{
  "id": 7946523,
  "title": "– Norsk arbeidsliv er for «soft»",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/17/norsk-arbeidsliv-er-for-soft",
  "topic": "business",
  "section": "Business",
  "published": "2026-09-17T04:08:21.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "E24 Norway",
    "slug": "e24-norway",
    "url": "https://e24.no/naeringsliv/i/Okd5XA/norsk-arbeidsliv-er-for-soft"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Norsk arbeidsliv is being described as \"soft\" by Johansen, the chief executive officer of Aker BioMarine. This assertion comes from his position in the company since 2015. According to Johansen, the issue extends beyond the employment market, touching upon the entire Norwegian society. He believes the Norwegian workforce is ill-equipped to handle international competition. Johansen asserts that international workplaces are tougher and more demanding. Specifically, he criticizes the way Norwegian employees deal with uncertainty, which limits transparency when leading. In contrast, Johansen points out that Chinese workers are accustomed to working longer hours. He attributes the problems faced by today's generation, who enter the workforce in these times, to inadequate preparation. Johansen proposes a concept called \"post-traumatic growth,\" where he encourages his teams to embrace stressful and challenging situations for learning opportunities. He stresses that leadership involves coaching employees through these situations, not being harsh or strict. Johansen emphasized that the aim is not to make employees quit, but to motivate them to persevere. Johansen was among the participants in a debate titled \"Is Norwegian labor market too soft?\" at E24's stage during the Oslo Business Forum. He faced opposition from former Ikea CEO, Jesper Brodin. Brodin argues that thinking of work culture as linear leads to mistakes. He suggests that combining \"hygge\" (a cozy atmosphere) with a focus on performance is possible. Brodin, a proponent of Scandinavian work culture, fears increased confrontation might foster a fear-based culture. In Ikea, Brodin experienced employees who were not afraid to make mistakes, indicating their readiness to act in challenging times. Brodin emphasizes that good cooperation and teamwork are strengths of Scandinavian labor. However, he wonders if combining this with hard work would make them unbeatable. Johansen believes this would make it difficult to compete with the Asian labor market in the future. He cites a statistic that many in China work 72-hour weeks. Brodin, who has worked in Asia before, has witnessed this culture but does not believe that 80-hour weeks are the solution. He fears this leads to burnout.",
  "summary": "Aker-topp Matts Johansen mener dagens unge ikke er rustet for å håndtere utfordringene som møter dem…",
  "key_points": [
    "Norsk arbeidsliv described as \"soft\" by Aker BioMarine CEO Johansen",
    "International workplaces tougher, Norwegian employees ill-equipped for competition",
    "Johansen promotes \"post-traumatic growth\" to motivate employees through stress"
  ],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}