.

When connected to a special printer, it can make boxes printed with up to 30 different kinds of logos.

“Parcels without extra air are the future, especially in the e-commerce sector,” says Karl Kallin, Supply Chain Development Manager at PostNord.

A BOOST FOR EMPLOYEES Six people operate the machine during a shift, some of whom were trained by the machine manufacturer in Italy. The anti-air machine reduces the need for people at the packaging stage, but allows for larger volumes in the same space and with the same staffing level.

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>>> Read about more smart environmental initiatives at PostNord – page 57.

P E O P L E BY P O ST N O R D

PICKING A BRAIN /JOHANNA STARCK

TEXT: ANNE SALOMÄKI PHOTO: BENJAMIN SUOMELA

PostNord in Finland:

Enjoyable and sustainable “It’s always more enjoyable to work on a market that’s growing rather than shrinking. We have an incredible team spirit when discussing how to handle such stiff competition. We also want to offer a sense of community so that employees look forward to coming to work, and we want to offer great career opportunities.”

PostNord Strålfors:

New digital directions “When you look at PostNord’s growth, Strålfors is in a stable position. The challenge is to find new digital directions as printing operations decrease. We’re undergoing a period of change with declining letter volumes, for example as banks switch to online services.”

Recovery:

Running is energizing

“ We want to be the best in Finland” THESE ARE EXCITING times. PostNord Finland is developing at a rapid pace: capacity is rising, volumes are increasing, and the business is growing. And overall, the challenges are positive. So says Johanna Starck, CEO of PostNord’s Finnish companies, PostNord Oy and PostNord Strålfors Oy. However, the logistics industry can be tough. Competition is fierce, fixed costs are high, and huge investments are often required to increase capacity.

“We have to think about what kind of P E O P L E BY P O ST N O R D

“My morning run gives me both time to think and a boost. Although it’s tiring, I’m full of energy after a run! In the evening, I spend time with my family.

We cook together, watch TV shows or read books, the usual things. But my kids are of an age that they’ll be leaving home soon. I’ll look forward to a little more time to myself then.”

supplier we want to be. We shouldn’t try to do everything. We need to focus on what we’re best at,” says Johanna Starck.

One example is the distribution of pharmaceuticals, which places stringent demands on the company. The handling environment has to be very clean and vehicles need to be temperature controlled.

“It’s a specialist business and we want to be the best in Finland. There may also be other similar segments for us to focus on.”

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WAIT, WHAT?

R O F

TEXT: MALIN DAHLBERG

IPM DEX

SME

DPD

THM

You can say anything in three letters, right?

Postal lingo has hundreds of abbreviations. They’re perfectly clear to many people in the industry. And utterly incomprehensible to anyone outside of it.

BOSSE ANDERSSON has been a postal worker since 1974 and is now a guide and instructor at Årsta mail terminal outside Stockholm.

Anything he doesn’t know about mail processing isn’t worth knowing. We met with Bosse to learn why the postal business has so many abbreviations.

“In the mid-nineteenth century, two important things happened: mail by rail was introduced in several places in Europe, and at about the same time a major postal conference was held in Paris where it was decided that the international postal language would be French. The goal was to make sure everyone could be understood between countries.”

So that was why phrases like Port Payé and Par Avion appeared on letters in the past?

“Yes, exactly. And suddenly, when you had rolling post offices on trains, people wanted a smart way to communicate with their

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colleagues. You have to remember there are still mistakes. that at that time, everything was What would happen if handwritten. So of course it was abbreviations were banned more efficient to write SVL on a from PostNord? mail bag instead of “Then we’d miss our Sundsvall.” already tight time Isn’t this quite frames completely. similar to the We use about military’s use of 70–80 abbrevialanguage? tions a day here “I would imagine at Årsta. If we that the use of suddenly had to abbreviations say and write comes from the same everything out in public service tradition. full, that would take a Mail was more militaristic lot more time.”

Bosse and rule-governed in the If you Google the Andersson past, with titles and US Postal Service, paragraphs, and that you’ll find 550 remains in the language.” different abbreviations, from Are there ever misunderstand- AADC to ZIP. How does PostNord ings? compare?

“Absolutely, and that’s why it’s so “That’s a drop in the ocean. We important to consider who you’re have way more than that! At least if talking to. In my work as a guide, I you count all of the areas and always try to explain so that abbreviations in all the Nordic people understand, but sometimes countries.”

P E O P L E BY P O ST N O R D

TEXT: MALIN DAHLBERG PHOTO: PER PETTERSSON

HEARTS@POSTNORD

Shining in Haparanda When the darkness settles over Sweden’s northern Norrland, locals can count on another ray of sunshine: Atiba Solomon.

THE SUN DOESN’T KNOW it makes people happy. It just shines. Customers describe Atiba Solomon, PostNord driver in Haparanda in Sweden’s far north, as a ray of sunshine.

And he takes the praise in stride.

“I just try to treat customers the way I would want to be treated if I had bought the service myself,” he says.

Atiba delivers small parcels, up to 35 kg, to companies and private customers in Haparanda. The town is almost as far north as you can go in Sweden, but his roots are somewhere much warmer – Trinidad & Tobago, where he lived until he was five years old.

“I usually go there for a visit every three years or so. Unfortunately my dad passed away, but I still have my older sister there. Life is more relaxed there, but I feel more at home in Sweden.”

He has only worked at PostNord for two years, but is already known as “the driver who’s always happy.” It might be little everyday things, like always saying hello or taking the time to stop and ask customers how they’re doing. Or it could be his nature. Our faces have around 40 muscles that can produce over 5,000 expressions. Raising your eyebrows in greeting takes a sixth of a second. We can discern a smile from 90 meters away.

And research shows that smiling is contagious and makes everyone happier; the person smiling and everyone who sees it. Or, as Atiba says: “Time passes faster when you’re having fun at work and when the people you see are happy. I like getting to meet lots of people, having a lot of responsibility and how varied my job is.”

But sometimes there may be more responsibility and variety than usual. Like the time Atiba was emptying a mailbox at a Coop grocery store and a man with a walker collapsed right next to him.

“I called 112 and the ambulance arrived quickly. It was scary, but I think it turned out okay. I’ve seen him in town since then.”

Atiba Solomon Position at PostNord: Driver in Haparanda, Sweden.

Closest colleagues: Tomas Paldanius, Erik Waara and Jessica Niska.

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

Please let us know at peopleby@postnord.com

P EEO N ONRO D R D OPPLLEEBY BYP OPST O ST

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THE BEGINNING

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P E O P L E BY P O ST N O R D

P E O P L E BY P O ST N O R D

TEXT: MICHAEL KIRKEBY PHOTO: FREDDY BILLQVIST

Sara Petric Position at PostNord: Works with customer service in Copenhagen.

Closest colleagues: Helle Gudio: “My manager. She’s thoughtful and funny, and she’s good at energizing us. It doesn’t get any better than that.” Jonas Wiberg Kriger: “My best friend off the clock and my best colleague. It’s thanks to him that I got the job. Thanks for that!” Hanne Knudsen: “Always helps me with those really complicated cases. That is so helpful.” Michael Schelde: “He has a great sense of humor, frequently picks up coffee, and sometimes he has candy at work.”

No robot It was easy for Sara Petric to start working at PostNord: “I love talking and getting to know new people.”

“PEOPLE SHOULD FEEL LIKE they’re commu-

nicating with a real person, not a robot. When they realize I’m a human, most of them calm down. When you think about it, it’s actually incredible how positive attention can have an effect on others.”

Sara Petric knows what she’s talking about.

Along with her colleagues at PostNord’s customer service in Copenhagen, she’s in charge of answering questions received via social media platforms like Facebook Messenger, Twitter and Trustpilot.

When she began two years ago, there were about 30 questions an hour. Now that number has increased to 70. Nine times out of 10, people are friendly with questions about their delivery or just want to chat, especially older people. The last 10 percent can be a bit less charming.

“Then it’s important to de-escalate things and signal to them that you’re taking them seriously, even if they’re writing in all caps and using tons of exclamation marks. It can be a challenge when you’re just writing and not speaking with people. My advice is to be personable in your writing; it doesn’t matter if you have a few spelling mistakes here and there. It has to feel like you’re being honest and genuine, that’s what’s most important.”

SARA’S good friend Jonas suggested the job at PostNord after high school, and when she

P E O P L E BY P O ST N O R D

P E O P L E BY P O ST N O R D

starts studying to become an accountant, she hopes to continue working here part-time. It was easy to begin working this new job, she explains, because the department has a great sense of community and everyone helps one another. It’s also easy to talk to everyone, which is possibly just as important to Sara.

“I like talking; that’s no secret and I don’t exactly whisper either. Although there are sound screens between our desks, my colleagues say they can hear me from the other side of the office.”

SHE ISN’T surprised. Sara was born in Denmark to Serbian parents and her father in particular was born with the gift of being able to talk to anyone.

“I got it from him, I’m sure of that. Maybe it’s because we’re really interested in others. I’m probably one of the few people who knows all of my colleagues’ names here. It just comes naturally to me. I even know the names of the cleaners and the people who work in the cafeteria,” says Sara with a laugh.

She thinks it’s “super sad” to get into a subway car in Copenhagen and see everyone just sitting there, looking at their phones, or isolating themselves behind headphones.

“It’s just so sad. I love getting to know new people. In a way, that’s also what my job at customer service is about, and that’s probably why I like it so much.”

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OPPOSITES / CITY VS. COUNTRYSIDE

Borlänge

Copenhagen

No drama on the streets A big mail bike on narrow streets in a city of countless cyclists. It sounds like an unfortunate equation, but Daniel Jacobsen enjoys it.

T

he best part about being a postman in the big city is the intensity, and that you can always find shelter from the wind and rain. The worst part is definitely the traffic.

Daniel Jacobsen is at home whizzing about on his e-bike on the streets of Copenhagen’s Østerbro neighborhood. With its big saddle bags for mail, the bike takes up most of the space on the bike paths, and a traffic jam of countless cyclists can quickly clog up behind him if he doesn’t stop and let them pass.

“Most people are actually really nice. It’s not a huge problem and I don’t feel stressed when others are in a hurry. On the other hand, I do have to keep an eye on the cars. And sometimes it’s so crowded that it can be hard to find a place to park my bike,” he says.

DANIEL IS A postman at PostNord’s hub in Teglhol-

men in Sydhavn, Copenhagen. After his morning coffee with colleagues, he starts the day by riding through Copenhagen. He goes from Sydhavn’s blend of industry and worker houses from the 1930s, on to his route through Østerbro, a heavily built-up area with narrow streets.

“Before we got the e-bikes, it was tough to ride with a headwind and a fully loaded bicycle. Before, we also had to walk to the top of the staircases in Østerbro, but now the mailboxes are all on the ground floor.”

Daniel has been a postman full-time since 2011.

“I like being a postman in the city. Even though the traffic is intense, I can spend some time in my own world. I like that, to some extent, the work is routine. I think most postmen are people of habit; otherwise they wouldn’t choose this profession. Plus we don’t have a boss breathing down our necks, and I can live with that,” says Daniel and laughs.

When the last of the mail has been delivered, 16

theater and music are what generally fill the rest of Daniel’s life. He’s been involved with theater since he was 13, and he teaches drama in the evenings.

“We’re a bunch of cheerful amateurs doing improv theater together. It’s often young people who are looking to step outside their comfort zones. It’s cool.”

WHEN DANIEL GOES to the theater himself, he prefers big productions like the musical 'Fiddler on the Roof ' at Det Ny Teater in Copenhagen. But he also enjoys going to concerts as well, and his preference is primarily for easygoing pop.

In 2018, he saw James Blunt in Paris.

“I try to be content and to find the positive things.

That’s my approach both at work and in my downtime.

It’s nice to be a postman in a big city, but I could easily be a postman in the countryside too, or along the house-lined roads of the suburbs. It’s probably a little calmer out there, and maybe there’s a bit more time to talk to people than here on the city streets. Who knows – maybe that will be my next job? In any case, I haven’t thought about leaving PostNord in a long time.”

