Norway: EWCO CAR on Recent Developments in Work Organisation in the EU 27 Member States and Norway
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Albanian translation available.
The Norwegian working population has the shortest weekly working time in Europe. The extent of shift and rotation workers has increased steadily in recent years, and the proportion of night and shift workers in Norway are higher than for most other countries. Norwegian working life is also characterized by a high degree of working time flexibility, high levels of job demands and job control, and good opportunities for professional development for most employees. In terms of improving work organisation the social partners focus on participation and involvement in the workplace as well as a better use of company health services.
Block 1: Existing main sources of information dealing with the issue of work organisation at national level and its relation with working conditions, innovation and productivity
Are there national statistical sources (censuses, special surveys, other surveys, etc) that analyse the issue of work organisation or are used for analysing the issue of work organisation in your country?. If so, identify them and explain the way work organisation types are defined and asked in these surveys.
Are there any other main sources of information published after mid-2000s that may provide valuable information on the issue (i.e. ad-hoc studies, sectoral studies, administrative reports, articles, published case studies, etc). If so, identify them.
Have there been any innovations introduced/expected in the existing national statistical sources intended to take into account the issue of work organisation in your country?
The main national statistical source for analyzing the issue of work organization is The Level of Living Survey (LKU). The survey is conducted by Statistics Norway every three years, and is part of a series of public and independent investigations that survey work environment in Norway. Through telephone-based surveys among randomly drawn persons, the survey gives a representative description of how the population as a whole perceives their work environment, and forms a knowledge platform that authorities and industry use to identify priority areas in their health-, safety and environmental work. Last conducted in 2009, the survey contained several questions suitable for mapping and analyzing the issue of work organization in Norway.
Another source of statistical information is the “HMS tilstanden i Norge” report, published by
FAFO in 2008. This study was commissioned by the Labour Environment Section of the
Norwegian Confederation of Trade Unions (LO), and was a follow-up to a previous study performed in 2001. In addition to describing the health, environment and safety situation in Norway, the report describes the development of work organization in Norway.
In 2002, the research project “Den nye arbeidsplassen” was started by The Research Council of Norway (Norges forskningsråd). The project is a prospective, longitudinal study to obtain new knowledge about the work-related factors that influence health and participation in working life, and the country's primary focus on creating knowledge about the effects of psychological, social and organizational factors at work.
Block 2: Identify existing patterns of work organisation at national level and recent evolution in time
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Describe existing patterns of work organisation at national aggregated level (according to existing used national definitions) and their associated characteristics per pattern, based on the existing information. Provide information on the (quantitative and qualitative) importance of the different forms of these work organisations in the national context. In order to reflect the workplace practices, NCs are also requested to provide information on different work organisation-related-items, based on the national Working Conditions surveys that stress the main changes that have taken place in the last 5-7 years (i.e. higher/lower presence of team work; higher/lower presence of autonomy at work; higher/lower presence of job rotation; higher/lower assistance from colleagues or hierarchy; higher/lower task complexity; higher/lower degree of learning, higher/lower problem solving capacity, etc), stressing existing differences by sectors and enterprise sizes, and identifying the main reasons behind these changes.
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Identify (if possible), the recent evolution in time of work organisation patterns in your country (last 5-7 years). Pay special attention to the effects derived from the current economic crisis.
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Identify existing differences in work organisation patterns accordingly to sector and company size considerations, as well as (if possible) recent changes in these patterns.
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Identify work organisation patterns associated with high performance working environments/enterprises.
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Identify the main drivers for change or barriers to change underpinning these recent developments in work organisation in the country, paying special attention to the effects derived from the current economic crisis.
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Partners are requested to identify one/the most dynamic national economic sector in terms of work organisation changes and for whom information is available. For this selected economic sector, NCs are requested to provide information on existing predominant work organisation patterns in this sector, as well as recent trends and changes in the last 5-7 years and reasons behind these changes. Also, and in the case the selected economic sector is a non-tertiary one, NCs are requested to provide some general information on recent trends and changes in work organisation patterns in the last 5-7 years and reasons behind these changes in any tertiary sector selected by each NC (i.e. consultancy services, HORECA, consultancy services, call centres, etc).
