{"id":172810,"date":"2025-02-03T02:52:20","date_gmt":"2025-02-03T01:52:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/nina-roensted-hvis-medarbejderne-ikke-laengere-bakker-mig-op-skal-jeg-ikke-vaere-direktoer\/"},"modified":"2025-02-03T12:30:39","modified_gmt":"2025-02-03T11:30:39","slug":"new-museum-director-i-am-fully-committed-to-the-workplace-environment","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/en\/new-museum-director-i-am-fully-committed-to-the-workplace-environment\/","title":{"rendered":"New museum director: I am fully committed to the workplace environment"},"content":{"rendered":"

Visitors to the Natural History Museum of Denmark (SNM), a University of Copenhagen unit, can currently experience the special exhibition Wild Wonderful World<\/a><\/em>.<\/p>\n

The exhibition displays about a thousand carefully selected objects, each chosen to convey SNM’s most fascinating, wild, and eye-catching stories.<\/p>\n

And while the exhibition may be a tad nerdy \u2014 and not something that museum director Nina R\u00f8nsted would dare call a blockbuster <\/em>\u2014 the museum still managed to break its own visitor record again in 2024.<\/p>\n

This comes a year after the museum found itself in the middle of a large-scale relocation project and a public debate about its working environment, following reports from anonymous employees in February 2023 in the news medium Frihedsbrevet<\/a>. They described a workplace culture marked by harassment, bullying, extreme work pressure, and a manager who \u00bbdidn’t give a damn.\u00ab<\/p>\n

READ ALSO:<\/strong> Former postdoc at SNM: The museum director abused his power<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

Museum director Peter Kj\u00e6rgaard resigned from his position in April 2024. A new leader has now taken over: Professor and former research director at SNM, Nina R\u00f8nsted.<\/p>\n

To mark the occasion, the University Post visited the museum\u2019s Wild Wonderful World exhibition with the director. She reflects on a year where the museum has had to balance the opening of a new exhibition, and relocation plans while she, as the new director, has been tasked with creating a better working environment.<\/p>\n

Sloths at the hairdresser<\/h3>\n

The old Zoological Museum closed in 2022. And since then, SNM has lacked \u00bbthat classic museum feel to it,\u00ab says Nina R\u00f8nsted as we step into the entrance hall of Wild Wonderful World<\/em> in the museum building that previously housed the Geological Museum opposite the National Gallery of Denmark.<\/p>\n

I returned home just as everything exploded here at the museum. It was quite overwhelming.<\/p>\n

Nina R\u00f8nsted, museum director, SNM<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

At the entrance, visitors are greeted with a video showing museum staff darting in and out among towering, densely packed shelves. These shelves hold the museum\u2019s collections, which might best be described as a massive jumble of strange, fascinating, and (extinct) animals and objects.<\/p>\n

READ ALSO:<\/strong> Director of Natural History Museum quits<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

\u00bbMost people think that the museum\u2019s collections are just what they see in the exhibitions. But many objects never make it to the public \u2014 they are used for research or simply stored. And a lot of effort goes into maintaining and preserving them,\u00ab says Nina R\u00f8nsted, adding that the museum holds more than 14 million objects.<\/p>\n

The classic exhibits that some visitors may remember from the Zoological Museum are absent from the new exhibition. This includes the dinosaur skeletons, musk oxen, and the giant sloths.<\/p>\n

\u00bbThey\u2019ve all been sent for restoration. Some of them had been standing there for 40\u201350 years without anyone taking care of them. So, they really needed a trip to the hairdresser,\u00ab the museum director laughs.<\/p>\n

Found gold in the schoolyard<\/h3>\n

The exhibition aims to educate visitors on how objects from the past contribute valuable knowledge to the present \u2014 and how the various objects, both big and small, find their way to the museum in the first place.<\/p>\n

Visitors learn, for example, that museum objects aren\u2019t only collected by researchers and hobbyists.<\/p>\n

\u00bbTake this meteorite fragment, for instance,\u00ab says Nina R\u00f8nsted, pointing to a black rock.<\/p>\n

