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What are employees exposed to? For how long and how often? Which tasks, shifts or events cause strain?
Worklife / HR and HSE
Make women's health part of workplace health and safety.
Women's health and occupational health need to be understood in the context of work organisation. Here you can learn how risks arise, what to examine and how professional knowledge can lead to practical, documented improvements. The risk assessment tool is at the top of the page.
Practical tool / HR and HSEStart risk assessment and action planRecord risk factors, measures, responsibilities and deadlines. Explore a fictional example, create a print-friendly PDF or download CSV for Excel or Numbers.
PRACTICAL HSE TOOL
From risk assessment to an action plan.
Identify working conditions and assess potential consequences, then create an action plan with measures, responsibilities, deadlines and follow-up. Use this tool with employees and their representatives as part of the organisation's regular HSE work.
The information is processed locally in this browser tab and is not stored by Tidlignok. Download your work before leaving the page. Describe working conditions and avoid names, diagnoses and private health details. Downloaded documents must be stored securely.
Would you like to see how the tool works?
Choose from six fictional work situations. Add one example at a time and edit it further. Suggested risk scores are for illustration only and must be assessed for your workplace.
Staffing, cover and access to necessary breaks.
Describe at least one risk factor to generate a document.
'Save as PDF' opens a print-friendly document. Select 'Save as PDF' in your browser's print window. The CSV can be opened and edited in Excel or Numbers. Remove fictional examples before saving a real assessment.
Where would you like to begin?
Start with the area most relevant to your organisation.
01What does this mean for workplace health and safety?Start with the key concepts and responsibilities.02What should we examine?Identify working conditions that may affect health.03How do we get started?Follow five steps from identifying conditions to evaluation.04We need a practical templateFill in the risk assessment, measures, responsibilities and follow-up.
Explained from the beginning
What does women's health have to do with workplace health and safety?
HSE stands for health, safety and environment. Organisations must systematically provide a safe and healthy working environment. This includes identifying conditions that may cause harm or health problems, assessing risks and implementing measures.
Women's occupational health concerns both how work affects health and how health conditions or life stages affect everyday working life. Physical, chemical, biological, organisational and psychosocial demands can occur in all sectors.
Organisations must therefore examine actual working conditions, prevent harm and accommodate individual needs. Measures should be based on professional knowledge and specific assessments, rather than assumptions about sex or age.
NS-ISO 45010:2026
An international guide to menstruation and menopause at work.
The standard offers guidance on organisational and practical matters such as tasks, working hours, facilities, support, respect and confidentiality. It can complement the organisation's HSE system. It does not itself establish new legal requirements in Norway and is not a medical treatment guideline.
Read at Standards NorwayOpens in a new tabWomen's health in workplace management
Which health knowledge is relevant for HR and HSE?
HR and HSE should assess working conditions and prevent health risks. Medical diagnoses are made by healthcare professionals. However, knowledge of biological processes and health conditions can help identify workplace barriers.
The examples below are relevant areas of knowledge, not a list of diagnoses employees must report. Risks are mapped in tasks and work organisation. Individual needs are discussed confidentially when they arise.
Health topic 01Menstruation and period pain
What happens in the body?
During a period, parts of the lining of the uterus are shed. Chemical messengers called prostaglandins make the uterus contract and can cause pain, nausea and other symptoms. Many experience minor symptoms, while some need healthcare or practical adjustments.
What should HR and HSE examine?
Examine access to toilets, cover for breaks, rest breaks, working positions and physical demands. Arrangements must also work during lone working and busy shifts.
Health topic 02Endometriose
What happens in the body?
Endometriosis is a chronic condition in which tissue resembling the uterine lining grows outside the uterus. Inflammation and nervous system responses can contribute to recurring or long-lasting pain. Symptoms may also affect the bowel and bladder and cause exhaustion.
What should HR and HSE examine?
Consider demanding tasks, lifting, prolonged standing, toilet access, task variation and flexibility. Arrange follow-up because functioning may change.
Health topic 03Adenomyosis and heavy bleeding
What happens in the body?
In adenomyosis, tissue resembling the uterine lining occurs within the muscular wall of the uterus. This may contribute to pain and heavy menstrual bleeding. Repeated blood loss can lead to iron deficiency and eventually anaemia, which can reduce stamina. Heavy bleeding can have other causes too.
