Is your business subject to the obligation to account for equal opportunities at the workplace?

Is your business subject to the obligation to account for equal opportunities at the workplace? If so, the law mandates reporting requirements on the Board.

All Norwegian employers are obliged to work actively, targeted and with a plan to ensure increased equal opportunities and prevent discrimination at the workplace.

Employers in public undertakings (regardless of size) and private undertakings with more than 50 employees shall i) work with equal opportunities and non-discrimination through a statutory method, and map salary and involuntary part-time work as a minimum every second year (action obligation), as well as ii) account for the status regarding gender equality and for efforts relating to equal opportunities and non-discrimination once a year (reporting obligation). These requirements also apply for employers in private undertakings with between 20 and 50 employees, if one of the parties at the workplace demands this. Employee representatives shall be involved in this work.  

A statement of the equality work shall be included in the annual statement or in another publicly available document (with information as to where to access this). Employers in public undertakings not required to submit an annual statement, shall include the equality statement in their annual report or in another publicly available document.

In essence, employers who are subject to the obligation to account for equal opportunities shall:

• Identify possible risks for discrimination or other barriers for equal opportunities, including mapping every second year the employment terms and conditions by gender and the use of involuntary part-time work;
• Analyze the causes of any identified risks;
• Implement measures designed to combat discrimination, and facilitate increased equal opportunities and diversity in the undertaking and
• assess the results of the above mentioned work.

DLA Piper's employment lawyers will be pleased to have an informal chat about the status in your business. 

Contact details:

Per Benonisen, Partner and Location Head Employment, DLA Piper Norway, +47 41 91 65 26, per.benonisen@dlapiper.com