Norway: Clarification of the Requirements for the Psychosocial Working Environment Act

Lately, several amendments have been adopted to the Working Environment Act that will affect both employers and employees. As of 1 January 2026, company-specific age limits will be abolished. For a more detailed account of this topic, please refer to our Law Tracker from March and July 2025. Furthermore, the requirements for the psychosocial working environment are being clarified.

 

Clarification of Requirements for the Psychosocial Working Environment Act

The Working Environment Act Section 4-1 requires that the physical and psychosocial working environment must be “fully satisfactory.” Furthermore, Section 4-3 of the Act specifies the requirements for the psychosocial working environment. The Norwegian Labour Inspection Authority found that employers often perceive the listed factors as exhaustive.

The Ministry found that the current wording of the provision contributed to employers’ focusing too narrowly on certain aspects of the psychosocial working environment. Further, surveys  reveal  that many employees experience a stressful psychosocial working environment and that work-related ailments are increasing, particularly among younger employees.

In order to avoid that the listed requirements are seen as exhaustive and to promote a broader and healthier approach, a new first and second paragraph will be added to Section 4-3 of the Working Environment Act from 1 January 2026, clarifying the requirements for the psychosocial working environment.

The first paragraph of the new provision establishes that:

“Work shall be organized, planned, and carried out in such a way that the psychosocial working environment factors in the undertaking are fully satisfactory in view of the employees’ health, safety, and welfare.”

The second paragraph provides examples of psychosocial working environment factors covered by the requirement of being “fully satisfactory,” including:

• unclear or conflicting demands and expectations in the work,
• emotional demands and strain in work involving interaction with people,
• workload and time pressure creating an imbalance between tasks and available time, and
• support and assistance in performing the work.

The Ministry has emphasized that the listed factors are not exhaustive.

The purpose of the amendment is to highlight that the psychosocial aspect is an important part of a fully satisfactory working environment, and to give employers better guidance on what factors they need to consider in order to create a healthy psychosocial working environment.

In the consultation process leading up to the proposal, several employer organizations expressed concern that the changes would impose stricter obligations on employers and lead to more conflicts and whistleblowing cases. The Ministry, however, clarified that the amendment does not entail any substantive change to the current law, but also adjusted the final text of the provision somewhat based on the input. Employers, therefore, in principle, do not need to take any immediate action. How the provision will work in practice – and whether it (albeit unintentional) will further encourage whistleblowing and complaints – remains to be seen.