What should HR and HSE examine?
Examine the possibility of more frequent toilet visits and cover for breaks. Consider task variation and physical demands when an employee's functioning is affected.
Health topic 04PMS, PME and PMDD
What happens in the body?
PMS involves recurring physical or emotional symptoms before menstruation. PMDD is a more serious condition in which psychological symptoms can substantially affect functioning. PME is the premenstrual worsening of an existing condition, such as depression, anxiety or migraine. With PME, the underlying condition is also present outside the premenstrual period. Assessment and treatment may therefore differ.
What should HR and HSE examine?
Examine organisational and psychosocial demands such as time pressure, lack of support and low predictability. Take individual needs seriously without interpreting employees' reactions according to an assumed cycle phase.
Health topic 05PMOS, formerly PCOS
What happens in the body?
PMOS can affect ovulation, hormonal regulation and metabolism, including through insulin resistance. Some people have irregular periods or need medical follow-up, while others have few symptoms.
What should HR and HSE examine?
A diagnosis does not justify assumptions about working capacity. Explore concrete needs for flexibility or other work-related measures.
Health topic 06Fertilitetsbehandling
What happens in the body?
Fertility assessment and treatment can involve hormonal medicines, examinations and medical procedures. Appointments sometimes need to follow biological processes and treatment responses and may therefore arise at short notice.
What should HR and HSE examine?
Consider flexibility for treatment appointments and possible temporary adjustments. Leave and pay depend on applicable law and agreements. There is no automatic general right to paid time off for every fertility appointment.
Health topic 07Pregnancy and reproductive risks
What happens in the body?
Pregnancy involves major physiological changes. Chemical, biological, physical and some organisational conditions can also pose risks to the pregnant employee or fetus, even when the employee feels well. Risk assessments must consider actual exposures.
What should HR and HSE examine?
Identify relevant tasks and exposures. Remove risks through adjustments, and consider reassignment when necessary. If risks to the fetus cannot be removed, pregnancy benefits may be appropriate.
Health topic 08After childbirth, pelvic floor health and breastfeeding
What happens in the body?
The pelvic floor supports organs in the pelvis and helps control urination and bowel movements. Pregnancy and birth may cause pain, urinary leakage or a feeling of heaviness. Some people also need breastfeeding breaks or a suitable place to express milk when returning to work.
What should HR and HSE examine?
Consider ergonomics, toilet access, physical tasks and necessary facilities. Plan breastfeeding breaks in accordance with the Working Environment Act and follow up adjustments over time.
Health topic 09Perimenopause and menopause
What happens in the body?
During perimenopause, ovarian activity and hormone production change. Oestrogen levels may fluctuate significantly, and menstruation often becomes more irregular. Some experience hot flushes, night sweats, sleep problems, pain, mood changes or difficulty concentrating. Brain fog is an everyday term for experiences such as forgetfulness, difficulty maintaining attention or slower thought processes. These symptoms can have several causes, and many experience few or none.
What should HR and HSE examine?
Examine ventilation, temperature, working hours, toilet access, interruptions, clear priorities and opportunities for uninterrupted work. Use NS-ISO 45010 as guidance on working conditions, not as a medical guideline or legal text. Menopause status cannot predict a particular employee's ability to work.
Risks in working life
What should the organisation examine?
Begin with the actual work and its organisation. Assessments must reflect your workplace, sector and actual risks. Open a topic to explore specific questions.
Area 01Breaks, toilets and facilities
Why is this relevant?
Work with limited cover may prevent necessary toilet visits and breaks. This can be especially difficult with heavy bleeding, pain, urinary leakage or hot flushes. The issue concerns staffing, organisation and suitable facilities.
Questions for assessment
Who takes over when an employee needs the toilet or a break? Does cover work during busy periods, evening shifts and lone working?
Possible measures
Test cover arrangements, assess staffing and ensure suitable toilets and changing rooms. Consider drinking water, places to rest and temperature regulation.
Area 02Physical demands
Why is this relevant?
Ergonomic risks depend on the weight, duration and frequency of tasks, as well as opportunities for variation and recovery. General risk assessment must cover the work for all employees.
Questions for assessment
How often are heavy lifting and transfers performed? Can employees change working positions and use assistive equipment? Do equipment and protective clothing fit different body sizes?