\u00bbIt was collected by a schoolgirl named Milena, who found it in her schoolyard.\u00ab<\/p>\n

Elsewhere in the exhibition, visitors can see a small selection of the museum\u2019s 700 polar bear skulls. Here, they can read how the collection of polar bear skulls over time has revealed the increasing levels of pesticides in water and nature, the museum director explains.
\n
\n\u00bbThe collections hold an enormous number of stories, which we try to convey through this exhibition. Some are positive. Others reflect methods we would not use today. Like these,\u00ab she says, pointing to a group of taxidermied animals.<\/p>\n

Two brown bears, a tiger, and a leopard stare out from a glass case, as if they were still alive.<\/p>\n

\u00bbThey were donated by a private hunter many years ago. We wouldn\u2019t shoot large, endangered mammals to stuff and exhibit them nowadays. There is a different perspective on nature now, and more reflection on the purpose of collecting museum specimens,\u00ab she says.<\/p>\n

Inevitable work pressure<\/h3>\n

Nina R\u00f8nsted is a professor of conservation and botany and was previously employed at the Natural History Museum of Denmark from 2011 to 2019. She spent several years living in Hawaii, where she led the National Tropical Botanical Garden\u2019s research on preserving the islands\u2019 rich plant life.<\/p>\n

She returned to Denmark and the museum in March 2023 as head of research and, two months later, was appointed interim museum director after Peter Kj\u00e6rgaard stepped down the previous month.<\/p>\n

READ ALSO:<\/strong> Dean: We need to work \u00bbseriously and with dedication\u00ab on the Natural History Museum working environment<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

\u00bbI came home just as everything exploded here at the museum. It was quite overwhelming,\u00ab she recalls of her first days. There was deep mistrust between management and employees.<\/p>\n

\u00bbThe museum is in the midst of a massive transition, and all employees, exhibitions, and collections need to be relocated. This inevitably creates a more stressful work environment,\u00ab she says, adding:<\/p>\n

\u00bbWe obviously had to figure out what had gone so wrong. One of the first things I did was talk to employees. It became clear that the problem was both that they were simply overworked and that the pressure had led to an abrasive workplace tone.\u00ab<\/p>\n

Employees are here because they find it an exciting place to work, and they are incredibly dedicated. That\u2019s why they also tend to put up with more than what is reasonable.<\/p>\n

Nina R\u00f8nsted, museum director, SNM<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

According to Nina R\u00f8nsted, there is now \u00bbzero tolerance\u00ab for both the harsh tone in the workplace and poor working conditions. She believes that both trust and a sense of security have returned to the workplace in many ways.<\/p>\n

But she also acknowledges that she may have blind spots and that ensuring a good work environment is challenging when employees are under pressure from something as massive as relocating an entire museum.<\/p>\n

\u00bbIn the autumn, we did a special workplace assessment (APV) in the exhibition department, which was one of the hardest-hit areas in the previous assessment. The results still showed that people felt time pressure and lacked sufficient influence. That kind of thing,\u00ab she says, adding:<\/p>\n

\u00bbBut I don\u2019t think the results felt as urgent<\/em> this time. Restoring trust and making work enjoyable again takes time,\u00ab says Nina R\u00f8nsted.<\/p>\n

Reports on the Frihedsbrevet news site and subsequent coverage by the University Post revealed that employees felt micromanaged<\/em> and had no influence over their own work.<\/p>\n

\u00bbEmployee influence can be challenging because when we design exhibitions, there has to be consistency. This means that sometimes a manager has to make a final decision. But there are many ways to handle that,\u00ab says Nina R\u00f8nsted, adding:<\/p>\n

\u00bbPeople are more willing to accept that they don\u2019t always have the level of influence they would like when they get an explanation for it, and when their input is actually taken into account.\u00ab<\/p>\n

Committed to the work environment<\/h3>\n

When people apply for a job at a museum, it\u2019s rarely because of the salary, says Nina R\u00f8nsted.<\/p>\n

