The Supreme Court recently pronounced a judgement in which a female employee was awarded damages for non-economic loss after being subjected to sexual harassment by customers of the company. The verdict provides useful clarifications regarding the conditions, and especially the lower limit, for sexual harassment.

Public enterprises and private enterprises of a certain size are subject to a statutory activity and reporting obligation related to equality and non-discrimination (ARP). The reporting obligation applies from the financial year 2020 and onwards. Many companies will have to spend time and resources on implementing sufficient systems and routines to comply with the new rules.

The Government has previously adopted regulations that impose quarantine on persons entering Norway. Such persons must stay in their own home, or in another suitable place. For foreign workers, this means in most cases a stay in a quarantine hotel.

In the Supreme Court’s judgment of 13th November 2020, the question was if agreements on severance packages in the event of voluntary resignation, which was entered into in a downsizing process, could partly be set aside because they were contrary to good business practices or unreasonableness, cf. Norway’s Contract Act of 1918 section 36. To decide this question, the Supreme Court had to take a stand on whether the employees were entitled to an early retirement pension in such a process based on the previous employer's promise.

The Supreme Court recently ruled on whether hired personnel pursuant to the equal treatment rule in the Working Environment Act (WEA) section 14-12 a were entitled to a company bonus on an equal footing with permanent employees and apprentices in the company in which they were hired.

The Government has put forward a proposal to extend the schemes with extended entitlement to care benefits and sickness benefits, and an increased unemployment benefit rate.

Earlier this year, draft regulations on own pension account were sent out for consultation. The consultation deadline was 3 August 2020, and the new rules will probably enter into force at the beginning of 2021. The purpose of the amendment of rules is to make it easier for employees to receive the best possible pension. Employees must be able to choose who will manage the pension capital, which will lead to greater competition in the market.

The High Court Civil Division recently ruled on whether the termination of two graphic designers in Dagbladet was invalid. It was particularly problematised whether the processing of the case had been insufficient. Despite this, the terminations were not considered invalid.

For the first time in history, The Norwegian Anti-Discrimination Tribunal has awarded remedy for non-economic loss and compensation for gender discrimination in the workplace.

The government has sent out several hearings aimed at preventing crime related to working life. The hearings address, among other things, criminal liability for wage theft, increased penalties for breaches of provisions in the Working Environment Act and a provision that wages must be paid via a bank.

With COVID-19 giving rise to a host of novel workplace issues, Littler Global recently surveyed over 750 human resources executives and in-house counsel across Europe on their key concerns and strategies.

The Government will propose a budget resolution before the Parliament, ensuring that the temporary increased unemployment benefit rate is extended throughout 2020.

The Government proposes extending the lay-off period to 52 weeks from 1 November 2020.

The government has adopted changes in the period in which employers have a duty of remuneration when temporarily laying off employees. The duty of remuneration period will, from 1 September 2020, be ten days.

Employers' various prospects after temporary layoffs: Several employers have had to initiate layoffs in connection with the corona pandemic. A few months later, the employers are now in different positions.