Possible measures
Reduce demands at source through assistive equipment, realistic staffing, task variation, suitable protective equipment and safe handling procedures.
Area 03Psychosocial demands
Why is this relevant?
Psychosocial working environment factors include unclear or conflicting expectations, emotional demands from working with people, workloads and time pressure exceeding the time available, and support at work. Section 4-3 of the Working Environment Act clarifies these matters from 1 January 2026. Employers must assess relevant risks both individually and together, including over time, in cooperation with employees and their representatives.
Questions for assessment
Is workload proportionate to resources? Do employees have support, breaks and influence? Are violence, threats, harassment and emotionally demanding incidents followed up?
Possible measures
Assess task allocation, staffing, management support, colleague support and clear roles. Establish preventive procedures and follow-up after difficult incidents.
Area 04Working hours and influence
Why is this relevant?
Working hours affect sleep and recovery. Night shifts, unpredictable schedules and closely packed meetings may make symptoms harder to manage. Limited influence can also increase the burden.
Questions for assessment
How are night shifts and demanding shifts distributed? Do employees get enough rest and influence over schedules?
Possible measures
Review shifts, rest periods, meeting plans and staffing. Explore greater predictability without weakening working time protections or safety.
Area 05Pregnancy and specific risks
Why is this relevant?
An exposure is something a person encounters through work, such as chemicals, infectious agents, radiation or physical strain. During pregnancy, risks may exist without symptoms.
Questions for assessment
Are chemical inventories, safety data sheets and pregnancy procedures up to date? Do managers know who can assist with specialist risk assessment?
Possible measures
Prevent risks by changing tasks and exposures. Consider suitable alternative work when needed and pregnancy benefits if the requirements are met.
Area 06Knowledge and safe dialogue
Why is this relevant?
Employees may hesitate to raise needs if they fear stigma, unequal treatment or sharing of private information. Managers may lack knowledge of practical solutions.
Questions for assessment
Do employees know whom to contact? Can they discuss work functioning without disclosing diagnoses in general HSE meetings?
Possible measures
Provide professional knowledge, establish trusted contact points and procedures for confidential conversations, and check whether the measures actually make it easier to get help.
Area 07Cognitive demands and information flow
Why is this relevant?
Concentration, memory and attention are affected by sleep, stress, noise, interruptions and health, among other factors. Some people experience brain fog, for example during perimenopause. Cognitive demands also need to be assessed in light of work organisation.
Questions for assessment
How often are employees interrupted during concentration-intensive tasks? Are responsibilities, deadlines and priorities clear? Is information handed over effectively at shift changes and other critical transitions?
Possible measures
Consider protected work periods, better meeting practices, clear priorities, written handovers and appropriate quality assurance procedures. Measures must support both work functioning and safety.
Area 08Equal opportunities and career development
Why is this relevant?
A practice that values attendance more than actual qualifications and results may create barriers for employees with recurring health concerns. Some jobs require physical presence, but requirements should be justified by the tasks.
Questions for assessment
How are skills, results, leadership potential and participation in training assessed? Are promotion criteria clear, objective and relevant? Are necessary attendance requirements examined individually?
Possible measures
Review criteria and decision-making. Identify unintended barriers, consider adjustments and seek legal advice when anti-discrimination protections may apply.
Area 09Psychological safety when health problems remain unexplained
Why is this relevant?
Employees can experience significant symptoms for a long time before a cause is established. Fear of disbelief, losing opportunities or revealing sensitive health information may prevent early dialogue.
Questions for assessment
Can employees request help before receiving a diagnosis? Do managers respond constructively when someone raises mistakes, uncertainty or needs? Are confidential procedures and channels for reporting inappropriate reactions available?
Possible measures
Train managers in listening and respectful follow-up. Assess functioning and working conditions, document agreed measures and review them without making a diagnosis a general prerequisite.
These are examples, not a complete risk assessment. The organisation must assess other hazards associated with its work.
From individual factors to combined risk
Why should several demands be assessed together?
An employee may face heavy transfers, intense time pressure and emotionally demanding situations during the same shift. These demands can interact. NOU 2025:5 highlights combined mechanical and psychosocial demands in several female-dominated occupations. Such combinations must be examined in all workplaces based on how work is actually performed.
Vurder
Konsekvensen
What could happen in the short and long term? How do factors interact, and what remains uncertain?
