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Employment contracts and policies in Norway

Contract terms in Norway

Fixed-term contracts in Norway

Contract extensions in Norway

Norway working hours

Remote work in Norway

Tailored employment contracts in 100+ countries

Employment contract in Norway

An employment contract is an important document because it clearly sets out the rights and obligations of both parties in an employment relationship. For this reason, every country in the world has specific rules and regulations concerning employment contracts.

For example, employment contracts in Norway are obligatory for all employees, whether they are hired on a permanent or temporary basis. There are also certain key terms that must be included in all employment contracts in Norway.

In this section, we’ll take you through everything you need to know to draft a standard contract of employment in Norway, including the mandatory terms to include. We’ll also cover some key employee rights that should be included in your employment contracts, including working hours and rest breaks.

Employment contracts and policies in Norway

In Norway, employers must provide an employment contract to every employee they engage. As of July 2024, this contract must be provided within seven days of the employee’s start date, unless the employment is for less than one month. In this case, it should be provided as soon as possible after the employee enters the workplace. Contracts for employees in Norway must include certain essential terms, which are set out by the Norwegian Labour Inspection Authority.

Types of employment contract in Norway

Employment contracts in Norway can be either permanent or temporary. A permanent contract is an employment contract without a set end date. This is the standard employment arrangement in Norway. If an employee is hired on a permanent basis, they will continue working for the company until they either resign or are dismissed.

Fixed-term contracts are contracts that have a set end date. They can only be used in specific circumstances in Norway, such as when the nature of the work is temporary, or to replace another employee who is temporarily absent. As of July 2022, the rules on using temporary contracts to hire workers in Norway have become even stricter, and every temporary employment must be justified with an objective reason.

Probation periods for Norwegian employment contracts

Employers can choose to include a probationary period in their contracts for employees in Norway. This allows both parties to terminate the employment contract without the need for a long notice period. The statutory maximum duration for probation periods in Norway is six months. For temporary employment contracts, the probationary period can’t exceed more than half of the total employment period.

Third-party approval for employment contracts in Norway

Employers in Norway must register themselves and their employees with the State Register of Employers and Employees in order for an employment contract to be valid.

Employment policies in Norway

Employers in Norway are required to create certain policies, including:

A whistleblowing procedure: This includes a process for whistleblowers to follow when reporting a censurable condition (such as workplace harassment) and the procedure the employer will follow to deal with the disclosure.
A health, environment, and safety (HSE) policy: This is an internal control system that ensures a healthy and safe working environment for employees. It should include measures to detect, rectify, and prevent contraventions of requirements laid out in the Working Environment Act.
A sick leave policy: This should include the procedure for handling, preventing, and following up on sick leave. Employers should also keep records of the sick leave taken by their employees.
A working hours control system: This is a system that ensures employees’ working hours don’t exceed mandatory limitations set by the Working Environment Act.

Employers with 10 or more employees must elect safety representatives to help ensure safety in the workplace. Businesses that conduct work that is hazardous to life or health must provide written instructions on how work is to be executed and what safety measures should be implemented. Employers can also choose to create additional policies, such as a code of ethics.

Contract terms in Norway

In Norway, employers must provide all employees with a written employment contract. The employer is responsible for preparing this contract and ensuring that it contains all of the information that is required according to Norwegian employment law.

How do contracts work in Norway?

All employment contracts in Norway must contain at least the following information:

The name of the employee and the employer
The address where the work will be done
The job title, post, or category of work, or a description of the role
The contract start date
Details about the trial period, if applicable
The notice period for both parties
The agreed pay rate and any supplements or additional compensation
The weekly working hours and breaks
The types of paid leave the employee is entitled to
Details about termination processes for employers and employees
Details about the training the employer will provide
Details of any social security benefits provided by the employer
The collective bargaining agreement that applies to the employment (if applicable)

If the employee is hired on a fixed-term basis, the contract must also include the expected duration of the employment and the reason for temporary employment.

Employment contract templates in Norway

The Norwegian Labour Inspection Authority (Arbeidstilsynet) provides employment contract templates, which you can use to create compliant contracts for your Norwegian employees. These templates are available in several languages.

New requirements for employment contracts from July 2024

As of July 2024, new rules apply to employment contracts in Norway. One significant change is that employers are now required to provide employment contracts within seven days of the employee’s start date, instead of the previous deadline of one month. The new law also introduced several other changes and mandatory terms that must be included in employment contracts. Employers don’t have to update their existing contracts but must follow the new rules for any new employees.

Fixed-term contracts in Norway

A core principle of Norwegian employment law is that all employees should be permanently employed. However, employers in Norway can engage employees on fixed-term contracts in certain specific circumstances.

Fixed-term contracts are only allowed in Norway if one of the following conditions applies:

The work is of a temporary nature
The employee is being hired to temporarily replace another employee
The employee is being hired as a trainee
The employee is being hired as part of an employment programme run by the Norwegian Labour and Welfare Organisation

When an employer hires a worker on a fixed-term contract in Norway, they must state the reason for the fixed term in the employment contract. Employees who have been engaged on fixed-term contracts for four consecutive years (or three years in some circumstances) are considered to be permanently employed.