\u00bbEmployees are here because they find it an exciting place to work, and they are dedicated. That\u2019s why they also tend to put up with more than what is actually reasonable. This means we have an even greater responsibility to take care of them.\u00ab<\/p>\n

And that is exactly what Nina R\u00f8nsted intends to do. Though she found the beginning overwhelming, she is now fully committed to her new role.<\/p>\n

They need to feel that the museum is in safe hands with me. And if they no longer do, then my time here is coming to an end.<\/p>\n

Nina R\u00f8nsted, Museum Director, SNM<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

\u00bbIt\u2019s fantastic to be here. The best part is seeing and experiencing all the synergies between people when you look behind the scenes. I am impressed every day by how skilled everyone is,\u00ab she says, adding:<\/p>\n

\u00bbAnd I quickly realised that I\u2019m not here just to come in and make decisions. People know what they\u2019re doing.\u00ab<\/p>\n

The new museum director is determined to take full responsibility for the work environment. And she says that if the employees no longer support her, she should no longer be director.<\/p>\n

\u00bbOf course, there will be difficult situations. There may come a time when budget cuts lead to layoffs, and no one likes that. So it\u2019s not about employees always being happy and satisfied,\u00ab she stresses, adding:<\/p>\n

\u00bbBut they need to feel that the museum is in safe hands with me. And if they no longer do, then my time here is coming to an end.\u00ab
\n<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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Samtidig skal det integreres med de eksisterende historiske bygninger omkring S\u00f8lvtorvet, blandt andet det gamle Geologisk Museum, hvor Vilde Vidunderlige Verden udstilles i dag."},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/en\/new-museum-director-i-am-fully-committed-to-the-workplace-environment\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/en\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"New museum director: I am fully committed to the workplace environment"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/#website","url":"https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/","name":"University Post","description":"Independent of management","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/#\/schema\/person\/1e4195d7a29af9515c79f62e39cc8b9b","name":"Camilla Skovgaard","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/0041bcbe7878ff0a96907c167293ec08051266fb28cdc0ef44598cb0049b5288?s=96&d=identicon&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/0041bcbe7878ff0a96907c167293ec08051266fb28cdc0ef44598cb0049b5288?s=96&d=identicon&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/0041bcbe7878ff0a96907c167293ec08051266fb28cdc0ef44598cb0049b5288?s=96&d=identicon&r=g","caption":"Camilla Skovgaard"},"url":"https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/en\/author\/camilla-skovgaard-thomsen\/"}]}},"advancedCustomFields":{"expression":{"term_id":14,"name":"Portrait Article","slug":"portrait_article","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":14,"taxonomy":"expression","description":"","parent":0,"count":796,"filter":"raw"},"enable_comments":true,"align_content":"aligncenter","feature_color":"#9224f2","article_updated":"","layout_group":[{"acf_fc_layout":"Headline","use_post_title":true,"headline":"","style":"default","highlighted_words":"","text_size":"small"},{"acf_fc_layout":"Image","image":{"ID":172761,"id":172761,"title":"Ninar\u00f8nsted (1 of 1)","filename":"ninaroensted1of1-scaled.jpg","filesize":916537,"url":"https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/ninaroensted1of1-scaled.jpg","link":"https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/en\/nina-roensted-hvis-medarbejderne-ikke-laengere-bakker-mig-op-skal-jeg-ikke-vaere-direktoer\/ninaroensted-1-of-1\/","alt":"","author":"99","description":"","caption":"Nina R\u00f8nsted blev museumsdirekt\u00f8r for Statens Naturhistoriske Museum 1. december 2024. ","name":"ninaroensted-1-of-1","status":"inherit","uploaded_to":172751,"date":"2025-01-29 09:27:10","modified":"2025-01-29 