Lasse Lehtonen at Kela’s media briefing in Helsinki on 13 November 2025. Photo: Markku Ulander / Lehtikuva
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Lasse Lehtonen, Director General of Finland’s social insurance institution Kela, has faced growing internal unrest after public remarks seen as dismissive of staff triggered backlash.
On Wednesday evening, Kela’s board held an unscheduled crisis meeting. The virtual session lasted over ninety minutes and was prompted by rising tensions between senior management and employees. It followed poor results in a recent staff survey and discontent over a new remote work policy.
In the meeting, Lehtonen formally apologised for comments made earlier in an interview with Helsingin Sanomat.
He had said that Kela had “no particular need to hold tightly” to its staff during the current economic and labour situation. Staff representatives described the comment as offensive and belittling.
“I acknowledge that my choice of words in this discussion has been poor,” Lehtonen said in a statement issued after the meeting. “My comments have not shown the appreciation that the professionals working at Kela deserve, and for that I apologise.”
Lehtonen said he was reviewing the feedback carefully. He added that Kela must improve its internal communication and increase engagement with staff during organisational changes.
Despite the apology, shortly after midnight Lehtonen posted on social media platform X, suggesting that Kela’s communications team had failed to support him. In the deleted post, he wrote: “In August, I asked Kela communications to prepare a plan for communicating on this difficult issue, but it was not done. Those ‘blunders’ could have been avoided with good communications material.”
The post was deleted on Thursday morning. Lehtonen later told Iltalehti that he removed it of his own accord.
Despite the turmoil, Kela’s board chair Vertti Kiukas stated that Lehtonen still enjoys the board’s confidence.
The recent shift in remote work policy requires all Kela employees to work on-site at least once a week starting next year. The decision was a key showed that only 23 percent of employees consider executive decisions clear and well-founded. Only 21 percent would recommend Kela as an employer.
Lehtonen, who took office in June after his appointment in April, said he would continue touring regional offices to engage with staff directly.
HT
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Source: www.helsinkitimes.fi
