Since 1 January, the requirements for a healthy psychosocial work environment have been more clearly defined in Norway’s Working Environment Act. To help employers and employees actually apply these rules in practice, the Norwegian Labour Inspection Authority (Arbeidstilsynet) is launching a series of free practical seminars across Norway this autumn. The message: prevention is better than cure, and a healthy workplace is built together.
What is changing in the law?
The psychosocial work environment concerns how employees experience their work and their interactions with one another, as well as the dynamics between people in the workplace. Arbeidstilsynet stresses that a good psychosocial work environment helps prevent sick leave and dropout, and contributes to engagement, well-being and productivity. Arbeidstilsynet does not cite a specific article of the law; the regulator’s core message is that companies must work systematically and preventively, since it is easier to prevent problems than to solve them afterwards.
Practical courses across Norway
To support this shift, Arbeidstilsynet is organising seven seminars this autumn and early next year in four Norwegian cities: Trondheim, Norway (16 November, already full, and 30 November, both 12:30-15:00), Oslo (26 November and 1 December, both 09:00-11:30), Tromsø (3 December, 12:30-15:00, and 15 December, 12:00-14:30) and Bodø (19 January, 09:00-11:30). Participation is free, but places are limited and registration is mandatory; the inspectorate does not rule out adding further dates later.
The sessions cover which factors influence the psychosocial work environment, what the clarified legal text means in practice, how a company can map out its psychosocial work environment and assess risks, and how to choose suitable preventive measures. The seminars are aimed at managers, safety representatives (verneombud) and union representatives (tillitsvalgte). Arbeidstilsynet encourages organisations to attend with several colleagues who have a role in work-environment efforts, since, according to the regulator, a good work environment is created together.
Context
That psychosocial risks are widespread is also evident from the fourth European Survey of Enterprises on New and Emerging Risks (ESENER 2024) by the European Agency for Safety and Health at Work (EU-OSHA). It shows that 56 percent of organisations in the services sector deal with difficult customers, patients or students, and 43 percent face structural time pressure. Norway’s approach – clear legislation combined with low-threshold, free training for managers and employee representatives – thus targets risks that, according to these European figures, affect a large share of organisations.
What does this mean for employers elsewhere?
The change in the law applies only in Norway, but the approach is also relevant for organisations in other countries. In the European Union, the framework directive 89/391/EEC already requires employers to assess all occupational risks, including psychosocial ones; in the Netherlands, the Working Conditions Act (Arbowet) explicitly names psychosocial workload. Norway’s seminars, aptly titled ‘From requirement to practice’, show how a regulator can, alongside enforcement, actively help translate a legal requirement into concrete measures on the shop floor.
Source: Arbeidstilsynet: courses on psychosocial work environment, 21-10-2026
Also researched: EU-OSHA, ESENER 2024