Changes to fixed-term employment in Norway as of July 2022

In July 2022, the rules around fixed-term employment contracts in Norway became a lot stricter. Before this date, employers could hire temporary employees for up to 12 months without justification, as long as temporary employees didn’t make up more than 15% of their total workforce.

However, the Norwegian government considered that this was contrary to the fundamental principle of Norwegian employment law that favours permanent employment. Employers now have to provide an objective justification for every employee they engage on a temporary basis.

Contract extensions in Norway

Employers in Norway can only hire employees on a fixed-term basis if they have a justification for doing so. For example, it’s possible to hire a temporary employee to complete a one-off, time-limited project. In some cases, an employer may find they need the employer’s services for longer than expected.

In this case, it’s possible to extend or renew the contract. In Norway, there’s no specific limit on the number of times a fixed-term contract can be renewed. However, employees who have been engaged on successive fixed-term contracts for four years or more are considered to be permanently employed. In some cases, they are considered to be permanent employees after three years.

Norway working hours

The standard full-time work hours in Norway are between 8am or 9am and 4pm or 5pm, Monday to Friday, including an unpaid lunch break. That makes for an average working week of around 35 hours.

Maximum working hours in Norway

The Working Environment Act sets the standards for the maximum legal working hours in Norway. In general, employees shouldn’t work more than nine hours per day or 40 hours per week. This can be worked out as an average over a 52-week (one-year) period, meaning that employees can work more than this limit in some weeks, and less in others. However, employees in Norway shouldn’t work more than an average of 12.5 hours per day or 48 hours per week in an eight-week period and should not exceed 54 hours of work in any given week.

Overtime pay in Norway

When there is an exceptional and time-limited need for overtime, employees can agree to work more than the mandated eight hours per day or 40 hours per week. Overtime pay is mandatory in Norway and should be paid at a rate of at least 140% of the employee’s normal hourly rate.

There are also limits on the amount of overtime an employee can work in a day, week, month, and year. Specifically, overtime must not exceed:

13 hours per 24 hours
10 hours per seven days
25 hours per four weeks
200 hours per 52 weeks

Tracking employee working hours in Norway

The Working Environment Act requires all employers in Norway to keep an account of the hours worked by each employee. This account should be made available to the Labour Inspection Authority and to employee representatives.

Breaks and time off

Employees in Norway are entitled to regular breaks and time off work. Every employee should have at least 11 consecutive hours off work in each 24-hour period, and 35 consecutive hours off per week. Where possible, this should fall on a Sunday. Employees who are required to work on a Sunday or public holiday should have the next Sunday or public holiday off work.

Some collective bargaining agreements may provide exceptions to these rules. However, they can’t provide for less than 8 hours of rest between two work periods or less than 28 consecutive hours of rest per week unless it’s necessary to avoid serious disturbances to the company’s operations.

Employees are also entitled to breaks while they’re at work. If an employee’s daily working hours exceed 5.5 hours, they must have at least one break. If they work at least eight hours in a day, their breaks should add up to at least 30 minutes.

Remote work in Norway

As in many countries, the rapid improvements to communication technology over the past decade or so have led to an increase in remote work, particularly for white-collar office workers. Today, many employees work remotely in Norway, either all or part of the time. For this reason, the Norwegian government has introduced certain rules that employers of remote workers in Norway have to follow.

Remote work laws in Norway

The rules surrounding remote work in Norway are primarily set out in the Home Office Regulation introduced in July 2022. This piece of legislation states that neither an employer nor an employee can impose remote work. Instead, they must sign a written agreement outlining the terms of a remote work arrangement.

Remote workers must be granted the same rights and protections as in-person employees, including data privacy, health and safety, and access to training. Employers are responsible for ensuring that people engaging in remote work in Norway can work in a safe and healthy work environment. This may mean providing necessary equipment, assessing the employee’s workplace, and covering expenses incurred by remote workers.

Norway remote work visa

Following the steady rise in remote work we’ve seen over the past decade, many countries around the world have introduced remote work visas (or ‘digital nomad visas’). These allow foreign professionals to live and work in the country for a limited period, without being subject to the usual immigration requirements.

While there is no specific digital nomad visa for remote work in Norway, people wanting to work temporarily in the country can apply for an independent contractor visa. This visa allows foreign contractors to work remotely from Norway for up to two years, as long as they have at least one Norwegian client and meet certain other requirements.

Tailored employment contracts in 100+ countries

Like all countries, Norway has its own rules and regulations when it comes to employment contracts — and non-compliance could land your company in hot water.

Thankfully, our team is experienced in drawing up tailored, compliant contracts in Norway (and more than 100 countries worldwide). That means that, when you work with us, you won’t need to waste time worrying about whether you’ve got it right. Instead, you can focus on what matters: your business.

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