The Norwegian working population has the shortest weekly working time in Europe and the lowest proportion of employees working long weeks. Over the last decade, the average actual working hours reduced by approximately 1.5 hours per week among men, while it has been relatively stable among women. Actual weekly working hours are shortest for the youngest and the oldest age groups, and among those less educated persons have shorter working hours per week, as these groups work part-time more frequently. About 70% of the Norwegian working population has normal working hours, working between the hours of 0600 and 1800, and about half of these are working 37 to 38 hours per week. At the same time, the proportion of shift and shift workers in Norway are higher than in many other countries and the extent of shift and rotation workers has increased steadily in recent years. The relatively high proportion of employees working in nursing care in Norway is probably contributing to this. In 2008, 23% (or a total of 545,000 people) reported to work shift or rotation, compared to about 20% in 2001. Data from LKU 09 shows that the shifts and rotation are most prevalent in the occupational groups: nursing and care worker, nurse, driver (bus / rail), ships officers, pilot, process operator (industry / oil / gas / chemical) and service personnel (hotel / restaurant). Furthermore, shift and rotation are more prevalent in municipal and government sectors, respectively 27% and 25 percent, than in the private sector (14%). According to figures from the labour force surveys (SSB) the proportion reporting to work nights have remained relatively stable at around 16 percent. The percentage who report to work regularly at nights, however, fell slightly, from 5.1 %in 2001 to 3.9 %in 2009, with about 91 000 people reporting this. Shift, rotation and night work is also seen to be less common with increasing age, and is least prevalent among those with more than 4 years of education at college or university.
Norwegian working life is also characterized by a high degree of working time flexibility, with a higher number of employees reporting to have flexible working hours in 2009 than in 2001. While this applies to both men and women, the changes nevertheless have been more pronounced among women. At the same time, 7 out of 10 employed women and 6 out of 10 men still reports that they must turn up for work at a specified hour. The proportion of workers that must turn up at a specific time is higher in sectors with a high proportion of female labour, for which the desire for further flexibility with regard to working hours is also seen to be most pronounced. When compared to 2001, there has been an increase in the proportion of employees that receive some kind of flexible wages and the number of people reporting to work from an office at home has more than doubled.
Restructuring and reorganization is also a feature of the Norwegian working life. According to several studies, changes in the client's constraints, the internal organization and the introduction of new technology is no single phenomenon, but rather a continuous development in which the frequency and magnitude have increased in recent years. In the 2009 survey (SSB) 28 per cent, or almost 700,000 people, reported to have experienced reorganization that affected their own work, but that did not lead to downsizing, for the 2006-2009 period. The corresponding figure for 2003- 2006 was about one-third of all economically active (or approximately 775 000 people). Reorganization was most common for nurses, occupations within sports and religion, for social workers, childcare workers, middle management, engineers, technicians (dealing with data), occupations in which more than 40 %reported to have experienced reorganization. Nearly 36 %of reports of reorganization is found in the state sector, while the proportion is significantly lower among employees in the municipal and regional sector (respectively 25% and 30%), and in the private sector (21%). The proportion reporting to have experienced restructuring in their own division increases with the size of the business. For 2009 the figures were 14.2% (enterprises with 2-9 employees), 21.0% (10-49 employees), 27.7% (50-199 employees) and 33.6 % for enterprises with 200 or more employees.
Despite the increased pace of change is still little evidence that we have an increase in so-called atypical employment. Unlike many other countries, the proportion of temporary employees in Norway has been relatively stable over the last decade, between 10 and 12% of all workers have been temporarily employed during this period. About ten per cent of Norwegian workers were working on a temporary basis in 2009. The proportion reporting to work on temporary contracts, was significantly higher among younger workers than other age groups, and among young workers (16-24 years) who primarily consider themselves employed, the proportion of temporary employees was 27% in 2009. There is a slightly higher proportion among the temporary employees with the lowest education, which can be attributed to the fact that 50% of this group are 16-24 years of age. If one takes into account the age distribution we find a somewhat lower level of temporary employees among those with completed secondary education, but there is relatively little difference between the other educational groups.
