Employee Handbook: Absence

Here you will find information about rules and procedures for different types of absence from work. If you cannot find the answer you are looking for, you can send a request via TOPdesk.

Vacation

In the state, all employees have 25 days of vacation with or without pay. The vacation year follows the calendar year, and vacation pay is accrued in the year before the vacation is taken.

You can find information about vacation pay here.

Public employers must ensure that employees receive 25 working days of vacation each vacation year. Within the period from June 1 to September 30, the employee can demand to take a continuous three-week vacation period. Managers should ensure that employees are able to take their vacation. Vacation pay cannot be paid out for vacation that is not taken during the vacation year. The exception is if an employee resigns and receives a final settlement.

Everyone has the right to take vacation in the calendar year, and in the state, there is a distinction between paid vacation and unpaid vacation. The number of vacation days employees can take with pay depends on how much vacation pay was earned in the previous calendar year.

The total amount of vacation, both paid and unpaid, is 25 vacation days for employees under 60 years of age. From the year one turns 60, one is entitled to 30 vacation days.

Last changed: 22.11.2024
Printvennlig innhold: Scope of the vacation

Internal procedure - Use of employer's management prerogative in determining vacation. (Page not available in English).

Internal procedure - Determining vacation for employees in auxiliary positions. (Page not available in English).

Last changed: 06.02.2025
Printvennlig innhold: Determination of vacation

All employees are required to register their vacation requests in the self-service portal, see the guide.

From there, the application is sent electronically to the manager for approval.

Once the manager has processed the application in the self-service portal, the system generates an email to the employee with information about the outcome of the application.

Employees have the option to change or delete vacation in the self-service portal, see the guide (dfo.no).

Employees can check their vacation quotas themselves in the self-service portal.

Note: The vacation quota in the self-service portal shows the number of days employees have available for vacation in the current year. This quota is reduced as soon as a vacation application is submitted, even before it is approved by the manager. In this way, the self-service portal always shows the number of available vacation days that employees can apply for.

How many vacation days do I have?

Last changed: 30.01.2025
Printvennlig innhold: Apply for vacation

The employer and employee can agree that up to 12 working days of vacation may be taken as advance vacation. This means that the vacation is taken before the vacation year begins. There is no distinction between whether the vacation days taken are statutory or follow from a collective agreement. This constitutes 10 working days for employees with a standard five-day workweek (Monday to Friday) and full-time employment.

The Holiday Act can be found here.

Here you can apply for vacation. The form must be filled out by the employee and sent to the manager for approval, before it is forwarded via TOPdesk.

Last changed: 30.01.2025
Printvennlig innhold: Apply for advance vacation

Changing or deleting an absence application occurs in the DFØ self-service portal.

Under "Time," select the "Absence applications" tile. Under "Application overview," sent applications are displayed.

Deletion of sent or approved absence applications is done by clicking on the cross.

Editing the application is done by clicking on the pen.

Note! New/future absences should not be added in the same application. Only changes should be entered. To apply for new absence, a new absence application must be created.

Last changed: 30.01.2025
Printvennlig innhold: Change or delete vacation application

It is the employer's duty to facilitate the conditions so that the vacation can be taken within the vacation year. On the other hand, the employee has a duty to take the vacation.

Transfer of vacation

An employee can transfer up to 14 vacation days to the next year (10 days according to the Holiday Act, 4 days according to the Main Tariff Agreements). Guidance on how to apply for the transfer of vacation can be found here.
Employees should apply for the transfer of vacation in the self-service portal.
Where employees, contrary to regulations, have more than 14 days of vacation transferred to the next vacation year, a justification must be provided in the self-service portal. Reasons can be 100% sick leave during vacation, or taking parental leave.
Applications for the transfer of vacation can be registered from October 1st and must be done by December 31st, xxxx. The application should only be registered once the employee has taken the vacation days they are entitled and obliged to take in the current year and knows the number of remaining vacation days that can be transferred. If there is a change in the application, a new application must be submitted, and a comment about this must be included in the "Note to approver" field.

Payout of vacation

It is not possible to receive payment for unused vacation. This also applies to long-term sick employees who have not had the opportunity to take their vacation. Vacation that is not taken will only be paid out in a final settlement upon termination.

Last changed: 30.01.2025
Printvennlig innhold: Transfer of vacation

A 100% sick-listed employee has a certain possibility to postpone some vacation days or the entire vacation. To be entitled to sick pay, the employee must report the illness in the usual way on the first full day of sickness.

Postpone the entire vacation

To be able to postpone the entire vacation, you must be 100% sick-listed already before the vacation starts. The request for postponement must be made no later than the last working day before the vacation was supposed to start, and documented with a medical certificate.