09:28:25","menu_order":0,"mime_type":"image\/jpeg","type":"image","subtype":"jpeg","icon":"https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/wp-includes\/images\/media\/default.png","width":2560,"height":1707,"sizes":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/ninaroensted1of1-150x150.jpg","thumbnail-width":150,"thumbnail-height":150,"medium":"https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/ninaroensted1of1-480x320.jpg","medium-width":480,"medium-height":320,"medium_large":"https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/ninaroensted1of1-768x512.jpg","medium_large-width":768,"medium_large-height":512,"large":"https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/ninaroensted1of1-1280x853.jpg","large-width":1280,"large-height":853,"1536x1536":"https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/ninaroensted1of1-1536x1024.jpg","1536x1536-width":1536,"1536x1536-height":1024,"2048x2048":"https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/ninaroensted1of1-2048x1365.jpg","2048x2048-width":2048,"2048x2048-height":1365,"featured-soft":"https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/ninaroensted1of1-290x193.jpg","featured-soft-width":290,"featured-soft-height":193,"featured-hard":"https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/ninaroensted1of1-290x180.jpg","featured-hard-width":290,"featured-hard-height":180,"narrow":"https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/ninaroensted1of1-700x467.jpg","narrow-width":700,"narrow-height":467,"extended":"https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/ninaroensted1of1-990x660.jpg","extended-width":990,"extended-height":660}},"style":"full","text_placement":"metadata-below","image_link_url":"","image_link_title":"","caption_prefix":"","enable_alternative_caption":true,"alternative_caption":"Nina R\u00f8nsted was hired as museum director for the Natural History Museum of Denmark on 1 December 2024."},{"acf_fc_layout":"Standfirst","subject":"New beginning","text":"Efter et \u00e5r med b\u00e5de flytterod, arbejdsmilj\u00f8krise og direkt\u00f8rskifte har Statens Naturhistoriske Museum sat ny publikumsrekord. Uniavisen bes\u00f8gte museet og talte med museumsdirekt\u00f8r Nina R\u00f8nsted det \u00e5r, der er g\u00e5et. ","use_post_excerpt":true},{"acf_fc_layout":"Byline","is_author":true,"contributors":false},{"acf_fc_layout":"Content","content":"<p>Visitors to the Natural History Museum of Denmark (SNM), a University of Copenhagen unit, can currently experience the special exhibition <em><a href=\"https:\/\/snm.dk\/en\/udstilling\/wild-wonderful-world\">Wild Wonderful World<\/a><\/em>.<\/p>\n<p>The exhibition displays about a thousand carefully selected objects, each chosen to convey SNM’s most fascinating, wild, and eye-catching stories.<\/p>\n<p>And while the exhibition may be a tad nerdy \u2014 and not something that museum director Nina R\u00f8nsted would dare call a <em>blockbuster <\/em>\u2014 the museum still managed to break its own visitor record again in 2024.<\/p>\n<p>This comes a year after the museum found itself in the middle of a large-scale relocation project and a public debate about its working environment, following reports from anonymous employees in February 2023 in the news medium <a href=\"https:\/\/frihedsbrevet.dk\/daarligt-arbejdsmiljoe-paa-statens-naturhistoriske-museum-26-tidligere-og-nuvaerende-ansatte-beretter-om-overfaldsalarm-mobning-og-en-direktoer-der-er-skideligeglad\/\">Frihedsbrevet<\/a>. They described a workplace culture marked by harassment, bullying, extreme work pressure, and a manager who \u00bbdidn’t give a damn.\u00ab<\/p>\n<p><strong>READ ALSO:<\/strong> <em><a href=\"https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/en\/former-post-doc-student-director-of-natural-history-museum-abused-his-power\/\">Former postdoc at SNM: The museum director abused his power<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n<p>Museum director Peter Kj\u00e6rgaard resigned from his position in April 2024. A new leader has now taken over: Professor and former research director at SNM, Nina R\u00f8nsted.<\/p>\n<p>To mark the occasion, the University Post visited the museum\u2019s Wild Wonderful World exhibition with the director. She reflects on a year where the museum has had to balance the opening of a new exhibition, and relocation plans while she, as the new director, has been tasked with creating a better working environment.<\/p>\n<h3>Sloths at the hairdresser<\/h3>\n<p>The old Zoological Museum closed in 2022. And since then, SNM has lacked \u00bbthat classic museum feel to it,\u00ab says Nina R\u00f8nsted as we step into the entrance hall of <em>Wild Wonderful World<\/em> in the museum building that previously housed the Geological Museum opposite the National Gallery of Denmark.