Although Norway has been less affected by the financial crisis than most other countries, some sectors have experienced significant downsizing. In 2006, downsizing was found to be more common in the public sector. In LKU-A 09 however a slightly larger proportion reported downsizing in the private sector (20%), compared with 17 to 18% in various public sectors. The proportion reporting to have experienced downsizing in own department increases with the size of the business, and for 2009 the figures were: 13.7% (2-9 employees), 17.7% (10-49 employees), 20.1 per cent (50-199 employees) and 23.5% for enterprises with 200 or more employees.
One of the most dynamic economic sectors in terms of work organisation changes is the petroleum industry. The petroleum industry is the single most important industry for the Norwegian economy, and has a long tradition of various companies contributing to the development of a work organisation the entire industry can relate to. The overall picture today is an industry composed of many new and small companies, in addition to a large and dominant one. Meanwhile, offshore activity is characterized by ageing devices and major restructuring processes. At the same time, the industry is strongly male dominated with only 15% women, where the majority of these are working in catering. Data from Petroleumstilsynet also shows that shifts and rotation work are most prevalent for the industry.
Block 3: Associated effects of identified different forms of work organisation and work organisation-related items on working conditions
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Identify associated effects of different existing patterns of work organisation and work organisation-related items on working conditions (i.e. training, skills and employability; health, safety and well-being; working time and work-life balance). Particular elements to be analysed may include stress, job satisfaction, work life balance, workloads and learning
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Identify (possible) changes in working conditions associated to each work organisation pattern in the last 5-7 years, as well as the main reasons underpinning these changes
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Partners are requested to provide information focused on the existing relationship between predominant work organisation patterns and existing working conditions in the economic sector selected in previous section.
In LKU 2009, 54% reported that they have had to familiarize themselves with new technologies or administrative systems during the last twelve months. At the same time, one in three reported lack of training. The incidence is higher among men (57%) than women (50%) and in the age interval 25-54 years. Four out of ten with lower secondary education reported to have seen the introduction of new technology during the last year compared to six out of ten with a college or university education. Occupational groups reporting to have to familiarize themselves with the new technology to the highest degree are dominated by technical professions like engineers and system developers. Nurses are also among the occupational groups with the highest incidence (72%) and one in three of the nurses reported lack of training related to the introduction of new technologies. This also applies to the mining and quarrying industry, where eight out of ten reported that they had to familiarize themselves with new technology in the last 12 months and one in four reported a lack of training. For the education sector, the figures are six out of ten and four out of ten respectively. At the other end of the scale we find that one out of three in agriculture / forestry / fishing and accommodation / meals reported to have to deal with new technology that requires training last year, and three out of ten and four out of ten of these state lack of training respectively. While this is reported by 65% of the employees in the state and county sector, the figures in the private sector is 50 percent. In county agencies four out of ten reported lack of training, compared to less than one out of three in the private sector .The highest incidence of new technology / management systems, is also found in large companies with more than 200 employees.
At the same time, a steady increase is evident in the proportion of employees stating that they have good opportunities in their job for professional development and participation in further education. In 2009, nine out of 10 employees responded that their present job matches well with their educational qualifications and work experience. Nearly four out of five workers report to have good opportunities for professional development, and almost seven out of 10 believe that they have good opportunities for participating in further training and education. From 1999 to 2009, a small increase in development opportunities may be noted for all of these areas. More men (82%) than women (76%) report to have good opportunities for professional development, while workers under the age of 25 years (69%) have fewer opportunities in this regard than older workers: 81.5% of workers aged 25–44 years cite good opportunities in their job for professional development, as do 79% of workers aged 45–66 years. Figures for 2009 reveal that learning opportunities vary across occupations. In general, it appears that the lower occupational categories – particularly those associated with lower educational qualifications – also provide fewer opportunities for learning and professional development.
Some nine out of 10 employees reported to be satisfied with their job in 2009, and this number has remained stable since 1989. A number of employees still experience stress in relation to various aspect of their work, but only minor changes can be observed for the last decade with regard to the conditions that most employees find stressful. The issues most often perceived as stressful include workloads, time constraints and stress connected to fear of making mistakes.