Daniel Jacobsen Position at PostNord: Postman in Copenhagen.

Closest colleagues: Emil Trankjær: “Nice to talk to and always enjoys a good joke and some fun.”

Henrik Nielsen: “An older, experienced gentleman and a bit of an honorary uncle for us. Always cheerful with lots of great stories.” Søren Nørremark: “Another experienced postman. If something isn’t right, he doesn’t hesitate to let the manager know."

MICHAEL KIRKEBY P E O P L E BY P O ST N O R D

ILLUSTRATIONS: JOHAN HÖRBERG

Jon Bergman Position at PostNord: Rural postman in Borlänge, Sweden.

Closest colleagues: Peter Andersson, Kristoffer Österberg, Andreas Tinnerholm and Emil Karlsson.

Loud music – peaceful forest Jon Bergman delivers mail far from the hustle and bustle.

And he’s always searching for the most majestic birds of prey with his favorite band turned all the way up.

H

e works as a rural postman in Borlänge, central Sweden. It’s a nice-sized town of about 50,000 residents, best known for its shopping center, Kupolen, and the popular ski resort, Romme Alpin.

Jon Bergman drives mail and parcels down winding gravel roads and delivers them to residents of places like Ulvshyttan, Skenshyttan and Grängshammar.

“Places I didn’t know existed before I started driving as a rural postman,” he notes.

Being a rural postman is a noble task in some ways, but the profession has changed in recent years. The service was crucial when rural postmen effectively doubled as mobile banks at a time when residents of quiet rural villages could pay their bills and also enjoy their afternoon coffee with company.

“When my mother was a rural postman, she had an entirely different relationship with customers than we have today. I leave about 95 percent of letters in mailboxes out on the road, and sometimes I don’t meet anyone all day.

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“On the other hand, we deliver parcels to the door today, and people are very grateful for that. I deliver a lot of bags of dog and cat food, which is really helpful for people who live far from the shops.”

Another change is that Jon and his colleagues take turns driving different rural postman routes.

“I work across 10 different districts, so of course you don’t develop the same kind of relationship with residents. The advantage is that we get more variation and we can share the toughest routes. The downside is that sometimes we have quality issues because we don’t have full oversight, for example over who has moved.”

Jon loves his work environment. Fir and pine forests are interspersed with endless fields. He has a good eye for birds of prey in the area; he’s stopped to look at grouse and capercaillie, and he’s seen six moose gallop at full speed across the road.

“It was incredibly beautiful. I never get tired of nature.”

Rural postmen in the area have their own keys to cottages en route where they can rest and heat up lunch, but Jon prefers to drive for a longer stretch and eat lunch at the office in Borlänge. The reward is getting to play his favorite band My Morning Jacket at full volume.

He says he’s obsessed with music and has also sung in a band that once played at the music festival Hultsfred in southern Sweden.

“Now that I’m a dad, I don’t get to listen quite as much at home. In the car, I listen to tons of new releases.”

That obsession seems to be a personality trait. Jon used to play ice hockey in Sweden’s second-highest national league, has talked about his favorite shows on the local radio station and has reviewed albums for the local paper.

“It’s very easy for me to get fixated on things. It doesn’t matter if it’s paddle tennis, making pizza, hip-hop or the best ketchup.”

MALIN DAHLBERG 17

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THE MISSION / POSTNORD DANMARK RUNDT

MAGIC AND LACTIC ACID Working on PostNord Danmark Rundt is like working at a traveling circus. “We work hard, rarely sleep and laugh a lot,” says Nanna Holtegaard Christensen.

TEXT: MICHAEL KIRKEBY PHOTO: FREDDY BILLQVIST, OLE MORTENSEN & THOMAS SJØRUP “WHEN ALL THE THOUSANDS OF spectators are on

their way home and we’re standing alone in the middle of a deserted Frederiksberg Allé in Copenhagen, that’s when it sinks in. We feel enormous pride that everything has gone well, mixed with a little sadness, because we have to say goodbye to each other. It’s hard to describe. We just stand there and get a real buzz out of it. And feel tired – very tired!”

These are the words of Nanna Holtegaard Christensen. She’s in charge of PostNord’s sponsorship and events in Denmark. These include all of PostNord’s customer and sponsorship events during the week in August when Denmark’s biggest cycling race is underway: Na n PostNord Danmark Rundt. e nn ns aH o l t e g a a rd C h r i s t e It’s also Denmark’s biggest sporting event, with over half a million Danes P E O P L E BY P O ST N O R D

watching along the roads and at least as many following the TV broadcast daily.

The finish line is at Frederiksberg Allé, Denmark’s equivalent of the Champs-Élysées in Paris where the Tour de France concludes. Copenhagen’s boulevard is lined with tall linden trees and is not quite as wide.

There are other differences as well: the race in France lasts almost four weeks; in Denmark, it lasts just five days. In France the cyclists must take on both the Alps and the Pyrenees; in Denmark, the highlands of Jutland and the 147 m high Himmelbjerg seem less brutal. And then there is the color of the leader jersey: in Denmark, it’s not yellow, but blue – PostNord blue, naturally.

“Everything is smaller compared with the Tour de France. But make no mistake, PostNord Danmark Rundt is a recognized race with stiff competition. The Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) has upgraded us to a ProSeries race, which is the level just below the Tour de France. This means we’re prioritized by the biggest riders and cycling teams in the world. And in 2019, Eurosport began broadcasting the race live in 59 countries. That’s a real boost for the brand. Millions of 19

Nicklas Holk, postal worker in Aalborg Volunteer for the first time in 2019.

“It was fun, hard and I learned a lot. I was part of the group that worked in the finish line towns along the route. Among other things, I was dressed up as mailbox mascot on the final stretch, walking around and waving to the audience. It’s wonderful to make people smile.

But it’s also incredibly hot inside of a mailbox like that. And because what I can see is limited, I have to be careful not to trip, especially when it’s time to walk up onto the podium! I’m a cycling fan myself and follow the major races, including Giro d’Italia and Vuelta a España. I hope my experience from PostNord Danmark Rundt helps my chances of getting involved as a volunteer when the first three stages of the Tour de France begin in Denmark in 2021. That would be incredible!”

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Britta Clavilla, postman in Holstebro She has worked as a volunteer seven times.

“Getting to be part of PostNord Danmark Rundt is kind of like being part of a traveling carnival. We pack and unpack in a new city every day. Sometimes I’m in the booth where we sell the blue PostNord bike jerseys, and other times I’m in our prize wheel booth, where kids can win anything from candy to helium-­ filled balloons that they have to remember to hang on to so they don’t float away. It’s really intense all week. You’re tired at the end, but also happy because you’ve met so many new people. I’ve made a lot of new PostNord friends this way and we write to each other regularly on Facebook.”

TV viewers all over Europe can follow the world’s biggest names in cycling vying to claim the blue leader’s jersey with PostNord’s logo,” says Nanna.

IN DENMARK, THE competition is used to make new contacts and to improve existing contact with PostNord’s customers and many partners. But it’s also a great occasion to find new friends among PostNord colleagues.

“The responsibility is mine, but I can’t do anything on my own. What makes me happiest of all is probably our team spirit. As we stand there on Frederiksberg Allé, we’re a team of 30 colleagues from all over the country who have been together almost constantly for the entire week of the race. We’ve worked hard day and night; we’ve slept very little and we’ve laughed a ton.

We’ve had a fabulous time together and we almost feel like a little family. I love that.”

Each January, all colleagues at PostNord Denmark can apply to be one of the lucky volunteers to help with all of the practicalities, while the cyclists whiz around Denmark at an average speed of over 40 km an hour.

By the time the cyclists reach the finish line in a new town in the afternoon, the volunteers have made sure everything is ready. It’s like a big public party, and everyone in the town gets involved. That generally also means PostNord colleagues in the area.

“In every finish line town, we have what we call an employee area. Our colleagues from the town have spectator seats here and can invite their families. I always bring my mum and grandma to the festivities at Frederiksberg Allé. They absolutely love it and barely notice what I’m doing,” says Nanna with a laugh.

She answers immediately when asked how she manages all the stress that coordinating such a big event must entail, and where so many things can go awry.

“At the core, I think it’s about the fact that I grew up P E O P L E BY P O ST N O R D

in an incredibly safe environment. There’s always been a lot of structure in my life. That has definitely given me the power to handle chaos. Because it’s really true: there are always a lot of things that don’t go as planned and you have to be able to handle that. It’s important to stay calm and make the best decisions based on the information you have. I actually don’t feel stressed, but I can get very tired in the evenings.”

NANNA’S TO-DO LIST is so long that it could frighten the most experienced wedding coordinator. The process of mapping and organizing all the activities for the year’s race begins as early as January and lasts all the way until that Sunday afternoon in August when the last PostNord banners have been taken down from Frederiksberg Allé. In the seven years that she’s worked at PostNord and worked on the race, she has always taken her summer vacation in September. She can’t relax until then.

“But this year it will be different. My boyfriend Christoffer and I have just had a little boy, so it isn’t just the two of us anymore. Now we have to create a safe and peaceful life for our child. That also involves a really long to-do list, but in August, of course I have to be there as a spectator on Frederiksberg Allé. I don’t want to miss that.”

About PostNord Danmark Rundt Danmark Rundt is a Danish cycling race that is part of the UCI ProSeries.

The primary sponsor of the race is PostNord Denmark and the official title is PostNord Danmark Rundt.

The competition consists of five stages in five days and the competition is between 20 teams of eight cyclists each. In addition to the overall champion and stage winners, there are also winners of the team competition, points jersey, youth jersey, king of the hills jersey and sprinter’s jersey.

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TEXT: ANDREAS UTTERSTRÖM, MAIJU KARHUNEN AND MICHAEL KIRKEBY PHOTO: SARA BOGREN AND FREDDY BILLQVIST

WHEN REALITY HAPPENS Christopher coughed up smoke for weeks, Inge Birthe made a furry new friend, and Jitender was in a collision.

But how should coworkers at PostNord act when the unexpected happens?

THE SHOCK CAME LATER ONE DAY IN June 2017, postman Christopher Carlsson stepped out of a doorway on Lindhagensgatan in Kungsholmen, Stockholm. It was 16° C and he was wearing his usual shorts, T-shirt and sneakers.

As he came around the corner on the way to his next staircase, he suddenly stopped. In front of a 10-story building with a motorcycle shop and driving school on the ground floor, a group of people had gathered and were all looking up.

An apartment was on fire.

Two women stood on the balcony.

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See video and photos Follow us on Instagram #peoplebypostnord

“It was obvious we were going to help these women get out of the apartment,” says Christopher Carlsson.

“My first thought was that I had keys to the door, so I started heading up the stairs. We learned to never take the elevator when there’s a fire,” says Christopher Carlsson.

The higher he got, the thicker the smoke became.

The smell was awful and breathing was difficult. He instinctively covered his nose and mouth with his shirt, but it didn’t help. It was hard to breathe.

On his way up the stairs he ran into a man who lived on the floor below the burning apartment.

“We didn’t have to say much to each other. It was obvious we were going to help these women get out of the apartment.”

Finding the way wasn’t hard; the door to the apartment was open. He knocked on neighbors’ doors to warn them, but it seemed everyone had already left.

Then Christopher Carlsson and the man ran into 24

the burning apartment. When they passed the kitchen, they saw the flames licking high up from the stove to the ceiling.

“I was scared, but I didn’t have much time to think.

We saw the women out on the balcony and ran to get them. They were in shock and we said a few words to calm them.”

TOGETHER, ALL FOUR ran out of the apartment. The smoke stung his lungs and made Christopher feel drowsy. The heat was also tangible, like standing way too close to a bonfire.

On the way out, he saw that the flames had spread to the kitchen cabinets and cupboards. The fire had crept closer to the hallway, making it impossible for the women to get out through the door without risking burns.

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“ T HE LINE ISN’T CLEAR” In the stairs on the way down, they met some firemen. He quickly told them which apartment was on fire, then continued out safely.