Postpone the vacation days during which the illness lasted

As a 100% sick-listed employee, you can request that the same number of vacation days be postponed and given as new vacation later in the vacation year. This applies whether you became sick during the vacation or before the vacation started. The claim must be made as soon as you return to work, and documented with a medical certificate.

If the postponement concerns vacation in the period June 1 - September 30, the employee cannot demand to have new vacation later in the same period.

Partially sick-listed

Partial sick leave does not entitle you to postpone vacation or vacation days. This means that you have the same right and obligation to take vacation as usual. If you are to have a week's vacation, you use 5 vacation days. You cannot combine vacation pay and sick pay by taking vacation only on the days you would have been at work.

Transfer vacation

If illness or parental leave is the reason why an employee has remaining vacation days at the end of the year, those days are transferred to the next vacation year

Last changed: 14.10.2024
Printvennlig innhold: Postpone vacation due to illness or parental leave

You can apply to take vacation before or after parental leave. If you plan to take vacation during a period you have scheduled for parental leave, you must apply to split the parental leave. If you have paid parental leave, UiT will advance the salary to the employee and receive a refund from NAV for parental benefits. NAV should not pay refunds for days when employees are on vacation, so it is important not to take vacation during the period you receive parental benefits from NAV. If you need to change planned vacation from UiT, you must also amend your application for parental benefits at NAV.

Last changed: 14.10.2024
Printvennlig innhold: Vacation and parental leave

Vacation that has been agreed upon before the notice of termination is received should, in principle, be taken as planned. However, the employee may consent to a change in the vacation period after the notice has been received.

When the employee resigns

If the vacation has not been agreed upon before the employee resigns, the employer and employee should attempt to agree on the vacation period in the usual manner. If they cannot agree, the employer may determine the vacation period, with some exceptions.

The employee may demand to take the vacation during the notice period if there would otherwise be no opportunity to take summer vacation or use up all the vacation before the end of the year.

An employee who resigns after August 15 cannot demand to take vacation during the main vacation period.

When the employer terminates the employment

If an employee is terminated and the notice period is shorter than 3 months, the employer cannot decide that the employee should take vacation during the notice period. The employee can refuse to take vacation during the notice period, even if the vacation was predetermined. If the notice period is 3 months or longer, it is possible to schedule vacation during the notice period.

Termination during probation

If the notice period during probation is shorter than 3 months, the employer cannot unilaterally decide that the vacation should be taken during this period.

Last changed: 14.10.2024
Printvennlig innhold: Vacation during notice period

Last changed: 30.01.2025

Senior days off

Public employers should facilitate conditions that allow each employee to continue working longer. One of the measures is that older employees are given extra days off. From the year you turn 62, as an employee at UiT, you receive eight additional days off (senior days) per year. These are in addition to the regular 5 weeks of vacation and the extra vacation week granted when you turn 60. The days off can be taken as full days, half days, hours, or reduced working hours per day, by agreement with the employer.

Senior days are registered by submitting a leave application with the absence type "Tjenestefri senior" in the self-service portal, see guidance (dfo.no).

Senior days are not vacation. Therefore, unused senior days cannot be carried over to the next year or paid out as salary.

See the DFØ website for more information about senior policy measures in the state (Page not available in English).

Last changed: 06.02.2025

Short-term absence and other absences

Current practice allows employees to carry out necessary errands during work hours, such as appointments with dentists, doctors, physiotherapists, and chiropractors. It is assumed that it is not possible to carry out the errand during free time. The absence must be approved by the immediate supervisor. Repeated treatments with a doctor, etc., that occur over a longer period can be taken as flextime, or as welfare leave if there is a basis for it.

Here are the guidelines for leave (Not available in English). All absences must be applied for in the self-service portal at DFØ. If you are unsure which reason for absence to choose, you can send a request via TOPdesk.

Examples of types of absence that should be applied for in the DFØ portal:

Choose the "Absence applications" tile for exam/study days, compensatory time off for flextime, overtime, and travel time.

Choose the "Leave applications" tile for absences such as military/civil service, public duties, and organizational tasks, professional absence or study leave for technical/administrative positions, and R&E semester for scientific positions (Not available in English).

Choose the "Register working time" tile for absences such as dentist, doctor, physiotherapist, breastfeeding leave, sick part of the day, training during work hours.

Application for R&E sabbatical is made on a specific form for your department/faculty. See guidelines for R&E sabbatical for academic positions.

