At the Natural History Museum (NHM), we work together to advance understanding of the natural world through research, education, collection management, and the dissemination of knowledge about natural diversity. We are happy to have you onboard as part of our team, helping us in this important work.
On this webpage, we have gathered information to help you settle into your new role.
Onboarding of New Employees
You will receive systematic support as you transition into your new role. For employees in permanent and long-term positions, this support extends over one year. During this time, you will have regular meetings with your manager and receive additional guidance from a designated buddy.
Support for New International Employees
Relocating to a new country can be overwhelming. UiO’s International Staff Mobility Office (ISMO) assists international staff, PhD candidates, guest researchers, and their families with the relocation process. Their website offers information on accommodation, visas, permits, social security, insurance, taxes, opening a bank account, and more. Do not hesitate to contact ISMO for help.
Familiarise yourself with NHM and UiO
As a new member of NHM, we encourage you to familiarise yourself with both our museum and the University of Oslo (UiO). NHM engages in a diverse range of activities, and employs over 160 people in various roles. Our museum encompasses multiple buildings and departments. Explore our organisational structure, museum departments, and activities on our website.
Understanding and committing to NHM's goals and key areas is crucial for every staff member. Take time to familiarise yourself with our policies and strategies to gain an understanding of the principles and goals that guide our work.
Since NHM is part of UiO, it is beneficial to also get an overview of the university's organisation. Visit UiO's website to get a sense of the university's structure and its overarching strategies.
Practical Information for Your Start-Up Phase
UiO offers an overview of practical information for new employees on their dedicated web page. Visit it to find guidance on securing your employee access card, configuring your username and password, managing your email and calendar, updating your profile page, logging work hours, accessing IT Services, and more.
Employee Intranet
UiO's intranet serves as a central hub for employees, offering a wealth of information, tools, and services. It provides comprehensive details on terms of employment, such as working hours, absence policies, salary information, employee benefits, reimbursements, travel procedures, staff follow-up protocols, alongside career support and competence development opportunities. The intranet's start page is customisable to fit your individual needs.
NHM's Internal Unit Pages
On NHM's Internal Unit Pages you will find useful information specifically for museum employees. You will get access to these web pages as soon as you have a UiO username and password.
- Visit NHM's Internal Unit Pages (restricted access)
Staying Informed at NHM
At the museum, we use various channels to keep employees informed. It is important to regularly check your emails, read the monthly newsletters, and attend meetings you are invited to, as these are key ways the museum shares updates and essential information.
Cooperation and Co-determination
The museum actively works to ensure that employees can participate in decision-making processes. Primarily, this is achieved through formal and structured collaboration between management, trade unions, and safety representatives.
Additionally, we are committed to creating processes that include and build on employees' insights and perspectives as much as possible and where appropriate. We emphasize designing projects and processes in a way that actively engages employees at relevant stages and provides opportunities to influence strategic decisions. We believe that employee involvement contributes to better decisions and objectives.
Learn Norwegian
Learning Norwegian is an important step towards integration, and NHM highly encourages international employees to pursue language learning. If you are a permanent employee who is not fluent in a Scandinavian language, you are expected to achieve a certain level of Norwegian proficiency within two years.
Employee Follow-up and One-to-One Work Dialogues
In addition to continuous follow-up by your manager with personnel responsibility for you, you will be invited to annual one-to-one work dialogues with either your manager or with the person to whom your manager has delegated this responsibility. Building on your onboarding, these dialogues replace the onboarding dialogues you had during the introduction period. The focus of the one-to-one work dialogues is on well-being, tasks, development, and feedback, and they are crucial for your follow-up and development as an employee. Although the leader conducts the meetings, you are expected to come well-prepared and contribute to making the dialogue as constructive as possible.
The Working Environment at NHM
The work environment at the museum should be positive, inclusive, and supportive. As an employee, you should feel safe, valued, and respected for who you are. The museum actively works to promote diversity and equality, and welcomes employees from all backgrounds. We have zero tolerance for bullying and harassment, and have a system in place to report such incidents.
- Learn more about how NHM works with health, safety and the environment (HSE)
- Learn more about how NHM works with Diversity, Equality and Inclusion (DEI)
As an employee, you also have a responsibility to contribute to your colleagues' well-being and a positive work environment, and you are expected to adhere to UiO's ethical guidelines for employees
Welfare Offerings at NHM
NHM provides a diverse range of welfare offerings for its employees. The museum has a welfare committee that organises annual excursions, events, and parties. We offer monthly lunch talks and employee choirs for those who enjoy singing. As an NHM employee, you can access other museums for free by borrowing one of NHM's limited number of Norwegian Museum Association or ICOM cards.