Forebygg
Ved kilden
Could you change staffing, working methods or equipment? How will you verify that measures work?
How to interpret risk scores in the tool
The HSE tool uses a simple 1–3 scale for likelihood and consequences. Multiplying them yields a preliminary score of 1–9, but this is only an aid for prioritisation. The score is not a validated medical measurement or a universal boundary between acceptable and unacceptable risks. Serious exposures and legally regulated limit values must be assessed separately.
A useful starting question is: What makes it difficult to take necessary breaks, get help with heavy tasks or recover after demanding events?
Systematic workplace health and safety
Five steps from assessment to improvement.
Use the organisation's existing HSE system. Risk assessments and measures must be documented in writing to an extent appropriate for its size, activities and risk profile.
01
Map the work
Describe actual working conditions: tasks, shifts, staffing, premises, equipment, organisational and psychosocial demands. Use workplace inspections, incident reports, working environment assessments and employee involvement. Distinguish workplace information from private health information.
02
Vurder risiko
Assess likelihood, consequences, uncertainty and what may happen in the short and long term. Assess psychosocial factors individually, in combination and overall. Heavy lifting combined with intense time pressure and limited support may create greater strain than each factor separately. Document the assessment in the HSE system and prioritise serious risks even when rare.
03
Choose measures together
Involve employees, safety representatives and other relevant representatives. Prefer measures that eliminate or reduce risk at source, such as safer staffing and assistive equipment. Consider individual adjustments as well.
04
Agree responsibilities and deadlines
Enter prioritised measures into an action plan. Specify the responsible role, deadline, necessary resources and how the measures will be checked. Use the digital tool for support and transfer the documentation into your organisation's own HSE system.
05
Evaluate and improve
Check whether working conditions have improved through observation, participation and relevant measurements. Follow up unintended effects, including extra demands on colleagues. Update the assessment when tasks or exposures change.
In Norway, the psychosocial working environment rules were clarified on 1 January 2026. The changes specify existing obligations to identify, assess and follow up conditions affecting occupational health.
Read guidance from the Labour Inspection AuthorityOpens in a new tabUse during workplace inspections or HSE meetings
Nine questions to make assessments concrete.
Use the questions together with employees and safety representatives, preferably focusing on one work area at a time. Record observations, possible consequences and improvement proposals.
- 01
Which tasks or shifts cause the greatest physical or emotional strain?
- 02
Can employees take necessary breaks and use the toilet without putting work or safety at risk?
- 03
Are equipment, work clothes and protective equipment suitable for the people who need to use them?
- 04
How do we deal with excessive work pressure, conflicting demands, violence and harassment?
- 05
Do we have procedures for assessing specific risks during pregnancy and other relevant circumstances?
- 06
How do interruptions, crowded meeting schedules and information flow affect concentration-intensive work and safety?
- 07
Who is responsible for improvements, when will they be completed, and how will we check their effects?
- 08
How do we ensure psychological safety for employees with health concerns that have not yet been diagnosed?
- 09
Do we use attendance as a substitute for assessing skills, results or leadership potential?
From meeting to action plan
Describe each risk in the digital form. Record existing measures, assess consequences and likelihood, and agree on new measures, responsibilities, deadlines and evaluation. You can save a PDF or CSV for further work. Incomplete documents are marked as drafts. A completed file must still be processed and followed up in the organisation's HSE system.
Go to the risk assessment toolDifferent workplaces, different needs
How does this look in practice?
The examples are fictional and illustrate questions an organisation might ask. Measures must be selected based on local risk assessments.
Health and care services
Work situation
High emotional demands, heavy patient transfers and busy shifts may occur together.
Questions to explore
Is enough support available after difficult incidents? Does lifting and transfer equipment work? Can employees take necessary breaks?
Possible follow-up
Review staffing, organisational support, ergonomics, breaks and procedures for demanding incidents together.
Retail and service
Work situation
Prolonged standing, customer pressure and lone working may make breaks and bathroom visits difficult.
Questions to explore
Is cover available when needed? Are tasks allocated to allow variation in physical demands?
Possible follow-up
Review cover arrangements, staffing, opportunities to sit and task variation.
Office and administration
Work situation
Closely packed meetings, interruptions and high work pressure can make concentration-intensive work difficult.
