Jens Kristian Johansen

The Norwegian holiday leave and holiday pay ensures that employees have a statutory right to holiday leave every year regardless of what kind of arrangements the employer decides to provide the employees with. The system can however seem complicated. In this article we explain the fundamentals of the Norwegian holiday leave and pay system and clear up some common misunderstandings.

The first paragraph of section 14-9 in the Norwegian Working Environment Act establishes the fundamental principle regarding permanent employment. According to the Norwegian government, a high percentage of permanent employment will contribute to more productive, adaptable, and competitive businesses.

In recent years, there have been several proposed and implemented changes to the Working Environment Act, including stricter regulations on hiring, especially with regards to temporary employment. On June 16th, the government presented proposals for new changes, covering the use of trial periods, the right to written justification statements if part-time or temporary employees request more predictable and secure working conditions, as well as the requirements for written employment contracts and the consequences of deficiencies in these contracts.

The last decades, there has been a societal and technological development that has contributed to creating great flexibility in everyday working life. It has become increasingly common to use a home office, and many have a working day where they combine work from their private home with their permanent workplace. With the increased use of home offices, it is important that employers familiarize themselves with the rules that apply to home working.

We are now entering the most common period for summer vacation and payment of holiday pay. Questions often arise about determining vacation and what payments the employer should take into account when calculating the basis for holiday pay.

On May 25, 2023, the Ministry of Labour and Social Inclusion decided to implement an approval scheme for temporary employment agencies. The approval scheme is an extension of the tightening of access to hiring labor from staffing agencies, which came into effect on April 1, 2023. 

Until July 1st, businesses should review their agreements to determine if any changes need to be made.

The Supreme Court issued its decision in the so-called “tips case”, where employees at Hotel Bristol and Oslo Plaza Hotel were granted the right to keep the tips they received from customers without the employer being able to deduct costs for mandatory employer's contributions and administration.

The Norwegian labour authorities have tightened the rules for hiring workers from temporary employment agencies.

The Easter holiday is approaching and many employers and employees have questions regarding the holiday from work during this corona pandemic. How is holiday allowance affected for companies with employees that have been temporarily laid off? Is an employee entitled to change or delay a holiday request that has already been approved because of quarantine or travel restrictions? When should an employee receive their holiday pay?