“When we got out on the street, it was full of police and fire trucks and ambulances.”

Christopher sat on a bench outside the door together with the two dazed women.

“They hugged me and thanked me for what I had done.”

He was then taken care of himself. The medical staff asked how long the shaken postman had been breathing in smoke, and also took his blood pressure.

Physically, he appeared uninjured.

Smoke can contain several different gases, depending on what is on fire. Mild symptoms tend not to require treatment. But the medical staff were careful to explain to Christopher that he should get help immediately if he had trouble breathing again.

The police also asked him a few quick questions and praised his actions.

“You saved their lives,” the policeman told him.

But after a while came the shock.

“First it struck me what had actually happened and how terrible it was.”

CHRISTOPHER CARLSSON CALLED his manager Maud Åslund and explained. But there was a misunderstanding. His manager didn’t realize Christopher had been inside the building. She told him to simply skip the stairwell where the fire was and carry on delivering the mail.

When Maud Åslund realized with alarm what had happened, a colleague was sent to finish up the route.

“Now it seems strange that I kept working. But I felt responsible for making sure the mail was delivered as usual. I also think I was still in shock. I had a pretty powerful reaction and was close to tears on a few occasions.”

Back at the office, an improvised debriefing was held with the manager and colleagues.

“I explained what happened and they praised me for what I’d done.”

Because it was Friday, Christopher then had two days off. But come Monday, he was back on his usual route.

“It was a bit weird going through that door, but it was fine.”

He has run into the younger of the women he saved a few times since then.

“She’s thanked me and hugged me every time.”

He had a cough from the smoke for a few weeks afterward, but then it went away.

Today, nearly two years on, this dramatic event hasn’t had a long-term impact on Christopher Carlsson. Other than in the kitchen.

“I found out that the fire probably started when oil in a saucepan caught on fire. I haven’t exactly wanted to make doughnuts since then.”

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ALMOST ALL POSTNORD POSTMEN AND drivers have stumbled across a situation at some point where they were forced, or asked, to step outside of their professional roles.

It could be anything from someone in a wheelchair asking for help carrying a large parcel into their apartment, to someone collapsing from a heart attack and needing urgent help.

But where is the line actually drawn? When is it right to step outside of your professional role? And when should you say no?

“There are no simple answers to that question. You just have to use your best judgment,” says Stefan Fougt, Chief Safety Officer at PostNord in Sweden.

In his 30 years as a postman, he himself has helped with everything from getting rid of big spiders to taking a detour to help retirees collect their pensions.

“For some older people, or those who live alone, the postman may be one of the few people they have contact with,” he says.

It goes without saying that PostNord employees should call 112 if someone is hurt or the victim of a crime.

“Then it’s up to each individual to decide how long to stay, but I think most people would wait until the ambulance, fire truck or police have arrived.”

HOWEVER, STEFAN FOUGT ADVISES against helping to carry in heavy parcels.

“Even if you want to be helpful, there’s a risk of creating problems if you injure yourself.”

Annemarie Gardshol, President and Group CEO of PostNord, says it’s essentially about being your own manager of the customer experience.

“In our profession, the line between going the extra mile for the customer and an act of kindness for someone isn’t always clear. You have to use your best judgment.”

She says it’s only natural for the general public to view PostNord’s postmen and drivers as everyday heroes.

“I’m proud that we have people like that in our organization. But of course, it’s entirely acceptable to say no if someone asks you for an extra service that you are unable to or would rather not provide,” she says.

HOWEVER, there is one thing that Chief Safety Officer Stefan Fougt is clear about: PostNord’s employees shouldn’t act as private detectives. Even if it’s sometimes tempting to take action against criminals on your own.

“There have been postmen who have been robbed and have chased the thieves, but you should avoid doing the police’s work. I know of a case where an employee caught some teens who’d been stealing, but he was reported to the police for assault.”

Checklist:

As an employee, before you decide how to act, always consider the following: What consequences could my behavior entail?

What risks could there be to my own health?

Will my action strengthen trust in PostNord?

Is my action legal?

Could my action be influenced by my personal interests or some other conflict of interest?

Will my behavior stand up to public scrutiny?

Does my behavior protect PostNord’s reputation as a company that wants to maintain excellent business ethics?

From PostNord’s Code of Conduct

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Dogs Richs and Chili live on a farm along Inge Birthe Blok’s route. They always come out to greet her.

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BELLA HITCHES A RIDE EVERY WORKDAY, POSTMAN Inge Birthe Blok drives 150 km along her route in Vesthimmerland on Jutland, west of Ålborg. The wide-open Danish countryside is picture-perfect, with long distances between farms.

She rarely encounters any drama.

But one afternoon in November 2017, she was forced to brake and pull over to the side of the road.

A dog was sat in the middle of the road, cheerfully wagging its tail.

Inge Birthe was surprised. Why was a dog sitting here?

With no owner in sight?

“I realized it must have run away from home so I got out of the van.”

The dog, a female, had a name tag that said Bella. There was also an address. Inge Birthe knew it well and knew it was just a few kilometers away.

She herself is the owner of a Tibetan terrier named Alfred, so she decided to drive Bella home.

Bella got a “The dog jumped into the car herself and sat lot of likes there calmly and peacefully, watching while I on Facebook. turned around and drove her home.” .

But no one was there. However, the door was open.

“You don’t always lock the door in the countryside, so I let the dog in and left a note in the mailbox that I had found Bella.”

BEFORE DROPPING OFF Bella at the proper address, Inge Birthe had taken a picture of the dog in the car. A week later she published it in a closed Facebook group for PostNord employees in Denmark, along with the text: “Luckily, Bella’s owner has Unattended delivery so she could be delivered to her home.”

“The picture got a lot of likes and comments. Several people wrote they had also driven dogs home, so I’m definitely not the only one”, says Inge Birthe.

But other animals have also gotten rides from Danish postmen over the years.

“One guy wrote he had driven an escaped pig home, but that’s probably pretty rare.”

For Inge Birthe Blok, it was only natural to help out by driving Bella home. Even if her task is to deliver letters and parcels, not transporting animals.

“Sure, we have a lot to do. But we also have flexibility within our responsibility. You can’t just drive by if it’s obvious that something is wrong and someone needs help. I have to stop. That applies to both people and animals.” >>> Read about the burning ship that turned Audun Larsen’s workday upside down on page 66.

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THE COLLISION JITENDER GREWAL HAD just delivered a parcel and was on his way to the next task: picking up luggage that had been left at Helsinki airport and dropping it off to passengers. It was late October 2015. It was dark, had started getting cold, and the roads were slick. The first snow suddenly started to fall, and bang: a car drove into the back of Jitender’s van, and despite keeping a safe distance, he collided with the car in front of him.

“I was scared and wondered what had actually happened. I was immediately worried that it was serious.”

Jitender quickly drove to the side of the road and felt his head, arms and legs. Everything seemed okay, even though the impact had been so powerful that the seatbelt had tightened against his chest and he was having difficulty breathing.

He put on a safety vest and ran out. His van was crumpled in both the front and back. People were getting out of the other cars and everyone was shaken. But no one was seriously injured.

“I was scared and wondered what had actually happened.

I was immediately worried that it was bad.”

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THE DRIVER WHO had rear-ended the van immediately admitted fault. According to Jitender, the line of cars was moving at just 15 km an hour and the person who hit his car had been going too fast.

“He admitted he’d been on his phone while driving and wasn’t paying enough attention to traffic.”

The police and an ambulance soon arrived and Jitender’s van was towed away.

Straight after the collision, he let both his manager and the airport know about the situation. That way, the customer knew about the delay and the manager could arrange a replacement vehicle and transport for Jitender.

He got behind the wheel that same evening and delivered the bags that were waiting at the airport. The owners of the bags were understanding and Jitender took it very easy on the way there.

“You don’t want to get into two collisions on the same night. And the weather got worse and worse as the evening went on.”

THE EVENT MADE Jitender Grewal realize just how important it is to keep a safe distance and to stay focused while driving. He always follows the advice he got from a friend: when you’re driving, drive.

No matter how important a text message is, you can read it when you get where you’re going.

Fortunately, Jitender knows first aid and knew what he would have done if the accident had been serious. But this time he didn’t have to put his knowledge to the test.

“It would have been interesting to see how I would have coped if something serious had happened. But practicing on a dummy is totally different from a real person. I’m sure I would have been a little panicked, but I think I would have managed.”

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Your colleagues’ Spotify playlist: https://tinyurl.com/ Peoplebypostnord

The Guide THANK YOU FOR THE MUSIC Music touches everyone. It’s spellbinding, energizing, joy-inducing. And PostNord is teeming with music lovers. We met a few of them.

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What’s your music of choice?

The parcel terminal in Aarhus responds.

Henriette has taken every opportunity to perform. But perhaps primarily in church.

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Multitalented Sofie works at possibly the world’s most musical customer service.

Magnus gave a 50th birthday gift that was a little too good and ended up with a record contract.

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Chugga-chugga-chugga is the sound of Toni and his band.

Welcome to metal country.

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Mattias loves a little chaos and having to get people off the stage.

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Hello!

What’s your sound?

Music affects both our mood and energy. We asked five video coders at the parcel terminal in Aarhus about the meaning of music in their daily work.

TEXT AND PHOTOS: FREDDY BILLQVIST

JEPPE SCHOU KRÄMMER If your job were a song, what would it be?

“It’s hard to sum it up in a song, but maybe ‘Telemiscommunications’ by Deadmau5? My job involves lots of conversations from different departments and terminals at PostNord and occasionally there may be a misunderstanding over the phone.”

DAVID LENSKJOLD If your job were a song, what would it be?

“Beastie Boys’ ‘Slow and Low.’ I go to work, do what needs to be done and take things in stride. Otherwise I like listening to Wu Tang Clan and songs like ‘Protect Ya Neck.’”

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SIGURD MAZANTI What do you listen to to get ready for work?

“I listen to a lot of different genres, but always music with a lot of energy. Preferably with rhythm and a fast pace, like rap. I also love listening to podcasts.

JAKOB POULSEN What do you listen to to get ready for work?

“Usually I listen to the ‘Denmark Top 50’ playlist with the biggest Danish hits. I’m pretty impatient and I’m constantly looking for something new. When I find a song I like, it goes on repeat.”

MICHAEL ANDERSEN If you could choose an artist to come and perform at the terminal, who would it be?

“I like electronic music, so either Meduza or the Norwegian DJ and producer Kygo. It would be great to have Kygo come and play songs like ‘Stargazing’ or ‘Nothing Left.’”

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The Guide

“I ALWAYS HAVE A MELODY IN MY HEAD THAT HAS TO GET OUT” Sofie Randrup Mouritsen has the lead role in a customer service department that could just as easily be a musical.

TEXT: MICHAEL KIRKEBY PHOTO: FREDDY BILLQVIST In summer 2018, Sofie Randrup Mouritsen was stranded on a tiny island in eastern Thailand. She’d run out of money and her credit card was about as useful as a chocolate teapot since they didn’t accept payment by card there.

“I couldn’t leave. So what do you do then?

Play music! I convinced the owner of a little restaurant to hire me for a few hours every evening in exchange for food, lodging and a little money. It was an amazing experience. I learned something and it was a great way to get over my fears,” she says.

I

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When Sofie isn’t playing ukulele to get home from the other side of the world, she works at PostNord’s large office in Aarhus.

There, she takes care of corporate customers over the phone in what may be the most musically inclined customer service in the world. Because when the workday is finished, the music takes over.

That’s when Sofie looks to Aske Normann Brix and Emil Christopher Christensen sitting a few meters away. They’re not only her colleagues, but also the saxophonist and bassist in their band, Nordlys. At least a few times a week, they leave work together to rehearse with the rest of the band. She plays piano, guitar, saxophone and ukulele.

And she sings. A lot.

“I always have a melody in my head that has to get out. I started playing piano when

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Sofie Randrup Mouritsen

The atmosphere is good, colleagues are helpful, the coffee is free, the pay is okay and there are a lot of musicians. What more could you ask for?

