Sofie’s story led to scrutiny in the app company Shortcut. When she got a new job, someone started sending anonymous e-mails with gross accusations to her new colleagues.
Less than 20 minutes ago
On Saturday, E24 told about Sofie. She was employed by the app company Shortcut for several years, and experienced unwanted sexual attention from a manager during a work party in 2019.
She describes the next four years as a struggle to be believed, and was on sick leave for several periods during the investigation that followed.
Read the whole story here: Sofie warned – then the nightmare started.
Sofie had her last working day in Shortcut at the end of October 2022. Barely three months later, in January 2023, she started a new job in Innovation Norway.
After only one week in the job, she was called to a meeting with her manager and one of the company’s lawyers.
– I realized straight away that something was wrong, says Sofie to E24.
She does not want E24 to use her surname in this case.
“Unfounded notification cases”
In the meeting, Sofie was informed that Innovation Norway received several anonymous e-mails about her before she started the job.
The sender hid behind a pseudonymized name and email address. The person claimed to work in Shortcut, and listed a number of claims about Sofie:
«Among other things, she has tried herself sexually on several employees during our company parties. She has also tried to molest our chairman at a summer party – he had to send her home due to unacceptable behaviour.
She has submitted unfounded notification cases on «Metoo» on several male colleagues which is not true, but because it is her subjective experience, you cannot do anything about it», was some of what the whistleblower had written.
Sofie was furious when she heard about the emails.
– It was absolutely terrible to have to start again, and to have worked so hard to try to get back to myself. And then it didn’t stop. I almost thought it got worse, says Sofie to E24.
– What I have always wondered is how the person came up with all those claims. It’s so incredibly far from any truth, or something I can relate to.
Lawyer: – Very unusual
Innovation Norway routinely created a notification case when they received the e-mails, and informed the sender that they would take action if they discovered objectionable conditions.
Nevertheless, the person concerned sent the accusations to even more: Six of Sofie’s new colleagues.
– The e-mails contained a number of different serious allegations. What Innovation Norway reacted to was that the allegations were sent to several employees in the company, despite the fact that the whistleblower had been given a contact point for his inquiries. The behavior bore the mark of having a chicanery intent, says lawyer Håvard Kjærstad in Innovation Norway to E24.
Kjærstad emphasizes that Innovation Norway does not accept that employees are subjected to harassment.
– This applies in general and completely regardless of the veracity of the claims that had to be made.
– How common are such anonymous e-mails with such content?
– It is very unusual.
Takes a strong distance
The chairman of Shortcut, Finn Olav Elde, writes to E24 that they strongly distance themselves from the content of the e-mails, and that they will express their full support for Sofie. He says the claim that Sofie molested him has no basis in reality.
– We have carried out investigations to see if we can help find out who is behind it, but have not been able to get to the bottom of the matter.
After the e-mails, Innovation Norway wrote a briefing to the police, which Sofie could take with her if she chose to report the case. Sofie didn’t dare.
– We would be positive that the case was reported, and would of course cooperate with the police to clarify all matters surrounding these e-mails, writes chairman Finn Olav Elde to E24.
sorry
– I am tired of being mistrusted, Sofie tells E24 about why she is now coming forward with her story.
– I feel that others have been allowed to own my story with false rumours. I can’t be a role model for others if I don’t dare to stand up for something like that myself, she says.
She says that she still feels fear after the experiences she has had.
– I hope that I can be safe after this, and that I don’t have to be afraid. Because when I now say this publicly for the first time, then everyone knows, says Sofie to E24.
Chairman Finn Olav Elde of Shortcut writes in an e-mail to E24 that “what has been uncovered during the period this employee was employed by the company is shocking and unacceptable”.
– I apologize to her and everyone concerned, he writes.
CEO of Shortcut, Marius Mårnes Mathiesen, writes to E24 that the investigations carried out in 2021 and 2022 showed that the company had not been good enough to ensure a safe working environment.
– I apologize for that, he writes.
– Subsequently, the company has taken a number of measures to improve routines, guidelines and management to ensure that we look after employees in a safe and good way.
Sofie says that in recent years she has been careful about sharing, and that she has spent a long time daring to tell. She hopes other women will learn something from her story.
– It’s so crazy that it’s hard to believe that something like that can happen, so maybe other girls learn something from this somehow. I suspect this happens elsewhere as well.
E24 has been in contact with the manager from the job party Sofie notified about. He has not answered questions about the matter. The investigation led to him having to leave Shortcut due to unacceptable behaviour.