<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>I returned home just as everything exploded here at the museum. It was quite overwhelming.<\/p>\n<p class=\"quotee\">Nina R\u00f8nsted, museum director, SNM<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>At the entrance, visitors are greeted with a video showing museum staff darting in and out among towering, densely packed shelves. These shelves hold the museum\u2019s collections, which might best be described as a massive jumble of strange, fascinating, and (extinct) animals and objects.<\/p>\n<p><strong>READ ALSO:<\/strong> <em><a href=\"https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/en\/director-of-natural-history-museum-quits\/\">Director of Natural History Museum quits<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n<p>\u00bbMost people think that the museum\u2019s collections are just what they see in the exhibitions. But many objects never make it to the public \u2014 they are used for research or simply stored. And a lot of effort goes into maintaining and preserving them,\u00ab says Nina R\u00f8nsted, adding that the museum holds more than 14 million objects.<\/p>\n<p>The classic exhibits that some visitors may remember from the Zoological Museum are absent from the new exhibition. This includes the dinosaur skeletons, musk oxen, and the giant sloths.<\/p>\n<p>\u00bbThey\u2019ve all been sent for restoration. Some of them had been standing there for 40\u201350 years without anyone taking care of them. So, they really needed a trip to the hairdresser,\u00ab the museum director laughs.<\/p>\n<h3>Found gold in the schoolyard<\/h3>\n<p>The exhibition aims to educate visitors on how objects from the past contribute valuable knowledge to the present \u2014 and how the various objects, both big and small, find their way to the museum in the first place.<\/p>\n<p>Visitors learn, for example, that museum objects aren\u2019t only collected by researchers and hobbyists.<\/p>\n<p>\u00bbTake this meteorite fragment, for instance,\u00ab says Nina R\u00f8nsted, pointing to a black rock.<\/p>\n<p>\u00bbIt was collected by a schoolgirl named Milena, who found it in her schoolyard.\u00ab<\/p>\n<p>Elsewhere in the exhibition, visitors can see a small selection of the museum\u2019s 700 polar bear skulls. Here, they can read how the collection of polar bear skulls over time has revealed the increasing levels of pesticides in water and nature, the museum director explains.<\/p>\n"},{"acf_fc_layout":"Image","image":{"ID":172763,"id":172763,"title":"Ninar\u00f8nsted (2 of 1)","filename":"ninaroensted2of1-scaled.jpg","filesize":940125,"url":"https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/ninaroensted2of1-scaled.jpg","link":"https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/en\/nina-roensted-hvis-medarbejderne-ikke-laengere-bakker-mig-op-skal-jeg-ikke-vaere-direktoer\/ninaroensted-2-of-1\/","alt":"","author":"99","description":"","caption":"Det nye museum skal placeres i Botanisk Have og r\u00e5de over nye, underjordiske udstillingssale. Samtidig skal det integreres med de eksisterende historiske bygninger omkring S\u00f8lvtorvet, blandt andet det gamle Geologisk Museum, hvor Vilde Vidunderlige Verden udstilles i dag. ","name":"ninaroensted-2-of-1","status":"inherit","uploaded_to":172751,"date":"2025-01-29 09:27:15","modified":"2025-01-29 09:38:16","menu_order":0,"mime_type":"image\/jpeg","type":"image","subtype":"jpeg","icon":"https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/wp-includes\/images\/media\/default.png","width":2560,"height":1707,"sizes":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/ninaroensted2of1-150x150.jpg","thumbnail-width":150,"thumbnail-height":150,"medium":"https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/ninaroensted2of1-480x320.jpg","medium-width":480,"medium-height":320,"medium_large":"https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/ninaroensted2of1-768x512.jpg","medium_large-width":768,"medium_large-height":512,"large":"https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/ninaroensted2of1-1280x853.jpg","large-width":1280,"large-height":853,"1536x1536":"https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/ninaroensted2of1-1536x1024.jpg","1536x1536-width":1536,"1536x1536-height":1024,"2048x2048":"https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/ninaroensted2of1-2048x1365.jpg","2048x2048-width":2048,"2048x2048-height":1365,"featured-soft":"https