Last changed: 07.02.2025

Absence due to a child`s illness

Employees who care for children are entitled to leave with care benefits when the child is ill and needs supervision and care at home or in a health institution. This also applies if the child needs to be accompanied to the doctor, or requires other follow-up in connection with illness, even if the child is not sick on that particular day. Additionally, employees are entitled to leave with care benefits if the person who usually supervises the child is ill or accompanies another child for assessment or admission to a health institution, and therefore cannot supervise the child.

The right to care benefits applies until the end of the calendar year in which the child turns 12 years old. When the child is chronically ill or disabled, the age limit is extended to 18 years.

At UiT, the use of care days is accepted for new employees even if the accrual period of 4 weeks in the current employment has not been met. UiT applies to NAV for reimbursement of care benefits. Previous employment/benefits will determine whether UiT is reimbursed for these days.

Employees may also be entitled to additional care days from NAV. Information about regulations and procedures for applying for extra care days can be found on NAV's pages. When an employee has received a decision from NAV, it must be sent to UiT so that the quota for care days can be updated in our systems.

How should sick leave be documented?

The first 3 calendar days are registered in the DFØ portal. Select the "Absence Application" tile, create a new application and choose reason code 470. Thereafter, the employer, through the manager, may require that the illness of the child or the caregiver be documented with a medical certificate. The absence application is sent to the manager.

Leaves due to a sick child

An employee who cares for a child can also apply for the following paid leaves:

430 - Care leave with pay according to Fellesbestemmelsen § 20

Leave under this code can be granted part-time or full-time. Employees who care for children under 18 years of age with life-threatening or other very serious illness or injury are entitled to a total of up to 3 years of leave with full pay for each child. The conditions for such leave follow the rules in the Working Environment Act § 12-9 and the National Insurance Act. The salary is reimbursed to the employer from NAV.

460 – Care benefits for children

Used for care-related absence for caring for children under 18 years. The code should cover the National Insurance Act §9-10 and §9-11. Care benefits are reimbursed to the employer from NAV.

An employee is only entitled to full pay upon receipt of care benefits for up to 3 years from the employer, cf. HTA § 20 (4). If an employee needs more than 3 years of care benefits, they must approach NAV for payment.

461 – Training benefits

One can receive training benefits as compensation for lost work income by participating in courses or other necessary training because the child has a disability or long-term illness. Code 461 should cover the National Insurance Act §9-14. Training benefits are reimbursed to the employer from NAV.

For all mentioned leave applications, select the "Leave application" tile in the DFØ portal. Answer "Yes" to the question if you know the type of leave. Choose the relevant leave code and upload the NAV application or other documentation as an attachment. The application goes to the joint service for processing before it is sent to the manager for approval.

Last changed: 06.02.2025

Leaves

There are various leave schemes for public employees. Some are statutory, while others are included in collective agreements. Employees can take leave with full pay, partial pay, or without pay. Specific guidelines for leaves apply to everyone who has an employment relationship at UiT. You can find the leave regulations here. A detailed description of how to apply for leaves in DFØ can be found here.

Agreed-upon leave with or without pay is leave to which one is entitled under:

The Main Tariff Agreements in the state (common provisions, cf. The State Personnel Handbook sec. 7).
The Main Agreement in the state (§§ 38-42, cf. The State Personnel Handbook sec. 8.38 – 8.42).

These are further described in the DFØ`s self-service portal.

Last changed: 30.01.2025
Printvennlig innhold: Agreed-upon leave

Rights to pay during illness or injury are provided in the Main Tariff Agreements' common provisions

Maternity leave with pay Parental leave with pay Breastfeeding leave Short-term leave with pay Care for close relatives in the terminal phase

Last changed: 30.01.2025
Printvennlig innhold: Paid leave

Applications for unpaid leave are decided on a case-by-case basis by the employer or the appointing authority, which assesses whether it is feasible to grant leave in consideration of the service. The assessment includes whether it is possible to find a substitute or to arrange the service in another appropriate manner. Reference is made to the The Public Sector Employee Handbook (Not available in English). Unpaid leave is granted by the appointing authority according to the provisions of the personnel regulations for employment of corresponding duration:

For leave less than six months, the application is administratively granted by the rector/administrative director/department director/dean/faculty director, or delegated to a lower-level manager, i.e., institute leaders or section leaders.
Leave from six to twelve months is granted by the rector/administrative director/department director/dean/faculty director following a recommendation from the applicant's immediate superior authority.
Leave exceeding one year is processed by the appointing authority following a recommendation from the recommending authority.

Leaves should be applied for in the DFØ portal. The following leaves are usually granted:

Educational leave without pay

Last changed: 06.02.2025
Printvennlig innhold: Unpaid leave

Last changed: 30.01.2025

Sick leave - Self-certification

When an employee is on sick leave, there are certain rules that must be followed. Useful information about duties and rights for both managers and employees can be found in DFØ's employer portal.