Questions to explore
Can employees influence meeting schedules? Are priorities clear? Are quiet work periods possible?
Possible follow-up
Review meeting practices, workload, protected concentration time and indoor climate.
Childcare and schools
Work situation
Employees work closely with children, respond to strong emotions and perform frequent lifting or work in low positions. Breaks may be interrupted when staffing is limited.
Questions to explore
How are emotionally demanding tasks and physical demands shared? Are cover and support available after incidents?
Possible follow-up
Review staffing, break arrangements, assistive equipment, working heights and support for emotional demands.
Cleaning and facilities
Work situation
Work may involve repetitive movements, heavy equipment, wet work and cleaning chemicals. Employees sometimes work alone at changing locations.
Questions to explore
Is equipment suited to the user? Have chemicals and methods been risk-assessed? Are toilets and breaks available at every work location?
Possible follow-up
Review assistive equipment, substitution of hazardous chemicals, training and arrangements for lone working and facilities.
Industry and technical occupations
Work situation
Tasks may involve protective equipment, chemicals, noise, heat or demanding shifts. Equipment and work clothing do not always fit every body size.
Questions to explore
Does protective equipment fit? Have reproductive hazards been assessed? Are specific adjustments needed?
Possible follow-up
Review chemical inventories and exposures, fit protective equipment, assess shift patterns and seek qualified assistance.
Shift work and critical handovers
Work situation
A team has frequent shift changes, high work pace and tasks where poor information flow may have serious consequences. Some employees experience periods of sleep or concentration difficulties.
Questions to explore
Are handovers standardised? Is there time and a quiet environment to verify important information? How do shift schedules and staffing affect risk?
Possible follow-up
Improve handover procedures, priorities, opportunities for focused work and verification checkpoints. Review shift demands and individual adjustments without making assumptions about diagnoses.
Hot working environments
Work situation
Employees work in hot rooms, wear uniforms or protective equipment and have limited opportunities for breaks. Some also experience hot flushes.
Questions to explore
Have temperature, ventilation and physical demands been assessed? Is drinking water available, along with breaks and suitable work clothing?
Possible follow-up
Consider technical measures, ventilation, breaks, access to water and appropriate clothing that still meets safety and hygiene requirements.
Promotion when absence recurs
Work situation
Two employees with comparable qualifications are being considered for greater responsibility. One has had recurring sickness absence. The employer places considerable weight on attendance without clarifying which tasks genuinely require it.
Questions to explore
Which requirements are necessary for the role? How are results, qualifications and development potential assessed? Could alternative organisation or adjustments work?
Possible follow-up
Set objective and relevant criteria in advance. Assess competence independently, document concrete requirements and examine anti-discrimination issues when necessary.
Roles and privacy
Who does what?
Employer
Is responsible for mapping working conditions, risk assessment, necessary measures, documentation and working environment follow-up.
Employees and their representatives
Must participate in workplace health and safety work. Safety representatives must be consulted on measures affecting the working environment.
HR og HMS
Can support management with processes, expertise, procedures, documentation and follow-up. The employer retains responsibility.
Working Environment Committee (AMU)
In organisations required to have a working environment committee, employer and employee representatives participate in working environment matters. Within its mandate, the committee can follow up plans, assessments and preventive measures.
Bedriftshelsetjenesten
Provides specialist assistance with preventive health and safety work. Approved occupational health services are mandatory in certain sectors and when the risk profile requires them.
Assess the working environment while respecting privacy.
Ask about tasks, breaks, demands, working hours and support. Assessments should describe working conditions rather than registering employees' diagnoses or intimate health information. Health data requires a separate legal basis and strict data protection safeguards.
Responses from very small teams can identify individuals even without names. Use anonymised or aggregated information wherever possible and limit access to documentation. The digital form is intended for working conditions and measures, not as a register of employees' health.
Statutory employer responsibility
What does the duty to make adjustments mean?
Workplace adjustments involve organising work so that it is safe and takes account of employees' circumstances. Employers have general duties towards all employees and a specific duty when an employee's work ability has been reduced.
Section 4-1 of the Working Environment Act
A fully satisfactory working environment
Employers must prevent harmful strain and provide a fully satisfactory working environment. This applies to all employees and forms part of systematic HSE work.
