Cooperation between employer and employee
Your immediate superior is responsible for implementing facilitation measures in the workplace or your work to ensure that you remain at work.
As an employee on sick leave, you are required to cooperate and participate in finding solutions that reduce the sick leave. You are also required to inform all involved about your functional ability.
Within 4 weeks: develop a follow-up plan
You and your immediate superior must develop a follow-up plan within 4 weeks of your going on sick leave.
The follow-up plan must include:
- An assessment of your work duties and your work capability
- Appropriate facilitation measures organised by the employer, possibly with tools provided by NAV
- A plan for ongoing follow-up
Your immediate superior submits the plan to the issuer of your medical certificate immediately, and at the latest within four weeks.
As an employee you are required to:
- contribute to finding solutions that allow you to return to work as quickly as possible.
- be prepared to do any suitable or facilitated work, if this allows you to return to work faster
- participate in the development and implementation of the follow-up plan.
Within 7 weeks: holding a dialogue meeting
If you are on 100 % sick leave your immediate superior must hold a dialogue meeting within 7 weeks to discuss the contents of the follow-up plan. In cases of partial sick leave a dialogue meeting is convened if considered expedient.
- Participants: Your immediate superior and you. Each party may invite a representative of the Occupational Health Service to attend the meeting. You may also invite a third party, e.g. safety representative. The attendance of the issuer of the medical certificate requires your consent.
- Location: If all parties agree that it is appropriate, the meeting takes place at your place of work. The meeting may be held at the doctor's office or the issuer of the medical certificate may participate e.g. on the phone. To enable your treatment providers to recommend appropriate sick leave measures, it is very important that they be aware of the opportunities available at your place of work.
- Purpose: Identify what you can do at your workplace and what facilitation measures are necessary to ensure that you can wholly or partially return to work.
- Possibilities for facilitation of the work during a partial sick leave
- Reduced working hours/pace
The easiest and most common way to facilitate a partial sick leave is to reduce working hours but make no further adaptations. It is up to you and your immediate superior to determine whether to reduce your hours by shortening your work day, by having your work every other day, or by an alternative arrangement. You may also work at a reduced pace. - Changed work assignments
You and your immediate superior may agree that your work duties should change. Determine which of your regular tasks you can do, which you cannot do, and discuss possible alternative tasks such as work experience or training.
You and your immediate superior must work together to find solutions in the workplace to allow you to work the required hours while you are on partial sick leave. If you and your immediate superior disagree with the percentage stipulated for your partial sick leave, this percentage may be adjusted. Address this issue with NAV and the issuer of your medical certificate.
- Reduced working hours/pace
Read more about the dialogue meeting (nav.no) (Norwegian).
Within 8 weeks
If you are not involved in work-related activity within eight weeks, you need an extended medical certificate documenting that there are compelling medical reasons that prevent you from participating in a work-related activity. Read more about follow-up of long-term sick leave.