Self-certification can only be used during the employer period, and the employee must report the sick leave to UiT on the first full day of absence. Self-certification should be registered in the DFØ portal under "Request for absence" as soon as possible. If the absence is work-related, the employee must inform about this in the registration. This way, the manager can clarify the cause and make adjustments as far as possible to avoid future sick leave.

Self-certification can be used for a total of 24 calendar days during a 12-month period. For example, self-certification can be used for 24 individual days. If the sick leave spans several days, including a weekend, the weekend days are counted. At UiT, self-certification can be used for up to 8 calendar days per sick leave instance.

If an employee is sick only part of the workday, self-certification should not be used. The absence should be registered under the "Register Work Time" tile. Choose absence - sick part of the day.

Self-certification cannot be used when:

employees have not accrued the right to use self-certification (Not available in English).
employees are partially sick-listed
the number of days with self-certification per sick leave instance is used up
the number of self-certifications during 12 months is used up
employees receive work assessment allowances fully or partially
employees are deprived of the right to use self-certification (Not available in English).

Last changed: 06.02.2025
Printvennlig innhold: Self-certification

When it is not permitted to use self-certification, a medical sertificate from a doctor or other practitioner is necessary. The employer is not entitled to know the diagnosis. The employee receives the medical certificate on nav.no and must forward it to the employer. Read more about the medical sertificate step by step, and common issues on nav.no.

To be eligible for sick pay from the employer, the employee must report the sick leave on the first full day of absence and submit the medical sertificate to the employer within 14 days, unless it is impossible for special reasons.

The employee must meet general conditions for entitlement to sick pay. The employee must inform the employer that a medical certificate has been issued, within the 9th day of absence.

The employee should be contacted by the employer to clarify the expected duration of the sick leave, the need for delegation of the employee's work tasks, etc. It should also be assessed whether there is a need for possible adjustments to get the employee back to work as soon as possible. If the absence is based on the workplace/work tasks, the employee must inform about this.

For expected sick leave exceeding 4 weeks, a date for a meeting should be arranged with the purpose of developing a follow-up plan.

Requirements for the member's participation according to the National Insurance Act (Not available in English).

Employee's duty to cooperate according to the Working Environment Act

Specifically about adjustments for employees with reduced work capacity according to the Working Environment Act.

Pay during illness Application for exemption from employer period

Last changed: 06.02.2025
Printvennlig innhold: Medical sertificate

Last changed: 09.01.2025

Absence

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How many vacation days do I have?

You can find an overview of your vacation days in the Self-service portal, under time - quota overview:

Paid vacation: If you work full-time and have fully accrued vacation days from UiT from the previous year, you will receive 25 days in this quota at the start of a new calendar year. The remaining column is reduced as your manager approves your absence applications with the absence type "paid vacation 210".

Unpaid vacation: You have this quota if you did not fully accrue vacation days the previous year. This could be the case, for example, if you started the job during this year or last year. Then you have the right, but not the obligation, to take unpaid vacation. The remaining column is reduced as your manager approves your absence applications with the absence type "unpaid vacation 220".

If you were hired after September 30, you are entitled to take 1 week (5 days) of vacation the year you started the job.

From the year you turn 60, you get an extra week of vacation (5 days).

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Maternity leave with pay

Employees who are pregnant are entitled to time off from work with pay for prenatal care if it cannot reasonably be scheduled outside of working hours.

If a pregnant employee is exposed to influences in the work environment that could harm the fetus, the work must be adapted. If this is not possible, UiT must document it in writing. The employee may then not work during the pregnancy and may be eligible for pregnancy benefits. This must be applied for at NAV, while also applying for leave in the DFØ portal. Select the "Leave application" tile and leave type 176 - leave during pregnancy. The NAV application should be attached as documentation to the leave application, and UiT will claim a refund of pregnancy benefits from NAV while the employee receives their salary from UiT.

Apply for pregnancy benefits from NAV

Parental leave during pregnancy

Parental benefits from NAV can be taken out at the earliest when there are 12 weeks left until the due date. The withdrawal must start 3 weeks before the due date. Parental benefits paid out before birth are deducted from the total benefit period from NAV. An application for parental leave from UiT must be made for the corresponding period. See the procedure for applying for parental leave.

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Parental leave with pay

Employees at UiT who are going on parental leave must participate in a planning meeting with their immediate supervisor and a case handler from the joint services. The meeting will arrange the scheduling of the parental leave.