Section 4-2 of the Working Environment Act
Adjustments and development
Work must be designed and organised with regard to employees' work ability, qualifications, age and other circumstances. The provision also covers opportunities for professional and personal development. Employees must be able to participate in decisions.
Section 4-6 of the Working Environment Act
Specific duty to accommodate
When work ability is reduced due to illness, injury, wear and tear or similar circumstances, the employer must, as far as possible, implement necessary measures to enable the employee to retain or obtain suitable work.
Adjustments may be relevant before sick leave.
Employers' general duties also apply when employees are healthy and working full time. The specific duty under section 4-6 may become relevant when work ability is reduced, even before the employee is certified as sick.
Which measures are necessary and possible must be assessed individually. Tasks, organisational conditions, employee needs and consequences for the working environment all matter.
Trust and participation support cooperation but do not replace the employer's statutory responsibilities.
Read about workplace adjustments at the Labour Inspection AuthorityOpens in a new tabLong-term occupational health
How can we support capacity throughout a working life?
Working capacity depends on many factors, including health, sleep, recovery, workload and life circumstances. Some people experience recurring patterns of symptoms, for example relating to menstrual cycles. Others have less predictable fluctuations.
Some people may have significant symptoms over several days or for up to a couple of weeks per cycle. When such periods recur for many years, their combined burden can be substantial. This does not mean everyone has these symptoms or that working capacity is necessarily reduced throughout the period.
When employees feel ashamed
An employee may feel ashamed of having less energy at certain times. Some fear colleagues or managers will consider them less skilled, motivated or reliable.
This may lead employees to conceal symptoms, avoid asking for help or push through particularly demanding tasks.
For HR and HSE, safety, confidentiality and workplace culture are therefore also relevant to prevention.
When employees catch up on better days
Some try to make up for unfinished tasks when symptoms improve. Over time, this may increase overall strain and reduce opportunities for recovery.
It may be necessary to review workloads, deadlines, staffing and allocation of tasks rather than expecting the employee to compensate through extra effort.
Measures must also be considered in light of colleagues' working environments, to ensure safe arrangements for the whole team.
How do we build mutual trust?
Trust means employees feel safe describing challenges and needs, and employers respond by genuinely considering possible measures. Employees must also participate in finding solutions that work.
A safe conversation can focus on tasks, demands, breaks and practical solutions. Employees are generally not required to disclose diagnoses or private medical details to discuss how work is going.
The employer is responsible for a fully satisfactory working environment and for considering adjustments under the Working Environment Act. Trust does not replace that responsibility but can improve cooperation.
Questions for HR and HSE
- Can employees raise recurring needs without fear of stigma or negative consequences?
- Are staffing and workload organised so employees can manage periods of variable capacity without having to work extra later?
- Are there procedures for individual adjustments that can be reviewed and modified over time?
- Do managers know how to distinguish work functioning, necessary information and private health data?
- Does the organisation assess combined strain from working hours, physical tasks, psychosocial demands and recovery?
- How do we determine whether adjustments work for the employee, colleagues and organisation over time?
Preventive HSE work aims to create working conditions that allow people to use and develop their skills over long careers, including when health and capacity change.
Organisational culture and prevention
Psychological safety must be built into the way we work.
Psychological safety describes a workplace where people feel they can ask questions, report mistakes and uncertainty, and express needs without fearing humiliation or negative interpersonal reactions. With health concerns, this can be crucial for seeking help early.
Safety does not mean every request must be met or employers cannot set reasonable demands. It means concerns are handled respectfully, assessed concretely and followed up predictably. Employers' statutory obligations apply regardless of how openly an employee discusses health.
When a diagnosis takes time
For some conditions, including endometriosis, it can take years from symptom onset to diagnosis. Studies from different countries report long diagnostic delays, but there is no single figure describing all Norwegian patient journeys.
An employee may therefore experience pain, exhaustion or other functional difficulties while investigation is ongoing. The workplace can consider adjustments based on actual functioning and needs without waiting for a final diagnosis.
When shame makes needs invisible
Some worry they will seem unambitious or unreliable if they reveal health difficulties. They may push through pain, work extra on good days or avoid asking for help.
Managers should invite conversations about tasks, workload, support and possible solutions. Employees generally need not disclose diagnoses or private medical details in such discussions.
From good intentions to clear procedures
- Make clear whom employees can contact confidentially, including before a diagnosis has been established.