Position at PostNord: Works at corporate customer service in Aarhus.

Closest colleagues: Kim Slot, Mathias Lundbæk (guitarist in heavy metal band Galge), Emil Christopher Christensen (bassist in Nordlys) and Aske Normann Brix (saxophonist in Nordlys).

I was six years old, and things have just kept going from there. I’ve been singing classically for eleven years. I used to be part of the Aarhus Girls’ Choir for many years and I’m involved in a project with Danish National Opera, and I play in two bands.

“One band is Nordlys, and we compose and play our own music, which is a blend of jazz, funk, pop and a little hip-hop. It sounds incredible. The other band, Heyya, is a classic covers band; it’s all about anything you can dance to. Everything good from the 1980s, but also Pharrell Williams, Rihanna and stuff like that. Feel-good music!”

SOFIE STARTED WORKING AT PostNord in 2017. Her friend from high school, Mathias Lundbæk, recommended she apply for the job. He also works in customer service and plays in a band: the heavy metal band Galge.

“Yeah, actually four of us here play music.

Mathias said PostNord is a good workplace, and he was right. The atmosphere is good, colleagues are helpful, the coffee is free, the pay is okay and there are a lot of musicians.

What more could you ask for?” says Sofie, laughing.

Aarhus may be much smaller than

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Copenhagen, but it has long had a reputation as Denmark’s most thriving music town.

A disproportionately large number of bands on the Danish music scene are from Jutland’s capital on the Kattegat. PostNord’s corporate customer service could have been on a stage, but instead the office faces the city’s train station. But that makes sense

for Sofie Randrup Mouritsen as she’s as keen on travel as she is on music.

“I feel like adventure is waiting out there, and I think you’re likelier to find it if you travel alone, so that’s what I do. I was in Asia in 2018, in Cambodia, South Vietnam, the Philippines and a few islands in eastern Thailand. I had my ukulele with me, which is

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SOFIE’S TOP FIVE 1. ‘Nobody Knows’ – Emilie Nicolas 2. ‘Cure’ – Moonchild 3. ‘St. Puma’ – Abekejser 4. ‘Fade Away’ – Susanne Sundfør 5. ‘Blur’ – Mø

nice and small.”

But what about the music? What great stages does she dream of appearing on when she thinks about the future? Surprisingly enough, Sofie’s response is rather cautious.

“Right now, music makes me happy and I almost can’t get enough. But I don’t know if

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it will be my career and livelihood. Maybe I’ll apply to a music college at some point, or maybe I’ll choose something else entirely.

I’m very aware that if it were my profession, it would also entail a strong element of obligation. It would be horrible if music stopped making me happy. You have to protect what you love.”

Hear Sofie play!

Follow us on Instagram #peoplebypostnord

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The Guide

“I LOVE DANCING TO SLAYER” Finns are the hardest rockers in the world.

Toni Laakkonen is no exception.

TEXT: ANNE SALOMÄKI PHOTO: MIKKO TÖRMÄNEN

CHUGGA-CHUGGA-CHUGGA . That’s how Toni Laakkonen from Uleåborg describes the music of his band Deliriuminated.

“It’s fast music. Well-composed and well-arranged, of course, but fast,” he says, laughing.

The band’s choice of musical style is no surprise: Finns are heavy metal people. It’s estimated that Finland has the most heavy metal bands per capita in the world. Toni, who works at PostNord’s partner I-Logistics at the Uleåborg terminal, has been a musician almost his whole life. He taught himself to play guitar when he was 14 and calls it ‘a tool for self-expression.’ He’s no virtuoso, but does quite well just the same.

“Whether it’s just messing around or playing chords or riffs, I’ve always done my own thing. I have a considerable collection of songs I’ve put together.”

Those songs get tried out in Deliriuminated’s rehearsal space.

At the time of this interview, the group is looking for a permanent singer, or rather “singer”’ in quotes, as it mainly involves grunting. The current members are all from Ranua, about 100 km north of Oulu in central Finland. Toni would like the singer to be one of his childhood friends, but that could be a tall order, given the small size of the town.

“It would be fun if everyone came from the same place, but we might have to ease off on that requirement.”

They dream of recording a few songs that are good enough to put up online. They’re inspired by At The Gates and The Haunted from Sweden, Lamb of God and Slayer from the US, and Sepultura from Brazil. But they’ve found their own sound.

“Fast heavy metal music is a fairly well-explored genre, but I’m glad we’ve got our own sound. That’s definitely a subjective view, but as a songwriter, I think we do.”

Sometimes Toni wakes up as early as 3:30 am. His sleep pattern is irregular due to work shifts, but that doesn’t really bother him. In the early hours, he works on unfinished songs.

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That’s often when creativity strikes.

“When I’m making a pot of coffee, I’ll pick up my guitar and if I hit on something good, I have to go record it on my computer so I don’t forget it. Sometimes I finish a song all at once; others I come up with a chord progression after sitting and messing around for a while.”

At the terminal he does “everything that’s needed.” A workday could consist of inspecting shipments, customer service at the collection counter and sorting parcels. The radio is always on. It doesn’t bother him, even though he prefers harder music.

“Music is a good conversation topic among coworkers, because everyone has an opinion. Heavy metal is a misunderstood genre. A lot of people think you can’t dance to it. But I love throwing a few moves to Slayer.”

3 TONI LAAKKONEN: THREE FINNISH FAVORITES 1. Kohti Tuhoa “Really fast and explosive music that is well made for its genre.”

2. Ultra Bra “I didn’t think I liked them at first, but the music is really well composed and well arranged, with great singing and performances.”

3. Topi Sorsakoski & Agents “Good even at their worst. I don’t skip a single song when I listen to them.”

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Getting in the mood on the way to work “Dimmu Borgir’s song ‘Mourning Palace’ could be called ‘Morning Palace’ instead to fit the purpose. It starts a little softly with strings, but it eventually really gets going. The song reflects the melancholy of morning, but then takes a turn for the better. A friend of mine thinks it’s the best riff in the world and I just about agree.”

Toni Laakkonen Position at PostNord: Terminal worker at subcontractor I-Logistics in Uleåborg.

Closest colleagues: Jonne Väärälä, Ari-Pekka Lantto, Antti Remo and Jouni Pesonen.

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The Guide

WEDDING WONDER Henriette Linna sings for better or worse.

“I feel moved by declarations of love when two people choose one another.”

HENRIETTE LINNA has always been a singer.

“I’ve taken every opportunity to perform. My first ‘public’ singing appearance was at a Christmas party when I was two years old. I sang ‘Fola, Fola, Blakken,” she says.

“But I haven’t been as eager to perform as an adult, and I’ve mostly sung with choirs, like the Trondheim Female Student Choir. We had an opening concert during the UKA Festival in Trondheim with an audience of 4,000 people, and we’ve performed in Nidaros Cathedral and Oslo Cathedral.”

In recent years, Henriette has become something of a specialist. More and more of her friends and family are asking her to sing at their weddings. In 2017, when one of her best friends from school asked her to sing at her wedding, it was a special moment. Both of them had just finished their master’s programs. Henriette was pregnant with her daughter and could literally feel love kicking her in the belly throughout the performance.

“It was really special to sing in front of all of my peers, to celebrate a day of love and to know that we would follow one another through life’s most important phases in the coming years.”

SOMETIMES A BRIDAL COUPLE has special requests for songs; other times, Henriette provides suggestions.

“It’s important for the song to fit the bridal couple’s personality, background and taste. I also consider whether it’s a song that will fit my voice, and that I believe will sound good when I sing it,” she says.

Classic love songs like Alf Prøysen’s ‘Mitt hjerte er ditt’ (‘My Heart is Yours’) or big ballads like ‘Up Where We Belong’ are popular choices.

“Once I sang at a wedding between someone from Trondheim and someone from Nordland, and they wanted both Åge Aleksandersen’s ‘Trondheimsnatt’ (‘Trondheim Night’) and Lars Bremnes’ ‘Å kunne æ skrive’ (‘To Be Able to Write’). There are a lot of beautiful love songs, so finding ones that fit each couple isn’t hard.”

Henriette studied music at the University of Agder before changing paths and beginning to study media and communication instead. It’s a decision she has never regretted. She also has a chance to put her musicality to use as a communications officer at PostNord’s Alfaset terminal in Oslo.

“Music and communication are both about conveying a message in a way that reaches the target audience.”

OTHERWISE, right now she’s hearing a lot of those good old kids’ songs, plus songs about Bjørnis the firefighting bear, and Baby Shark. And lullabies, of course.

Whether it’s a big event like a wedding, or from her daughter’s bedside at home, it’s often emotional.

“Music can put us in a certain mood. When I sing at weddings, I’m moved by the declarations of love when two people have chosen one another, especially when they’re people I care about.”

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SISSEL FANTOFT

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Henriette Gedde Linna Position at PostNord: Works at PostNord Norway’s communication department.

A song that gives me energy: ’Roar’

by Katy Perry gives me fighting spirit and always puts me in a good mood for work.

Closest colleagues: Maria Korban, Sofie Skadal, Jessica Blåfjell, Haakon Nikolai Olsen, Ole Andreas Hagen, Bjørn Thorvaldsen, Rikke Kyllenstjerna and Victoria Rummelhoff.

3 CHRIS MALUZSYNSKI

HENRIETTE LINNA: THREE NORWEGIAN FAVOURITES 1. ’Vi lovar’ — Eva Weel Skram 2. ’Body Parts’ — Ina Wroldsen.

3. ’Riv i hjertet’ — Sondre Justad.

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Magnus Carlsson Position at PostNord: Team Manager, Integrations at PostNord Strålfors in Ljungby, Sweden.

Closest colleagues: Kjell Mattsson: “Old bassist. We always end up talking about music.” Tanja Tindeus: “Old synth player, and of course the conversation is often about synths.” Anders Johansson: “Passionate musician with a love of Irish folk music.” Johan Wahlund: “The person who inspired me most in my development as a leader. Awesome on the dance floor.”

“And our whole incredible team: Balazs Papai, Ulf Hjalmarsson, Royar Sazdar, Peter Hult, Rozsa Kiss, Åke Larsson, Johanna Westerlund, Marcus Magnusson and Magdalena Oskarsson.”

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The Guide

REALIZING ELECTRIC DREAMS Magnus Carlsson remixes singles for UK record labels — and works with his old idols. All because of a 50th birthday present that was a little too good.

TEXT: SAM SUNDBERG PHOTOGRAPHY: ANDERS EBEFELDT

THE IDEA WAS THAT it would be something fun. A group of old friends, a song specially composed for a 50th birthday party. But things escalated, like they sometimes do in life.

“Now I’m sitting here with an assignment from a UK record label to remix Rozalla’s new single,” explains PostNord Strålfors employee Magnus Carlsson in Ljungby.

But let’s start from the beginning. Magnus grew up in a musical family in Ljungby. His paternal grandmother was a choir director and his father played in a Swedish dance band.

In the mid-1980s, synth music took over his life. He started singing in a band, learned to play keyboard and bought his own synth.

PARTLY BECAUSE OF MUSIC, MAGNUS CARLSSON started working at Strålfors

immediately after high school instead of moving away and studying. Thanks to his job, he had time to play and could afford to buy instruments. In 1991, he got his first taste of success.

“I also had my first contact with PostNord, funnily enough. Of course it was called Postverket at that time, and they were the main sponsors of Rock SM, the Swedish rock championships.”

Magnus had moved on from synth music and was into west coast rock, Toto and Saga.

At the Swedish Rock Championship, he performed with the band No Buts, and their slamming hard rock took them all away to the final at Solnahallen outside Stockholm.

“We didn’t win, but the director general of Postverket, Ulf Dahlsten, presented us with a certificate and shook our hands. I’ll never forget it,” says Magnus.

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MAGNUS CARLSSON’S TIPS FOR SONGWRITERS 1. Ask for help Go to a music shop and tell them what you want to do. They can help you understand what you need. Buy a keyboard that you can connect to the computer and learn to play a little.