When it comes to the conflict between work and family life, it is harder to assess trends, because this question was replaced in the 2006 survey. In 2003, 22% of employees reported that they, to some degree or to a large degree, found it difficult to combine working with non-working life. In 2006, 17% of the respondents claimed that the demands of their job often or very often interfere with their private life or family life. Workers aged 25–44 years most frequently report a work-family conflict. Poor work–life balance is most common among the occupational groups of legislators, senior officials and managers, and farmers, fishermen and forest workers. Surprisingly, work-family conflict is also most commonly reported among workers who have the highest levels of flexibility in their working time. Workers who have a fixed work schedule are least likely to experience a work-family conflict.
Block 4: Social partners’ position with regard to the issue of work organisation patterns
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Attitude/opinion of the social partners in your country on the importance of encouraging changes of work organisation in the economic tissue
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Main elements identified by social partners and associated with forms of work organisation, which have an impact on the improvement of working conditions and performance.
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Please distinguish (if possible) different views between trade unions and employers organisations.
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In some countries, agreements have been signed between social partners or initiatives/programmes have been developed by employers and/or trade unions in order to support changes in work organisation for different reasons (e.g. facing the economic crisis, improvement of productivity/performance and/or working conditions). Please, describe one/two relevant agreements or initiatives with the aim of supporting changes in work organisation.
Business and industry are increasingly internationalized, and this presents new challenges in terms of participation and involvement in the workplace. There is agreement among the major trade unions that a good contribution scheme in general is one of the most important factors to increase the productivity of Norwegian enterprises and that this is best achieved by focusing on the entire organization. This applies to all areas at all levels and businesses are advised to focus on systematic management training and an employer policy that is rooted in the top management. The employees' experience of mastering the job, influence over own work, support and opportunity to develop their abilities and skills are other important factors for organisational improvement, and all enterprises are advised to pave the way for development and that strategies and measures must be informed to and be recognized among all the employees.
Employers' organizations like The Confederation of Norwegian Enterprise (NHO) stresses on their side that as HSE is the most important success factor for profitability and productivity, companies should use the company's health service (BHT) in a better manner than they do today, and utilize their knowledge and experiences to a greater extent. It is also advised that BHT should also participate in relevant development and project work (safety training, protective service, line management, etc) in the companies, as well as provide assistance to the workers of the company in sickness absence and rehabilitation.
The most relevant agreement developed to support this is the Agreement on a More Inclusive Working Life (IA agreement), where the Government and the social partners (HSH (Federation of Norwegian Commercial and Service Enterprises), Spekter (employer’s association), KS (Norwegian Association of Local and Regional Authorities), NHO (Confederation of Norwegian Enterprise), LO (Norwegian Confederation of Trade Unions), YS (Confederation of Vocational Unions), Akademikerne (Federation of Norwegian Professional Associations) and UNIO) are working for a more inclusive working life – for the benefit of the employees, the workplaces and the society. This tripartite agreement on a more inclusive working life is an instrument aimed at preventing sick leave, increasing focus on job presence and preventing “expulsion” and increasing recruitment to working life of persons who do not have established employment. Through the agreement, focus has been placed on reducing sickness absence and the use of disability pensions, increasing the retirement age and ensuring the recruitment of people with impaired functioning capacity and other vulnerable groups to the employment market.
Commentary by the NC
The work environment and work organisation has been a political priority area in Norway for many years, and the country has a long history in fields such as occupational health and safety, and employee participation. As a result, the overall picture of working conditions is positive and figures for 2009 show that changes in recent years have advanced in the right direction. However, although the results are positive, it should be noted that working conditions vary considerably across occupations and sectors. As for future policies it is important to recognise that different groups have different needs and that they should be treated accordingly.
References
The Level of Living Survey (LKU) 2009. Statistics Norway (SSB)
Bråten, M, Andersen RK and Svalund J. ”HMS-tilstanden i Norge 2007”. Fafo-rapport 2008:20
Den nye arbeidsplassen: Arbeid, helse og deltakelse i arbeidslivet. Research project. The Research Council of Norway ( Norges forskningsråd).
Bjørn Tore Langeland, Dep. of Occupational Health Surveillance, National Institute of Occupational Health