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/ninaroensted2of1-290x193.jpg","featured-soft-width":290,"featured-soft-height":193,"featured-hard":"https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/ninaroensted2of1-290x180.jpg","featured-hard-width":290,"featured-hard-height":180,"narrow":"https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/ninaroensted2of1-700x467.jpg","narrow-width":700,"narrow-height":467,"extended":"https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/ninaroensted2of1-990x660.jpg","extended-width":990,"extended-height":660}},"style":"full","text_placement":"metadata-below","image_link_url":"","image_link_title":"","caption_prefix":"","enable_alternative_caption":true,"alternative_caption":"The new museum will be located in the Botanical Gardens and will feature new underground exhibition halls. At the same time, it will be integrated with the existing historic buildings around the S\u00f8lvtorvet square, including the old Geological Museum, where Wild Wonderful World is currently on display."},{"acf_fc_layout":"Content","content":"<p>\u00bbThe collections hold an enormous number of stories, which we try to convey through this exhibition. Some are positive. Others reflect methods we would not use today. Like these,\u00ab she says, pointing to a group of taxidermied animals.<\/p>\n<p>Two brown bears, a tiger, and a leopard stare out from a glass case, as if they were still alive.<\/p>\n<p>\u00bbThey were donated by a private hunter many years ago. We wouldn\u2019t shoot large, endangered mammals to stuff and exhibit them nowadays. There is a different perspective on nature now, and more reflection on the purpose of collecting museum specimens,\u00ab she says.<\/p>\n<h3>Inevitable work pressure<\/h3>\n<p>Nina R\u00f8nsted is a professor of conservation and botany and was previously employed at the Natural History Museum of Denmark from 2011 to 2019. She spent several years living in Hawaii, where she led the National Tropical Botanical Garden\u2019s research on preserving the islands\u2019 rich plant life.<\/p>\n<p>She returned to Denmark and the museum in March 2023 as head of research and, two months later, was appointed interim museum director after Peter Kj\u00e6rgaard stepped down the previous month.<\/p>\n<p><strong>READ ALSO:<\/strong> <em><a href=\"https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/en\/dean-we-need-to-work-seriously-and-with-dedication-on-the-natural-history-museum-working-environment\/\">Dean: We need to work \u00bbseriously and with dedication\u00ab on the Natural History Museum working environment<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n<p>\u00bbI came home just as everything exploded here at the museum. It was quite overwhelming,\u00ab she recalls of her first days. There was deep mistrust between management and employees.<\/p>\n<p>\u00bbThe museum is in the midst of a massive transition, and all employees, exhibitions, and collections need to be relocated. This inevitably creates a more stressful work environment,\u00ab she says, adding:<\/p>\n<p>\u00bbWe obviously had to figure out what had gone so wrong. One of the first things I did was talk to employees. It became clear that the problem was both that they were simply overworked and that the pressure had led to an abrasive workplace tone.\u00ab<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>Employees are here because they find it an exciting place to work, and they are incredibly dedicated. That\u2019s why they also tend to put up with more than what is reasonable.<\/p>\n<p class=\"quotee\">Nina R\u00f8nsted, museum director, SNM<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>According to Nina R\u00f8nsted, there is now \u00bbzero tolerance\u00ab for both the harsh tone in the workplace and poor working conditions. She believes that both trust and a sense of security have returned to the workplace in many ways.<\/p>\n<p>But she also acknowledges that she may have blind spots and that ensuring a good work environment is challenging when employees are under pressure from something as massive as relocating an entire museum.<\/p>\n<p>\u00bbIn the autumn, we did a special workplace assessment (APV) in the exhibition department, which was one of the hardest-hit areas in the previous assessment. The results still showed that people felt time pressure and lacked sufficient influence. That kind of thing,\u00ab she says, adding:<\/p>\n<p>\u00bbBut I don\u2019t think the results felt as <em>urgent<\/em> this time. Restoring trust and making work enjoyable again takes time,\u00ab says Nina R\u00f8nsted.