- Train managers to listen, protect privacy and follow up on work functioning rather than assumed diagnoses.
- Explore whether previous negative reactions or informal workplace norms prevent employees from speaking up.
- Trial appropriate measures, assign responsibilities and agree on evaluation in advance.
- Check that procedures are fair and predictable across departments and managers.
Leadership and equal opportunities
From individual adjustments to a workplace that includes more people.
When each person must negotiate their own solution, support can depend on the individual manager and how safe it feels to discuss needs. Systematic prevention means designing staffing, schedules, facilities, task allocation and conversation procedures with human variation in mind.
When everything rests on the individual
The employee must describe the problem, find words for their needs and suggest measures. Solutions may become inconsistent, arrive late and feel like exceptions.
When the organisation takes responsibility
The workplace has good basic arrangements, accessible procedures and clear responsibilities. Individual adjustments are still considered when needs require them, but the starting point is a more inclusive working environment.
When attendance is used to judge competence
Physical attendance may be necessary for certain jobs. But attendance alone says little about professional knowledge, results or leadership potential. If presence carries disproportionate weight in promotions, employees with recurring health concerns may face fewer development opportunities.
Organisations should define which tasks genuinely require presence, assess skills and performance separately and explore whether work organisation or adjustments could remove unnecessary barriers. Criteria should be objective, transparent and documentable.
Section 4-2 of the Working Environment Act also covers professional and personal development. Anti-discrimination rules may apply in specific cases, including disability. Different health conditions do not automatically have identical legal protection; assessments must be grounded in the facts.
Six questions for the management team
- Which adjustments are already a normal part of work organisation?
- Which problems do employees still have to manage and explain alone?
- How do we ensure equal opportunities for training, assignments, leadership roles and promotion?
- What role do actual skills and results play compared with attendance?
- How do we find out whether employees experience psychological safety?
- Who follows up whether measures work, including for colleagues and the overall working environment?
The aim is for women's health knowledge to be integrated so well into ordinary management and systematic HSE work that employees receive understanding and practical support early, with genuine opportunities to participate and develop throughout working life.
Sources and professional background
This guidance combines requirements from the Norwegian Labour Inspection Authority, Norwegian working environment law and medical knowledge from Helsenorge. NS-ISO 45010:2026 is a guidance standard on menstruation and menopause, while NOU 2025:5 provides a broader evidence base on women's occupational health and proposals for improvements. The committee's proposals and the standard's recommendations are not in themselves new Norwegian legal requirements.
Chapter 4 of the Working Environment Act
Legal basis for a fully satisfactory working environment, development opportunities and adjustments.
Open sourceOpens in a new tabEquality and Anti-Discrimination Act
Rules on protection from discrimination and individual accommodation for disabilities.
Open sourceOpens in a new tabNS-ISO 45010:2026
Standards Norway's introduction to guidance on menstruation and menopause in the workplace.
Open sourceOpens in a new tabNorwegian Labour Inspection Authority: Risk assessment
Employer responsibilities, participation, documentation, selection of measures and follow-up.
Open sourceOpens in a new tabNorwegian Labour Inspection Authority: Psychosocial working environment
Requirements on mapping and prevention, including clarifications effective from 1 January 2026.
Open sourceOpens in a new tabNorwegian Labour Inspection Authority: Workplace adjustments
General and individual adjustments and special duties when work ability is reduced.
Open sourceOpens in a new tabNOU 2025:5 Women's Occupational Health
Norwegian evidence and recommendations for systematic working environment management.
Open sourceOpens in a new tabNorwegian Labour Inspection Authority: Occupational health services
When occupational health services are mandatory and how they should support preventive workplace health and safety.
Open sourceOpens in a new tabNorwegian Labour Inspection Authority: Pregnancy and working environment
Reproductive risks, risk assessment, adjustments and reassignment.
Open sourceOpens in a new tabNAV: Pregnancy benefits
Eligibility when work poses a risk to the fetus and adjustments are not possible.
Open sourceOpens in a new tabHelsenorge: Endometriosis
Medical background on symptoms, examination and treatment.
Open sourceOpens in a new tabHelsenorge: Menopause symptoms
Information on common symptoms, variations and treatment options.
Open sourceOpens in a new tabThis page explains general workplace health and safety principles. A specific risk assessment must be adapted to the organisation, current rules and actual hazards.