2. Use YouTube Watch tutorials on YouTube. There are so many useful videos out there.

3. Find a forum Find communities online where people discuss music and share what they’ve made. For example, there are a lot of Facebook groups.

The dream of being able to work with music full-time didn’t become a reality, but over the years, Magnus has played in several bands and made “countless” recordings with cover bands out in the countryside. He has also performed at Strålfors staff parties. He describes his need to have something for himself, something separate from work and family.

“Music has been a creative oasis, where I’ve allowed myself to be a little selfish. It’s always felt like it fills my life with energy.”

These days, Magnus has found his way back to his 1980s synth music, which has

also had something of a revival. At home in front of the computer, he has written songs with industry veterans who worked with his old idols, like Modern Talking and Fancy. The remix for Rozalla is the result of many years active in various Facebook groups, where he has shared his music and gotten to know producers.

So what happened at that 50th birthday party?

“Well, it was Patrik, one of my old buddies, who was turning 50. I called around to a few old friends and asked, ‘Should we write a song for Patrik and play it, instead of giving speeches?’

THE RESULT WAS THE SONG ’1984’, a synth tune with a seriously ‘80s vibe. One of Patrik’s 50th birthday presents was getting to be a member of the band.

“I have some contacts. So I sent the song to a friend who runs a little record label to hear what he thought. We ended up getting a record contract. I know the song has played on the radio in Belgium, Mexico and the UK, and it’s also been released on vinyl.

It has 7,000 listens on Spotify. That’s not much compared with big artists, but still pretty fantastic.”

HE CALLS IT an unexpected bonus. One of those crazy things that just kind of happens.

In fact, of course, it’s the result of decades of dedication to music.

“I’m no virtuoso on the keyboard and I don’t have the world’s best singing voice.

But I think that regardless of what you do, passion will take you a long way.”

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Mattias Kenttä Position at PostNord: Postman in Kiruna, Sweden.

Closest colleagues: “I have to list the entire mail delivery office in Kiruna. I love that we have a variety of genders, ages, tastes, experiences and interests:” Tore Niemi, Birgitta Lindqvist, Karin Estola, Agnes Gustafsson, Malin Eliasson, Kristofer Aho Larsson, Robert Niemi, Jonas Johansson, Jonathan Harnesk, Håkan Kemi, Sofie Lasu, Roger Lindmark, Sandra Unander, Marcus Höjdmo, Rickard Johansson, Patrik Broth Wiss, Rolf Vikström, Sanne Fredriksson, Gunder Bäck, Polly Holmberg, Agneta Törmä, Tommy Tedestrand, Julia Tano and Emma Thid.

The Guide

UNPOLISHED “We like it when things get messy and we pretty much always have to get people off the stage,” says Mattias Kenttä.

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events and after-ski concerts at hotels in the mountains.” The band accepts all requests within a 200 km radius.

“The audience is average Joes who just want to have a good time, and nine times out of 10 things get totally crazy. It looks like they’re all on drugs, the whole lot, but we get them really fired up. We like it when things get messy and we pretty much always have to get people off the stage at the end.”

HE CONSIDERS MUSIC THE perfect complement to his day job as a postman. And it’s never a problem to manage the logistics with his family life. He usually plays late at night.

He likes to work hard, and both mail delivery and his work onstage are physical tasks.

“The daily exercise you get as a postman shouldn’t be underestimated; that keeps you

3 FAVORITE SONGS TO COVER 1. For teens ‘Din tid kommer’ (‘Your Time Is Coming’) — Håkan Hellström

2. For middle-aged folks and up ‘Git It’ — Jerry Williams

3. Crossover, always works ‘Summer of ’69’ — Bryan Adams healthy. And onstage? ‘Keep your hair and stay in your jeans size,’ I like to say. You should work hard on stage; people listen with their eyes, too.”

SARA MARCZAK

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JOHAN YLITALO

AS MATTIAS KENTTÄ was walking home from school in the 1980s, he passed a rehearsal space emitting rock music that caused the air to vibrate on the entire block.

The unpolished instruments and voices had a magnetic effect on Mattias, who could stand and listen for hours.

“It was the coolest thing I’d ever heard. I still like it best when things are unpolished and out of tune, preferably a little sharp. There’s power in a guitar turned all the way up that really does it for me,” says Mattias, who has worked at Posten since the 1990s and who has been a postman at PostNord for the last seven years.

And messy is exactly what the recordings he makes with his cover band, Kiruna Kickers, tend to be. “Ebba Grön, Metallica, Kiss – the noisier, the better. We play about 50 gigs a year – weddings, graduation parties, corporate

TEXT: STINA GYLDBERG PHOTO: ALFRED JOHANSSON

GOALS/ANNELIE HEDQUIST

A force of nature Annelie Hedquist wants to inspire healthy living among PostNorders. In addition to her hobbies – African dance, life coaching and skydiving – and joking around with people at Schenker.

ANNELIE HEDQUIST WAS about to turn 40 and she was at a crossroads. Would she quit working at PostNord and move to Barcelona, or stay and have kids? One thing was certain: something had to happen. She chose the latter.

“I’d always wanted to have kids, but I hadn’t been lucky in love. I was getting older, so I made a choice. It was now or never. So I had a baby on my own,” she says.

Annelie’s is a dance instructor in her free time and works out every day, which she continued to do during her pregnancy. She had her last dance performance in her seventh month.

“Dance is truly my passion. I do Afro-fusion, Reggaeton, booty shake, twerking and modern dance.”

The midwife was shocked at Annelies’s strength.

“I sat and listened to music and drank coffee and the baby popped out like nothing at all. The midwife said I was a ‘force of nature.’”

That may very well be the case, as Annelie

dedicates her free time to everything from teaching dance and being an amateur personal trainer to skydiving and taking Portuguese classes. The fact that she’s almost unstoppable is also evident in her work as a truck driver at PostNord in Gothenburg.

“There can be stops that are too much for some people. I always take them. I like problem-­ solving and being challenged intellectually, so I have to push myself all the time.”

She says that a cheerful driver is a good driver. So spreading joy is yet another way of pushing herself. Like the time she put on a bicycle helmet while driving and pulled her long hair through the slots in the helmet.

“I looked completely crazy and tricked a regular customer into thinking it was a new policy, that we have to wear helmets when we drive trucks. A guy from Schenker heard me and I tricked him into thinking they were giving out free bicycle helmets in town,” she laughs.

She used to be a supervisor at PostNord but it was difficult to combine that with her role as a single mother, so she chose to step down.

“I miss being a supervisor, but my biggest wish is to inspire others at PostNord when it comes to health. My colleagues ask where I get my energy. But that’s exactly it: exercise energizes me. I wish all of PostNord’s work­ places had a proper gym.”

Annelie’s daughter Aurora is now 20 months. She’s always with her mother at the gym and out in the forest.

“She gets to try everything under supervision. I want her to be independent and self-confident.”

Annelie Hedquist Job: Truck driver in Gothenburg, Sweden.

Closest colleagues: Mike Sossah, Fetah Shala and Malgoratza Malcherek.

P EEO N ONRO D R D OPPLLEEBY BYP OPST O ST

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THREE ABOUT PASSIONS

There are hobbies and then there are things that truly take hold of you. Meet three PostNorders who have found passions that go far beyond ordinary hobbies.

Krister’s neverending quest For Krister Enarsson, geocaching is a way to explore the world and push his own limits.

THE AUGUST MORNING IS fantastic. The sun has just begun to warm the cool water, and out on the lake in Gimofors, Krister Enarsson peers beneath its surface. Several meters beneath him is a black hole. His wetsuit tightens against his skin as he leans over the railing and dives. His flashlight illuminates the way. It’s essential: the dark opening leads to an old underground cellar that was once part of the village, before the dam was built. He turns the flashlight beam this way and that, studying the small space.

An old metal toolbox – that must be what it is. He grabs hold of it, but it won’t budge; it’s chained in place. Stressed, he starts twisting the chain to get it free, but his oxygen is running out. He has to swim back up.

“It was a little scary, to be honest. We’ll have to try a few times. But on the other hand, it was really lucky we managed to log it,” Krister explains.

OUTSIDE OF HIS job as a terminal worker

at PostNord in Sundsvall, he lives an active life, to say the least. He spends lots of time on frisbee golf and fishing for salmon. But his passion for geocaching is what led him to dive down into the dark cellar in Gimofors.

Six days a week, he’s out in the countryside, searching for elusive caches. A while ago, he chose to step down from his position as manager, which he had held for 25 years, to spend more time on his leisure activities.

He first learned about geocaching eight years ago. He was at a meeting at PostNord’s headquarters in Stockholm, and his 44

colleague from Umeå, Theresa Eriksson, brought him along on a search for a cache in the region.

“It was really exciting. So I took it up as a hobby. But after a while, you get really into it.”

The phenomenon of geocaching arose in the US around the turn of the millennium.

When GPS technology became widely available, people began finding ways to use it for more than strictly practical tasks. A growing number of enthusiasts began hiding things out in the natural environment and posting the coordinates on a website for others to seek on a treasure hunt. As mobile phones with GPS gradually became generally available, the hobby became accessible to more and more people, and today there are apps to download that make the threshold to entry lower than ever.

EACH CACHE CONTAINS a log book so that you can register finding it, and sometimes there is also a little gift to take, as long as you replace it with another item.

One of the first caches Krister searched for – together with his son John, who was 15 at the time – turned out to be up a tree.

“Would we have to climb up there? No, no, we don’t want to risk our necks to get it, we said.”

He laughs at the memory. Today he’ll tackle just about anything, he says. He’s climbed mountains, lowered himself down cliffs, dived into lakes. One memorable cache turned out to be at the top of an

enormous Bauhaus store sign, 30 meters in the air. Krister threw a rope and attached it to the sign to climb up and reach the cache.

HE HAS PLACED eight caches himself, and understands there are about 50,000 in Sweden, of which he has so far found 1,600.

In winter, some of the caches are buried under snow, while others are available year round. But even when the weather puts a stop to the fun, you can entertain yourself at home pondering the riddles that some people add to their caches, which have to be solved to find the correct coordinates. The winter darkness poses no obstacle.

“It’s really fun to be outside with a flashlight; it just makes it even more exciting.

Geocaching is a great way to get to see new places. Even in my own town, I’ve discovered tons of places that I never would have seen otherwise. Plus, it’s free exercise! But maybe above all, it’s a really fun hobby to share with others. I’ve had wonderful moments with my kids hunting for new caches.”

SAM SUNDBERG

Krister Enarsson Position at PostNord: Terminal worker in Sundsvall, Sweden.

Closest colleagues: “I’ve worked with Anders Öhman and Jonas Hallberg as leaders at Posten for almost 20 years. We have shared both tears and laughter. My colleagues and brothers-in-arms on the disc golf course are Andreas Åkerman, Daniel Söderberg and Thomas Abrahamsson, three awesome guys who are always generous. I also want to give credit to my mentor, a clever, tongue-incheek fellow from Skåne who always takes the time to teach me new things at work: Peter Ernst.”

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GÖSTA FRIES

See Krister on an adventure Follow us on Instagram @peoplebypostnord

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“I took it up as a hobby. “But you get obsessed after a while,” says Krister Enarsson.

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THREE ABOUT PASSIONS

“ It brings me pure joy” Sandra Lundin has over a thousand movies at home. Fifty-seven of them are Disney animated classics.

SARA BOGREN

HER LOVE OF Disney’s animated movies began with her English classes at school. Sandra Lundin struggled with the language, but realized she could watch her favorite movies in English with English subtitles.

“I knew the stories by heart, and by using the movies, I could practice what I was having trouble with at school.”

On Friday nights growing up, her family often got candy and rented movies, a tradition that has followed Sandra into adulthood.

“I love inviting friends over for dinner and a movie. I probably associate it with that sense of warmth, security and coziness that I remember from childhood.”

She has 57 Disney classics on Blu-ray, but her interest in movies stretches much further than that. The last time Sandra counted, she had over one thousand movies, from ‘Armageddon’ to ‘Zootropolis’.

