Cadeler CEO Mikkel Gleerup has rejected media reports of bullying at the Danish offshore wind installation giant’s Copenhagen office as “previously addressed concerns” in which no signs of poor workplace culture were found.
He said the company “do(es) not recognise this picture being painted” in an article published today (11 June) by Danish news outlet Finans on claims that Gleerup was “the originator of a workplace environment characterised by psychological insecurity and stress sick leave”.
Gleerup, who joined the company in 2017, stressed “it is important to me that we take criticism seriously”, but insisted the allegations appeared to be related to older claims that had been fully investigated and “are now resurfacing in the media”.
He said: “The recent criticism raised in Finans appears to be the same as earlier concerns raised which led to both a whistleblower investigation and anonymous reports to the Danish Working Environment Authority (DWEA). The whistleblower case was examined impartially and thoroughly by our Speak-up Committee, the Board of Directors and an external consultancy. No breaches of our code of conduct or signs of a poor workforce culture were found.”
Gleerup stated that during the DWEA’s most recent visit, Cadeler received one comment regarding high work pressure that “is not unexpected for a fast-growing company” that is expected to achieve record turnover of €485m-€525m this year.
He pointed to low sick leave, high employee retention and positive results from workplace assessments as evidence of “a workplace where people thrive and people want to contribute”.
He added: “We are not perfect, and we are always striving to improve – but Cadeler is, and must remain, a good place to work.
“As CEO, I must be the first to acknowledge that we foster an ambitious and high-performance culture. It can be intense, and I won’t deny that in moments of high pressure, I may have spoken too forcefully or expressed myself too sharply.
“This calls for self-reflection and I of course take it seriously. If anyone has experienced this as anything other than passion and commitment, I do apologise – and I will carry that insight with me.”