Leave Policy in Norway

Adoption Leave in Norway

Adoption leave in Norway is a subsection under parental leave. It is covered in the Norway LC under Section 12-5, which states that adoptive or foster parents enjoy benefits similar to biological parents, that is, 12 months of paid leave.

Earned Leave in Norway

Employees have no such annual or earned leave in Norway. However, according to the Holiday Act of 1988, they receive 25 holiday leaves per year.

• You must provide these 25 holidays to all your employees per holiday year.
• Any employee over 60 is entitled to an additional six holiday leave.
• You must provide full holiday pay to an employee joining after 30th September of any holiday year.
• Employers usually decide on these holiday leaves after their employees agree.
• Annual leave pay should be given to employees at least seven days before the beginning of the leave.

Maternity Leave in Norway

Section 12-4 of the Norwegian Labor Code mentions maternity leave in Norway. It states that:

• All female employees in Norway are entitled to paid maternity leave.
• Once a woman gives birth, they can take leave for the first six weeks. They can resume work once they can provide a fitness certificate.
• Section 12-1 of the LC states that you must provide paid leave to your female employees for prenatal examinations outside work hours.
• Female employees in Norway can also take 12 weeks of pregnancy leave, as mentioned in Section 12-2.

Parental Leave in Norway

Parental leave in Norway is sanctioned by the government and is described under Section 12-5 of LC.

• You can give your employees a total of 12 months of parental leave, including pregnancy and maternity leave.
• Each parent can take 12 months leave for each of their child births.
• If a child is not under the care of both parents, another person caring for the child can take this leave.
• An employee who is single-handedly taking care of a child is entitled to a maximum 2-year leave.

Paternity Leave in Norway

Section 12-3 of the Labor Code highlights paternity leave in Norway. It states that fathers can take two weeks of paid leave to assist new mothers after childbirth.

Public Holidays in Norway

The Norwegian government has sanctioned 11 public holidays for employees in the country. 

Here are the details of public holidays in Norway:

1. Regular Sundays
2. New Year’s Day: January 1
3. Maundy Thursday: The last Thursday falling before Easter Sunday
4. Good Friday: The last Friday falling before Easter Sunday
5. First Easter Sunday
6. Second Easter Sunday: the first Monday that comes after Easter Sunday
7. Ascension Day: The sixth Thursday falling after Easter Sunday
8. First Pentecost: The seventh Sunday falling after Easter Sunday
9. Second Whitsunday: The first Monday which falls after Whitsunday
10. Christmas Day: December 25
11. Boxing Day: December 26

Sick Leave Policy in Norway

The sick leave policy in Norway stipulates the following guidelines:

• An employee in Norway can receive a maximum of 52 weeks of paid sick leave.
• Employees who have exhausted these 52 weeks are entitled to 26 more weeks of unpaid sick leave.
• You must pay your employee sickness benefits for the first 16 days of sick leave.
• The NAV, or National Labour and Welfare Administration, provides payment from the 17th day.

Unpaid Leave in Norway

The Norwegian Labor Code states a few provisions for unpaid leaves. These leaves include extended parental leaves, care for close relatives, educational leaves, leaves for public duties, and much more, which are covered in the next section. 

Other leaves

Here are the details of some paid and unpaid leaves in Norway:

Partial leaves

• Any extension to existing pregnancy, parental, or maternity leave in Norway is considered a partial leave.
• All partial leaves are subject to agreement between an employer and employee.
• Any partial leave must be taken within three years of service.

Educational leaves

• Employees who have worked for three years and at least two years for the same employer are eligible for education leave.
• An employee can take either full or partial educational leave for at most three years.
• They can take such leave to attend any organized educational course.
• To avail of educational leaves, the employer must be notified beforehand, and they can reject the leaves if they hinder their organization’s work.

Leaves for attending to close relatives

• If an employee in Norway has any close relatives suffering from a terminal illness, they can avail leave for caregiving.
• Employers can sanction 20 such unpaid leaves.

Leaves for military service

• An employee in Norway is entitled to a 24-month leave for military service.
• Such a service can be both compulsory and voluntary.

Leaves for dispute settlement

• The Norwegian labor law also sanctions leaves for dispute settlement.
• These are usually unpaid leaves.

Leaves for attending public duties

• An employee in Norway can avail of leave for public service.
• There isn't any statutory requirement for salaries.

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FAQs

Q1: How many leave days are there in Norway?

A1: According to the Holiday Act provisions, an employee in Norway is entitled to 25 leave days a year. Employees over the age of 60 get six additional leaves.

Q2: What are the rules for holidays in Norway?

A2: According to the Norwegian holiday rules, every employee can avail 25 leaves a year. There is no paid leave in the country, but the employees get holiday pay for these 25 days.

Q3: How long is the family leave policy in Norway?

A3: In Norway, parents are entitled to 12 months of leave, which can be divided between the parents. Under the family leave policy, there is maternity leave, which is 18 weeks for a female employee.

Q4: What is the work policy in Norway?

A4: Section 10-4 of the Working Environment Act states that employees should work up to 9 hours daily, or 40 hours per 7 days. Furthermore, employees can work overtime for a maximum of 10 or 25 hours per week.