“I love entering the imaginary world of movies. It brings me pure joy. I also play a lot of computer games. MMORPG’s* like ‘Final Fantasy’ or online games like ‘League of Legends.’ My friends and I also play board games, sometimes well into the night! I suppose I would say I’m a nerd.”

Sandra is not just a nerd. She’s a nerd who drives an 18-pallet truck. She drives two shifts: in the morning she picks up letters that need to be taken to the mail delivery offices, and in the afternoon she drives pallets and parcels to companies and private customers. Sandra has worked at PostNord for 12 years and feels secure in her role, but says you need to be quite headstrong.

“It’s still a male-dominated and physically challenging profession.”

Sandra and her colleagues unload goods that weigh up to a thousand kilos, sometimes using only a simple pallet jack.

“It can be tricky, but you figure out certain techniques and can get pretty creative when it comes to problem-solving.”

More women are joining the profession now. Swedish transport training programs report an average of 25 percent female students today, which is an increase.

“It’s super fun. Workplaces need a better balance and it’s more fun to work when there’s a mix of guys and girls,” says Sandra.

*MMORPG = massive multiplayer online role-playing games

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MALIN DAHLBERG

Sandra Lundin Position at PostNord: Truck driver at DIP Södertälje, Sweden.

Closest colleagues: Helena Westerlund, Zoran Babic and Rayan Benyamen.

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“‘Lilo & Stitch’ is a favorite, because it portrays how family is about so much more than blood relations. You don’t even have to come from the same planet,” says Sandra Lundin.

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CHRIS MALUSZYNSKI

THREE ABOUT PASSIONS

Benny Henriksen Position at PostNord: Salesperson at Express & Bud, PostNord Norway.

Closest colleagues: Øystein Jomyr, Roger Skarboe, Arild Sollien, Liv Ellen Berg and Jon Ellingsen.

found a cousin in Nittedal, just outside Benny’s home in Oslo, and contacted him.

His cousin Roy turned out to be as interested in motorcycles as Benny was.

“It was a really fun evening. We connected really quickly and kept in touch.”

In 2014, Roy and Benny rode Route 66 on motorcycles together – the trip that Benny and his uncle had planned for so long.

“It felt like coming home. As we rode into Tulsa, Oklahoma, the hair stood up on my arms. Later I talked to my aunt and she told me that Tulsa was my uncle’s favorite place.

It was remarkable.”

“I’ve made a lot of good friends in the motorcycle world,” says Benny Henriksen.

“ A sense of real freedom” When life tried to stop Benny Henriksen, he found the throttle: “I wouldn’t have made it without my motorcycle.”

THEY’D BEEN PLANNING their dream trip for a long time: 4,000 km by motorcycle, from Chicago to Los Angeles. Benny Henriksen and his uncle were going to ride Route 66 together. Benny has loved motorcycles since he was little and his uncle returned home from his trips to the US with motorcycle plates in his baggage.

But a single year destroyed everything. In 2010, first Benny found his father at home, dead on the floor. Six months later, he lost his uncle to cancer.

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“In many ways, my uncle was my mentor.

He gave good advice and was always there for me,” says Benny.

“That year was just incredibly tough.”

TO CLEAR HIS mind, Benny got his motorcycle license anyway. And it would prove that neither family nor Route 66 had left him in the lurch. Because while studying to get his motorcycle license, Benny had started searching for relatives. It turned out there were some he didn’t know about. He

SINCE THEN, BENNY has traveled to the US 13 times. In addition to working as a salesperson at Express & Courier in Oslo, he is a travel leader at JoyRides: he leads groups of Scandinavian tourists through the States on motorcycles.

“I feel incredibly lucky to get to take people on these trips. When the trip is over and everyone is crying tears of joy, hugging me and thanking me for a wonderful time... it’s indescribable.”

He describes the feeling of riding a motorcycle as an enormous sense of freedom. The fresh air, the meandering roads.

“If I have a lot on my mind, I forget it all while I’m riding. I wouldn’t have made it without my motorcycle.”

THE BIKE IN question is a 2003 Harley Davidson. In summer, he drives around 12,000 km on day trips and weekend trips, to motorcycle meet-ups and trade fairs.

“It’s an awesome environment. A lot of the people I consider close friends today are people I met in the motorcycle world.”

His interest influences all aspects of Benny’s life, including his work as a salesperson. Like that day in 2018, when he was at a sales meeting in Trondheim. The customer pulled up a sleeve to reveal a large Harley Davidson tattoo.

“We had such great chemistry at the meeting, so we got a new customer.

“My interest has made me more intuitive about people, which gives me an advantage in all areas of my life.”

STINE ERIKSEN

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f o d n e The leg

e h t r i B y c n e g r Eme Few people have met or even seen Emergency Birthe, but everyone knows who she is. She gets passports to families stuck on planes, saves weddings from disaster, and gets spare parts to ships headed for Asia.

TEXT: MICHAEL KIRKEBY PHOTO: FREDDY BILLQVIST

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“I THINK FAST, I talk fast

and I need you guys to act fast. ” Winston ‘The Wolf ’ Wolfe stands in a kitchen in the suburbs, wearing a tux, giving orders.

Harvey Keitel’s legendary character The Wolf in Quentin Tarantino’s movie ‘Pulp Fiction’ has come to symbolize the elegant fixer, the person you call when things hit the fan. The person who simply solves the problem.

But PostNord in Denmark doesn’t need a symbol or legend. They have their very own. A living legend.

On a difficult day, the phone rings over 100 times in the little red house outside of Ringsted on Midtsjælland. This is the home of Birthe Larsen. She mostly works from home, and many colleagues have neither met nor even seen her. But everyone has heard of Birthe, or Emergency Birthe, as she’s also known.

She’s who you call as a last resort when a shipment has disappeared, and she always answers the phone.

Just like The Wolf, you shouldn’t start discussing too much with Emergency Birthe once she’s taken over a problem. Just do what she says. In return, the shipment will almost always be found and the problem solved.

“Hopefully I’m beloved, but I’m probably also feared and perhaps even hated now and then, I don’t know. I am who customer service colleagues call when a delivery is hopelessly lost and when customers are raising hell. I often talk to dissatisfied and angry people who don’t always use the nicest words in the language, you might say. That’s why I can probably get a little snippy myself when things get heated. There isn’t time to talk then; we just have to solve the problem.”

Birthe Larsen gives a friendly yet determined smile, adding: “I was raised to be straightforward, but also to not hold grudges. I live by that. It’s important to treat others the way you want to be treated. My dad always said the higher up in the pecking order you are, the more you have to be careful not to dump crap on everyone below because you never know when you’ll be the one at the bottom. I guess it doesn’t get any clearer than that,” she says, laughing out loud.

I

BIRTHE HAS WORKED at Posten since 1985, when the eldest of her two sons was born. The elderly rural postman who delivered her parents’ mail suggested that the young mother apply for the position. “It’s the best job in the world, pleasant and relaxed,” he said, as he enjoyed one more cup of coffee before continuing on his route.

That’s not how the mail works anymore, nor is it Birthe’s daily work, although she does enjoy a cup of coffee. Since the year 2000, she has worked for customer service, which is where Birthe became Emergency Birthe. At a Christmas lunch, some close 50

xx x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x xx x x x xxx x x x x xx x x x x x xx x xxxxxxxxxx

Emergency Birthe’s tips Follow us on Instagram #peoplebypostnord

colleagues gave her a fireman’s helmet with the word AKUT (Emergency) on it in flashing light-up letters.

“It was very sweet of them and I like my nickname, which I think suits me quite well. In my world I just do my job, and of course I can’t do anything at all without the help of my excellent colleagues. Everything’s connected.”

IT’S HARD TO choose a particularly exotic example of a lost shipment. There have been a lot of them over the years; they’re all different, and for customers, they are all important. It could be getting some passports to a family sitting on a plane that’s about to take off from Kastrup airport. A wedding dress that has to get there before the church bells chime. It could be spare parts P E O P L E BY P O ST N O R D

BIRTHE LARSEN:

“ My colleagues’ success is measured by how little contact they have with me; that’s the way it goes.” missing, we have to step on the gas. You can’t have guests sitting at a party complaining about PostNord; you just can’t.

“So the idea is to never take no for an answer and move heaven and earth if needed. We have a regular customer in North Jutland who sells arches for weddings and anniversaries. If there’s a problem with getting something there on time, I ask to be called every time the shipment changes hands. That way, the arch gets where it needs to be.”

Birthe Larsen Position at PostNord: Works at customer service in Copenhagen Works from home: Birthe Larsen travels in to PostNord on Hedegaardsvej in southern Copenhagen one day a week. The rest of the time she works from home. She speaks with colleagues throughout Denmark every day.

Closest colleagues: Henrik Larsen, Marianne Voldfrom, Toke Sebastian Olsen and Anne Teilmann.

for a ship on the way to Asia, people in need of important medications or a child’s bicycle that has to arrive in time for Christmas Eve. Emergency Birthe delivered the child’s bicycle herself to a happy family on the afternoon of December 24.

“The pressure’s on and I can feel the adrenaline pumping. But it’s so rewarding to solve a case and make a frustrated customer happy again. Service is incredibly important to PostNord; if we don’t provide good service, we have nothing. If someone’s about to have their confirmation ceremony and a gift is P E O P L E BY P O ST N O R D

EMERGENCY BIRTHE HAS yet to meet a colleague who envies her job. She acknowledges that it’s difficult to separate her work from her free time, which is why she prefers to work from home.

“My colleagues’ success is measured by how little contact they need to have with me; that’s just the way it goes. But my job has almost become a lifestyle for me.

I always have my phone, my earpiece and two iPads by my pillow. If one isn’t working, then I use the other. I know it goes against all the good advice about work-life balance, my managers tell me that all the time. But I’m happy with it; otherwise I wouldn’t do it.”

But it can still be too much sometimes. When frustrated customers boil over, she turns to her husband Erik or her managers Marianne Voldfrom and Henrik Larsen to get things off her chest.

“It means everything to have a good husband, as well as an understanding manager like Henrik who I can always call, even if it’s early on a Sunday morning.

Otherwise it doesn’t work. I also use my bike rides to work the frustration out of my body. After a hundred kilometers on a racing bike, I’ve got all the frustration out of my system! I pedal hard while listening to audiobooks, usually detective novels. Right now, I’m listening to ‘The Drowning’ by Camilla Läckberg. It’s great for getting up hills.”

WHAT WILL SHE do when the time comes when the phone no longer rings urgently in her little red house, when emergencies have disappeared from her daily life, and she’s just Birthe again?

“I’ll keep going as long as there’s a need. But I would imagine that at that point, Erik and I will drive around the world in a motor home, enjoy life and take long bike rides. We’ll go home now and then spoil the grandkids. That will be nice. And maybe I’ll even turn my phone off completely...sometimes.”

Views on Emergency Birthe: “It’s not true that Birthe is hated or feared; she shouldn’t think that. It’s true she can be kind of intense when a parcel needs to be found quickly.

She wants all the relevant information at once; otherwise she can’t do her job. But she’s also super nice and helpful. No matter how dark things look, Birthe finds the light at the end of the tunnel.”

Toke Sebastian Olsen, supervisor at customer service in Copenhagen.

“Birthe is the symbol of customer service! No one can beat her commitment. She can be tough, but that’s the reason why; we know that. Birthe asks to be called when a parcel is found, no matter what time it is. Given that we occasionally call her in the middle of the night, I actually think she is remarkably nice. And she’s always happy when we find a shipment. I like that because it makes us happy.”

Anne Teilmann, team leader at the parcel terminal in Taulov.

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“ We just try to help out” Positive problem-solvers with a sense of service and feel for social media. Do people like that really exist?

Of course they do, for instance in Bergen.

TEXT: KRISTINE ASKVIK PHOTO: PAUL S. AMUNDSEN 52

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We work here From left to right: Maria Mossestad, Siv Kristin Stakkestad, Jan Fredrik Jacobsen, Kristoffer Hegland and Thomas Schjønningsen.