Overview of the procedure for applying for parental leave:

The employee informs their immediate supervisor that they plan to apply for parental leave.
The employee registers for a parental leave meeting via an online form.
The employee and supervisor are called to a Teams meeting.
The employee and supervisor participate in a Teams meeting where they apply for parental benefits from NAV and parental leave from UiT.
The employee sends a copy of all NAV decisions to UiT.

Parental leave with pay is contingent upon the granting of parental benefits from NAV. If parental benefits are not granted by NAV, unpaid parental leave must be applied for, or other absences such as vacation, etc., must be registered.

Care leave in connection with childbirth

In addition to paid parental leave, paid care leave is granted in connection with childbirth. The father, co-mother, or co-father is entitled to 2 weeks of care leave to assist the mother in connection with the birth. If the parents do not live together, the 2 weeks of leave can be taken by someone else assisting the mother. Adoptive parents and foster parents are entitled to 2 weeks of care leave when they take over the care of the child. (Foster parents are not entitled to pay during care leave).

Employees at UiT should apply for care leave in the DFØ portal as soon as the birth/adoption takes place. Select the "Absence applications" tile and then absence type 440 - Care birth 2 weeks w/pay.

For questions, the joint services can be contacted.

All about parental benefits from NAV.

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Breastfeeding leave

An employee who is breastfeeding is entitled to paid breastfeeding leave for up to two hours per day until the child turns two years old, provided that the person normally works full workdays.

If the agreed workday is between 2/3 and a full workday, the employee is entitled to paid breastfeeding leave for up to one hour per day until the child turns two years old. If the workday is shorter than 2/3, the right to breastfeeding leave will be unpaid.

The specific amount of leave each individual is entitled to must be determined on a case-by-case basis. Employees who use their right to leave due to breastfeeding should notify their supervisor as soon as possible.

The right to pay during breastfeeding applies until the child turns 2 years old, but when the child is over 9 months old, the employer may request confirmation from a doctor or health institution that the employee is still breastfeeding their child.

Employees at UiT should arrange with your supervisor how you will take your breastfeeding leave. To register breastfeeding leave, select the "Register work time" tile and choose the absence type "breastfeeding leave with pay."

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Short-term leave with pay

See the different types of absences and how to apply for them here.

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Care for close relatives in the terminal phase

Employees are entitled to leave with pay for up to 60 days to care for a close relative at home in the final phase of life. The right to leave with pay applies to each patient. Close relatives are considered to be a wider circle of people than children, grandchildren, parents, grandparents, siblings, spouses, and cohabitants. Although most people who care for dying individuals are close family members, many may have other caregivers to whom it is just as natural or more natural to receive help from as family members. The employee must apply to their immediate supervisor for leave and also apply for care benefits from NAV in the municipality where the care recipient lives. Here you can apply for care benefits in the final phase of life.

Leave is applied for in the DFØ portal. Select the "Absence Applications" tile and then absence type 462 - Care benefits close relative. Upload the application for care benefits from NAV as an attachment to the leave application.

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Educational leave without pay

An employee who has been in the workforce for at least three years and has been employed by the employer for the past two years is entitled to full or partial leave for up to three years to participate in organized educational programs. As a general rule, leave for four years is granted upon application for a four-year doctoral fellowship position. However, leave cannot be demanded if it will hinder the employer's responsible planning of operations and personnel arrangements, cf. § 12-11 of the Working Environment Act. Leave for further education for state service can be counted as up to three years of pensionable service time in SPK, cf. section 9.17 in the State Personnel Handbook.

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Pay during illness

Employees who become ill will normally be entitled to full pay during sick leave, in accordance with the Main Tariff Agreement § 11 and § 18.

To be entitled to pay during illness, it is not enough that the employee is employed in the service. The employee must physically have shown up at work to begin work.

The right to pay during illness generally ceases after 49 weeks and 5 calendar days. If the absence is divided into periods, the scattered sick periods over the last 3 years are added together. The employer-financed sick leave period (the employer pays the first 16 days of the sick leave) is not included in the 49 weeks and 5 calendar days.

The employee will receive full pay during the sick leave period provided that a self-certification/sick note is submitted and the conditions for sick pay are met.

Accrual period for sick pay according to the National Insurance Act.

Sick pay basis according to the National Insurance Act.

Sick pay basis during the employer period according to the National Insurance Act.

Number of sick pay days according to the National Insurance Act.

Loss of entitlement to benefits when the recipient is careless with their health, etc. according to the National Insurance Act.

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Application for exemption from employer period

When an employee has a long-term or chronic illness that may lead to frequent sick leaves, or is on sick leave due to pregnancy, one can apply to NAV for coverage of sick pay during the employer period.

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