<\/p>\n<p>Reports on the Frihedsbrevet news site and subsequent coverage by the University Post revealed that employees felt <em>micromanaged<\/em> and had no influence over their own work.<\/p>\n<p>\u00bbEmployee influence can be challenging because when we design exhibitions, there has to be consistency. This means that sometimes a manager has to make a final decision. But there are many ways to handle that,\u00ab says Nina R\u00f8nsted, adding:<\/p>\n<p>\u00bbPeople are more willing to accept that they don\u2019t always have the level of influence they would like when they get an explanation for it, and when their input is actually taken into account.\u00ab<\/p>\n<h3>Committed to the work environment<\/h3>\n<p>When people apply for a job at a museum, it\u2019s rarely because of the salary, says Nina R\u00f8nsted.<\/p>\n<p>\u00bbEmployees are here because they find it an exciting place to work, and they are dedicated. That\u2019s why they also tend to put up with more than what is actually reasonable. This means we have an even greater responsibility to take care of them.\u00ab<\/p>\n<p>And that is exactly what Nina R\u00f8nsted intends to do. Though she found the beginning overwhelming, she is now fully committed to her new role.<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>They need to feel that the museum is in safe hands with me. And if they no longer do, then my time here is coming to an end.<\/p>\n<p class=\"quotee\">Nina R\u00f8nsted, Museum Director, SNM<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>\u00bbIt\u2019s fantastic to be here. The best part is seeing and experiencing all the synergies between people when you look behind the scenes. I am impressed every day by how skilled everyone is,\u00ab she says, adding:<\/p>\n<p>\u00bbAnd I quickly realised that I\u2019m not here just to come in and make decisions. People know what they\u2019re doing.\u00ab<\/p>\n<p>The new museum director is determined to take full responsibility for the work environment. And she says that if the employees no longer support her, she should no longer be director.<\/p>\n<p>\u00bbOf course, there will be difficult situations. There may come a time when budget cuts lead to layoffs, and no one likes that. So it\u2019s not about employees always being happy and satisfied,\u00ab she stresses, adding:<\/p>\n<p>\u00bbBut they need to feel that the museum is in safe hands with me. And if they no longer do, then my time here is coming to an end.\u00ab<\/p>\n"},{"acf_fc_layout":"ArticleEnd"},{"acf_fc_layout":"Newsletter","lang_select":"en","identifier":"Newsletter","headline":"Get an email with our top stories","button_text":"Sign up here","class":""},{"acf_fc_layout":"OtherStories","headline":"","hand_picked_posts":false,"references":false,"category":false,"theme":false,"number_of_posts":"4","style":"default"}]},"taxonomyData":{"category":[{"term_id":4539,"name":"Working environment","slug":"arbejdsmiljoe-en","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":4539,"taxonomy":"category","description":"","parent":0,"count":95,"filter":"raw"}],"post_tag":[],"post_format":[],"expression":[{"term_id":14,"name":"Portrait Article","slug":"portrait_article","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":14,"taxonomy":"expression","description":"","parent":0,"count":796,"filter":"raw"}],"translation_priority":[{"term_id":5468,"name":"Optional","slug":"optional-en","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":5468,"taxonomy":"translation_priority","description":"","parent":0,"count":672,"filter":"raw"}]},"featured_media_url":"https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/ninaroensted2of1-1280x853.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/172810","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/99"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=172810"}],"version-history":[{"count":20,"href":"https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/172810\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":172912,"href":"https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/172810\/revisions\/172912"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/172764"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=172810"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=172810"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=172810"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}