About the store: This is PostNord’s second store in Norway. The first store was in Grünerløkka, Oslo, which opened in October 2018. The purpose of the stores is for PostNord to be more accessible to private customers.

Watch the video from the store Follow us on Instagram @peoplebypostnord 54

JEDS HAS ONLY just parked her scooter on the street, removed her helmet and stepped inside when Jan Fredrik Jacobsen meets her with a parcel in his arms.

JEDS? Yes, the employees at PostNord’s new store in Bergen use customers’ initials when talking to each other.

“We always try to make an extra effort for our regular customers. They appreciate it when we show that we recognize them,” says Maria Mossestad.

PostNord’s second store in Norway opened on Bergen’s Klostergaten in July 2019. Kristoffer Hegland, Siv Kristin Stakkestad, Maria Mossestad, Thomas Schjønningsen and Jan Fredrik Jacobsen are involved in creating something brand new together with the residents of Bergen. It’s a new chapter for PostNord in Norway, and there’s a huge cast of characters. Like the regular customer who was pregnant when the store first opened.

“We’ve followed her along the entire way. Now she has the baby with her when she comes in. It’s really sweet. We also have a little boy who comes in to pick up parcels for his mother every week,” says Maria.

STICKING WITH THE literary reference, you might say the new store is a brand new genre. It’s a distribution point, a customer center and an information desk all in one.

Both a physical and online service. Just as our shopping and parcel needs change, our stores have to change too.

That’s their motto. This is a problem-solving store.

Jan Fredrik mans the distribution counter and tells us about a woman who received a delivery to her home but who had wanted to collect it from the store, and how he simply offered to walk over and pick up the parcel from her house.

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MARIA MOSSESTAD:

“We always try to make an extra effort for our regular customers. They appreciate it when we show that we recognize them.

Maria Mossestad helps a customer.

“Another customer received two big parcels. She had her dog with her and couldn’t carry both parcels herself. So I said I could help her carry them home. I don’t think we’re doing anything out of the ordinary.

We just try to help people the best we can.

“We’re always on the customer’s side and try to take care of everything for them. We can’t guarantee that we’ll manage it, but we always try. What’s most important is that we have patience and are solution-­ oriented. It’s also important to acknowledge mistakes when they happen.”

THE STORE IS just a short walk from Torgalmenningen, the main pedestrian street in downtown Bergen.

It’s noon and Maria and Jan Fredrik are registering the day’s parcel deliveries. They mark them with the P E O P L E BY P O ST N O R D

Amalie Ersland Vestbø is team leader for the customer center and social media at PostNord Norway.

customers’ initials and sort them onto the proper shelves. Everything is finished in 15 efficient minutes.

The blue cupboard doors are closed. The chaos that lasted for several minutes is over.

Just moments later, the door of the store rings open.

“Oh wow, it looks so nice and new in here,” says the customer.

In the office, further back in the space are Thomas Schjønningsen, Siv Kristin Stakkestad and Kristoffer 55

The employees rotate work tasks.

Today, Kristoffer Hegland is working in customer service.

Bringing the store closer

Hegland. They answer questions received via email, chat and social media. They can be found on Twitter, Facebook and Trustpilot.

The store answers all questions that come to PostNord Norway via Facebook.

“I think the customers feel it’s more personal when we respond via Messenger instead of email. Some are a little surprised that they can chat with us,” says Thomas.

The goal for PostNord in Norway is to take the greatest possible share of e-commerce. So it’s also important to be as good as possible at communication between companies and private customers (B2C).

Seventy percent of all questions PostNord receives are from private customers.

In recent years, PostNord in Norway has made several changes to improve B2C, including differentiating between private and corporate customers across all

contact platforms. The two stores in Oslo and Bergen are a specific move to have a greater presence.

“The purchasing process is changing rapidly. If PostNord wants to be a market leader, then we have to be good at adapting to customers. Private customers require more availability, choice and flexibility,” says Amalie Ersland Vestbø, team leader for customer center and social media at PostNord Norway.

AMALIE ERSLAND VESTBØ is team leader for the customer center and social media at PostNord Norway. She says what a great job the employees at the Bergen store are doing, as are those in Oslo.

“We’re seeing that we’re starting to get customer recognition. Our goal is for customers to feel like they know the employees here. We post pictures and video clips on social media. Both stores have very high customer satisfaction ratings,” she says.

CUSTOMER ALRADIE MOHAMAD Zain visits the store to pick up a chair he purchased.

“It’s much more convenient now. I used to have to walk further to pick up parcels. And the last time I was here, they even offered me some candy.”

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Game on, Bergen!

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7 STEPS TO A GREENER FUTURE Transport companies have an uphill task when it comes to the environment. But every day, someone at PostNord does something for a greener planet, whether large or small.

TEXT: MALIN DAHLBERG

Greta has her own day It started as a challenge among colleagues. Postmen Josefin Blohmé and Johan Persson at the mail delivery office in Simrishamn, southern Sweden, encouraged one another to bike or run to work. Production manager Johan Nilsson heard them talking about their idea, and before they knew it the whole office had decided to try leaving individual cars at home and either carpool, walk, run or bike to work.

That day, Friday, June 14, 2019, was dubbed Greta Thunberg Day, in honor of the Swedish environmental activist.

“That morning each person to arrive at work was sweatier than the last. It was fun to see everyone so happy and proud that we’d managed to do this, and that we did it together,” explains Josefin.

Most people rode their bikes. Colleague Johan Persson ran the entire way from Bästekille to Simrishamn – a half marathon.

“It wasn’t that bad for me; I rode my bike 12 km one way from Skillinge. It was a bit tough with a headwind in the morning, but it was fine. A lot of people drive to work ordinarily, even if they live close by, and I think some of them realize that they could ride their bikes or walk in the future as well.”

Now Josefin and her colleagues want to reintroduce the initiative in summer 2020.

Empty parking spaces on Greta Thunberg Day in Simrishamn.

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Greener future by bike PostNord Denmark has decided to test electric bikes for delivering parcels in several places in the country.

“We want to see how we can combine the use of cars and parcel delivery bikes in areas where we distribute a lot of parcels. Distribution may be easier and more and efficient with a bike, because you can keep moving on roads where cars can’t drive,” says Jacob Pedersen, project manager.

The new bikes have the same battery as PostNord Denmark’s current electric bikes, but have a greater load capacity and a top speed of 25 km per hour. They have three wheels and are best driven on bike paths. The load capacity is about 90 kg in the locking box on the back of the bike and 30 kg in the locking basket on the handlebars.

Four bikes are currently in use and the test will soon be evaluated, but the benefits are already clear, for example when it comes to the difficulty of finding parking places for parcel delivery cars in major cities like Copenhagen.

“We’re actually also going to test a special four-wheel electric bike on Ströget in Copenhagen. It has a two-cubic-meter load capacity and on the side of the box it says ‘Caring for a greener future.’

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Air-free deliveries

Brilliant efforts save electricity Hallsberg is the only Swedish mail terminal that has gotten back more money than they paid for their waste management, as there’s a bonus on materials such as cardboard, newspapers, soft plastics and labels.

That’s just one outcome of the successful environmental initiative run by terminal worker Leif Byrstrand.

“I’ve been in charge of environmental issues since the terminal opened in 2013, and in recent years there’s been even more focus on the issue throughout PostNord.

“I monitor energy consumption every month and work with various activities. It may be making sure we close outer doors so that we don’t let in cold air, or ensuring the ventilation isn’t running when no one is on site. We also sort our recycling very carefully.”

Between 2015 and 2019, the terminal reduced energy consumption by 512,000 kWh hours, or six weeks of running the whole terminal.

The latest initiative has been to change all lights in the production hall, a space covering more than 14,000 square meters, to LED bulbs.

“It will definitely reduce the overall cost; we’re talking about 1,200 fluorescent fixtures. Once we’ve replaced all the fluorescent lights, we expect to cut the energy consumption by half.”

E-commerce has grown quickly throughout the Nordic region, and with it, so has the mountain of parcels. But does the mountain have to be so big? Not at all, says PostNord e-commerce expert Arne Andersson. It’s estimated that shipped parcels currently contain about 30 percent air. By focusing on shrinking packaging, parcel volumes could be reduced considerably.

So PostNord Sweden took the initiative last fall to implement the “Package Journey” project. Together with the e-commerce packaging sectors, they’re looking at how to make packages smaller and eco-friendlier. The goal is to be a hub of knowledge for the logistics of the future.

“Smaller parcels have a higher fill ratio, greater efficiency and require fewer trucks, and more parcels can be delivered to mailboxes or the door, rather than with partner outlets. That’s a specific change that provides immediate results. It’s a win-win for all parties,” says Arne Andersson.

Biogas to support customer wishes Most of PostNord’s environmental impact is in the form of carbon dioxide emissions from transports. Efforts are underway in Finland to reduce carbon dioxide emissions by changing fuel: PostNord has four vehicles that run on biogas and about 20 that run on biodiesel.

The biogas vehicles were designed particularly for the special requirements of transporting health and medical care shipments. Operating Manager Jani Ståhlhammar says the vehicles were developed in close partnership with customers to achieve the best possible results.

“In addition to pharmaceutical safety, we always try to be better when it comes to our environmental efforts,” says Jani Ståhlhammar.

And now it’s more the rule than the exception that customers request carbon-neutral transports.

“It isn’t just for show; it’s a new business model. A lot of customers want added value and care about our shared planet.”

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Steen Frederiksen, Jesper Rølund and Mads Klie-Holde from SpaceInvader.

Stacked for sustainability

KIM WENDT

Since September 2019, the Danish PostNord terminals at Herning, Taulov and Aarhus have trialed SpaceInvader. No, not the arcade video game, but a pallet rack that makes it possible to stack pallets on top of each other – both at the warehouse and during transport.

The innovative invention weighs fewer than 10 kilograms and is attached to the pallet at the bottom, which carries the weight and makes the system safe and easy to handle.

SpaceInvader helps delivery trucks to carry 60 pallets instead of 33, and they also free up space at the terminals. During the test period 648 transports were planned, but 56 of them could be cancelled due to the efficient use of space in the other trucks. After the first six weeks, CO2 and nitrogen oxide emissions were reduced by 8.64 percent.

The results have been so overwhelming that the trial period has been prolonged, and since the new year SpaceInvader has been implemented at all Danish terminals.

A few millimeters makes a difference In 2018, omni-channel supplier PostNord Strålfors in Oslo bought 959 tons of paper rolls.

So for 2019 their goal was to reduce paper consumption; not the volume of production, but waste. A simple but brilliant trick was all it took to bring consumption down by fully 42 tons of paper: reducing the width of the paper rolls from 450 to 430 mm, to minimize the amount of scrap paper and waste. The machines only cut to 420 mm wide.

“We consume a lot of paper. And now when we work with the material, at least we make sure there is as little waste as possible. In 2020, we’ll look at how we can reduce the size by another 10 mm,” says Helge Amarp Halvorsen, the local sustainability manager.

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THE LIST / SAMI VÄLILÄ

Game on!

Sami Välilä is more than happy to take one for the team.

BENJAMIN SUOMELA

IT IS PROBABLY adrenaline that keeps Sami Välilä awake long into the night. He never knows what will happen. He has to be on high alert and ready to change his plans all the time.

“You can never predict what the enemy will do and what it’s best to do with your team to improve your tactics.”

He isn’t talking about his work as a Customer Adviser at PostNord in Vantaa, Finland – but about the computer game ‘Counter-Strike’, a tactical FPS* game and a classic in the world of e-sports. Sami has been ducking virtual bullets since he was in primary school, and he still plays computer games with some of his childhood friends. He usually games for around 15 to 20 hours a week, usually on weekends, when a session can last as long as 10 hours.

When he started gaming, it wasn’t as acceptable as it is now to spend a lot of time on it.

It wasn’t something he mentioned on a first date.

Playing computer games was considered nerdy.

“I didn’t talk about gaming with many people back then. I was actually a bit embarrassed about it sometimes,” he recalls.

