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Summer is nearly here and so it is important for employers in Norway to start planning for their team’s holiday, if they haven’t already. It can be costly for employers if employees do not take their statutory holiday entitlement. We explore the details below.
Holiday planning and management
The clear starting point according to the Norwegian Holiday Act (the ‘Act’) is that the employer has the final say on when its employees take their holiday. It is also the employer’s responsibility to ensure that its employees do in fact use their statutory holiday entitlement.
Employers must discuss the timing of any holiday and create holiday lists with the individual employee ‘in good time’ under the Act. According to the Act, employees can also demand to be informed of the time of the holiday as early as possible, and no later than two months before the holiday is to be taken. For a holiday that is to be taken in August 2025, the employee must therefore be notified in June 2025 – which is very fast approaching.
The Act also stipulates that employees may take three weeks of continuous holiday in the period from 1 June to 30 September, except for those who join after 15 August. Most employees usually want to take their holiday in the summer. Good planning before this period is therefore important to ensure that both the employee takes their statutory holiday, but also that it is taken in a way that meets the company’s staffing needs.
It is normal for the employer to give their employees a deadline for submitting their holiday requests, so that approval and final determination of the holiday can be carried out and informed within the two-month deadline. The actual holiday scheduling can then be done in several ways according to industry needs, collective agreements or the specific characteristics of the business. The holiday can be agreed individually with each employee, it can be pooled, or the business can have a rolling plan.
Exceptions and the right to change scheduled holidays
The two-month notification deadline is not absolute. This can be given later if “special reasons prevent this” according to the Act. Unforeseen operational situations in the business are one example, although if the employee has already been notified of the date of the holiday, the right to change is more limited. According to the Act, holiday dates can only be changed in the event of unforeseen events that will cause significant operational problems, and where a substitute cannot be found. In such cases, the employee can also claim additional expenses from the employer as a result of the holiday change.
Takeaway for employers
Summer is very nearly upon us and so to ensure compliance with the Norwegian Holiday Act, together with operational continuity, employers should begin holiday planning now (if they haven’t already). In particular, employers should:
- Initiate holiday discussions early and notify employees of their holiday dates at least two months in advance.
- Ensure employees take their statutory holiday.
- Set clear deadlines for holiday requests to manage staffing effectively.
- Be aware of exceptions, with changes to approved holidays only allowed in limited circumstances.