BUT gamers have become stars with the rise of e-sports. In 2019, around 24,000 gamers from around the world competed in 4,700 tournaments, for a total prize sum of EUR 200 million.

There were actually a couple of Finns at the top of the tree with winnings of around EUR 3 million each, making them the highest-paid athletes taxed in Finland. In other words, Sami is involved in what is essentially a national sport.

In the fall of 2019, Sami gathered a few colleagues to create a PostNord team that can take part in the e-sport corporate league, Kanaliiga, in the spring. The other members are Jani Viitanen, Taneli Kähkölä and Atdhe Raci. They still need to recruit a fifth member.

“They’ve all played ‘Counter-Strike’ for a long time, so I think that’s the game we’ll compete in,” says Sami.

The matches are played from home. The team captain decides on an appropriate time during the week to play a match, in consultation with his counterpart on the other team. Then 60

the two best teams meet in the final at the end of the season.

Does this make it hard to concentrate at work?

“No, not at all. I can easily switch off from gaming when I’m at work.”

MAIJU KARHUNEN *FPS stands for first-person shooter and is a type of computer game in which what is shown on the screen corresponds to the game character’s field of view, and in which firearms are a key element. Popular first-person shooters include ‘Call of Duty’, ‘Counter-Strike’, ‘Halo’, ‘Quake’ and the Swedish ‘Battlefield’ series.

3 Sami’s favorite games 1. Counter-Strike Global Offensive “I’ve been playing the ‘CS’ series since primary school. It’s great to play with other people, and your adrenaline really starts pumping when you try to defeat the enemy team using your own tactics.”

2. PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds (PUBG) “This is like ‘Counter-Strike’, but with a slightly different concept. The last player or team left on the map is the winner. My friends play it, so I’m also often on it. The best thing about this game is of course winning it, or for the win (FTW) as we sometimes say in the gaming world.”

3. League of Legends “A strategy game known as a MOBA (multiplayer online battle arena). This one is also a little boring to play on your own, so I usually play with my friends. The best thing about the game is defeating the enemy using your own specific tactics.”

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Sami Välilä Position at PostNord: Customer Adviser in Vantaa, Finland.

Closest colleagues: Jani Viitanen, Sami Martikainen, Emil Ellonen and Veikka Liski.

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Now & Then VAN VS. STAGECOACH

From horses to horsepower From sword and pistol to connectivity and automatic transmission. A lot has happened since the year 1800.

THEN The Danish postal service bought its first stagecoach around 1800.

In Sweden, stagecoach traffic began in earnest in 1831. Stagecoaches also transported passengers.

This version of the postal stagecoach had a fully covered compartment and space for four passengers inside, with black and yellow livery. The back had two passenger seats.

Mail was kept in a locking trunk with a mailbox slot on one side. Goods were placed on the roof, which had a 12-cm-high rail. Beneath the wagon were four sled runners that could be attached under the wheels if needed.

In 1847, Gustav Hjert and Konrad Tector robbed the postal stagecoach en route to Eskilstuna. They shot the driver and one passenger before realizing they had robbed the wrong stagecoach. The right one was just behind it and had turned around upon realizing what was happening. The robbers were caught and sentenced to death. In 1855, no fewer than six people were sentenced to death for postal robberies in Sweden.

To defend against robbers and wild animals, in 1839 Swedish postal workers were equipped with pistols, while retaining the sword as a service weapon. In the 1870s, the postal service began replacing the pistols with modern revolvers, purchased from the army.

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In 1866, the stagecoach system was in its heyday in Sweden, with 40 routes.

Some 19,000 people traveled via Posten’s stagecoaches at that time.

Competition from the railway soon rendered the stagecoach system less significant. In 1893, the Swedish postal service sold its old stagecoach fleet consisting of 45 calèche carriages and 20 coupés. In Denmark, stagecoaches were in operation into the early 20th century.

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NOW The Group’s new distribution vehicles are the Renault Kangoo and Volkswagen Caddy. Both have modern Euro 6 engines that help reduce fuel consumption and carbon dioxide emissions.

The Renault Kangoo has a 91-horsepower diesel engine and uses 5.2 liters per 100 kilometers, while the Volkswagen Caddy has a 102-horsepower diesel engine and uses 4.9 liters per 100 kilometers.

The vans are equipped with Connected Fleet, a solution enabling the tracking of PostNord Sweden and Denmark’s current and future vehicles for distributing letters and parcels.

With Connected Fleet, the cars automatically share data and GPS positions to enable monitoring of what shape the vehicles are in, as well as fuel consumption, usage and driving distance.

No electric vehicles have Connected Fleet yet, but the goal is to find a technical solution for this in 2020.

Sources: Statistics and facts from the Swedish National Heritage Board, Statistics Sweden and the Postmuseum in Stockholm. Information about the Renault Kangoo Maxi and Volkswagen Caddy by Serkan Aktas, operations developer and vehicle specialist at PostNord Sweden.

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In February 2020, Kangoo made headlines efter incidents where the new cars lost their ability to brake. Postmen in northern Sweden noticed that snow and ice affects the brakes of the car. PostNord has discussed the issue with the supplier and the brakes have been adjusted.

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TEXT: MALIN DAHLBERG PHOTO: SARA BOGREN

SKILLS / JIMCAALE ABDILLAHI

Unstoppable Jimcaale Abdillahi could put a robot to shame.

IT’S quite something to watch Jimcaale Abdillahi tackle a pallet at the parcel terminal in Växjö. Armed with a roll of plastic and a perfectly judged flick at each corner, he whizzes around the boxes. In the time it takes for the terminal’s automatic packing machine to wrap one pallet, Jimcaale has finished off four. His skills have drawn attention, and not just from his admiring colleagues.

Terminal manager Tonny Johansson wrote on the job site LinkedIn: “No machine in the world can wrap pallets in plastic as quickly and with the same high quality as you do by hand, and with a smile every time. Hats off to you; I am truly impressed!”

“It’s hard to describe how it feels when someone says such nice things, but it makes me happy. It makes me want to develop professionally and learn new things,” says Jimcaale Abdillahi.

At work, he’s the guy who is always ready to laugh and who never loses his cool when things get complicated or stressful. But his special plastic-wrapping skills – faster than a left jab from Muhammad Ali – are no coincidence.

They are the result of several years of training in his native country, Somalia.

“There are no machines to help like here in Sweden. In Somalia, you use your muscles and the power of your entire body. And that’s what makes it fun: when you get to move quickly and use all your strength,” says Jimcaale.

He came to Sweden as a refugee in 2012 and says he really likes it here. He has friends in Växjö and at work at PostNord. He is responsible for some of the bigger clients at the terminal and is also shadowing the group leader with a view to taking on greater responsibilities in the future.

“I would also like to study information logistics. That’s my dream,” says Jimcaale.

See Jimcaale’s lightning-fast wrapping skills Follow us on Instagram @peoplebypostnord 64 64

Jimcaale Abdillahi Position at PostNord: Terminal worker in Växjö, Sweden.

Special skill: Can wrap a pallet in plastic by hand four times faster than a machine.

Closest colleagues: Jacob Johné, Hadi Hosseini, Johanna Mattisson, Linus Nilsson and Wisam Ahmad Hasan.

P EPO E BYP O PO STNNOORRD D PEO LPELBY ST

THINGS / INGUNN DULLUM

Always a step ahead Ingunn Dullum has worn out 40 pairs of shoes while ‘walking the coast of Norway.’

YOU CAN SIT IN A traffic jam, shiver at a bus stop or try to glide effortlessly forward on an electric scooter. But almost all commutes have one thing in common: they’re about as reliable as a four-year-old looking after a bag of candy.

Ingunn Dullum wants to know when she’s going to arrive. That’s why she relies on a trusted form of transport. She commutes to work on foot year round, no matter the weather.

“It’s actually faster than taking the bus or subway. And I don’t like waiting,” she says.

Ingunn is an administration manager in Oslo and she wears out a pair of shoes per season.

At the least. Just before 6:00 am – or, in the

words of the poet Tomas Tranströmer, before “morning puts his light in the locks and the doors of darkness open” – she begins the 2.4 km walk to the terminal at Alfaset. The road is busy and she walks through major industrial areas. But it isn’t so bad, reckons Ingunn. She listens mainly to country or local rock the entire way there.

“In the morning, it’s important to get to work as fast as possible. By listening to good music, I can keep my pace up.”

It’s a total of 1,200 km per year. In the 16 years that Ingunn has commuted on foot, this corresponds to walking the entire coast of Norway. So it’s no surprise that she’s more

concerned with the comfort of her shoes over their appearance, and in wintertime, spikes are essential.

“It’s downright scary to walk when it’s slippery in winter. I do tend to fall once or twice.”

At work, Ingunn spends much of her time at the office sitting down. She’s in charge of making sure suppliers’ invoices are paid, the costs match and any discrepancies are handled. She also holds weekly finance meetings with managers at the terminal. This is a lot of information and statistics to handle in a given day, so on her way home she walks headphone-free.

STINE ERIKSEN

Ingunn Dullum Position at PostNord: Administration manager, PostNord Norway.

Closest colleagues: Frank Uzlastiran, Alen Jakupovic, Øyvind Skjøren and Kristian Lund.

CHRIS MALUSZYNSKI

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THE ODDER STORY/ BUKHTA NAEZDNIK

Chaos on the quayside There are tough days and then there are tough days. On an ordinary morning in Tromsø, fire ravaged a giant Russian ship just outside the terminal door.

TEAM LEADER Audun Larsen does not usually go to work thinking “Maybe today will be the day the terminal explodes.”

He certainly didn’t think so on September 25, 2019. And until 10:58 am, it was an entirely ordinary Wednesday in Tromsø, northern Norway.

Terminal manager Espen Vikan had taken the day off to go hunting.

Audun was in charge in his absence, rushing between the truck and the terminal office. He opened the big door with a view of the quay. Just 35 meters away was the SS Bukhta Naezdnik, an enormous Russian trawler. White smoke billowed from the bow. Audun and driver Jorgos Kirjakis stood and watched for 30 seconds or so.

“Jorgos thought maybe it was an exercise, but I realized quickly that it was on fire,” says Audun.

He called the fire department.

While speaking with them, the fire alarm on the ship went off. He saw

the crew running around with fire extinguishers. Everything looked chaotic.

Audun and his colleagues moved cars, containers and people to make way for the first responders. Fire trucks, ambulances and the police were on site in a matter of minutes. At that point, the ship was so hot that the paint on the bow was melting. The white smoke had turned black and was spreading. It smelled of chemicals and burning plastic.

After a few hours, a safety zone was set off 300 meters from the burning ship, for fear of an explosion. PostNord’s entire building was evacuated.

“Everything was essentially happening on autopilot. First and foremost, I had to make sure the employees were safe, and then I started thinking about the goods.”

When Audun shut down the terminal at 2:00 pm, no one thought more than a day would

pass before they returned to work.

The next morning, the ship was still on fire. Clouds of thick smoke wafted into the air and traffic was chaotic in Tromsø. Several roads and schools closed, and the hospital, located less than a kilometer from the burning ship, went into crisis mode.

Audun Larsen and Transport Manager Tom Antonsen opened a “terminal” in Audun’s car. Parcels could wait, but vital medications for hospitals and pharmacies could not.

They made sure medications continued to be picked up, loaded and transported.

“We had two telephones each and were calling all over. I don’t know how many hundreds of phone conversations we had. It was an intense day.”

In the morning, the ship tipped onto its side and

the fire went out. When Audun and colleagues were finally able to return to the terminal building, more than 24 hours had passed since evacuation. They were behind on just about everything.

“Fortunately, most people were understanding about the delays.

The whole city was affected, and everyone understood the extent of the situation.”

In the weeks after the event, curious residents of Tromsø flocked to the PostNord terminal to catch a glimpse of the ship that had created so much drama. According to the first responders, the fire was caused by welding work that had spread to the fishing nets on the trawler. No one was seriously injured.

STINE ERIKSEN

LADISLAV KOSA

66

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