Work Environment — Nordic Labour Journal

Danish working environment in crisis – and measures are about to change

(Apr 06, 2017) The Danish government has become so worried about the deterioration of the quality of working environments that it is now making changes to working environment measures. Trade unions are calling for a stop to cuts to the Working Environment Authority.

Iceland: Tourism boom leads to flourishing black market

(Apr 06, 2017) The Icelandic dream turned into a nightmare, says a Polish woman. Eastern European bus drivers work for 500 euro a month. Hotels suspected of employing asylum seekers. People trafficking suspected as two people worked around the clock in a basement. These are headlines from Iceland.

Finland wants to have Europe's best working life by 2020

(Apr 06, 2017) Finland’s strengths have not been used to create a competitive advantage. Now Finnish working life is to become the best in Europe. Businesses compete to innovate, create trust, well-being and competencies. The economic crisis was a temporary setback, but also a fresh start for the Working Life 2020 programme ('Arbetsliv2020’).

New centre of knowledge for Swedish working environments

(Apr 06, 2017) A new, national centre for knowledge about and the assessment of working environments should be established either at Stockholm University or as a new government body, according to a proposal presented to the Swedish government.

Norway's Minister of Labour Anniken Hauglie is passionate about social entrepreneurship

(Apr 06, 2017) Anniken Hauglie is changing working hour regulations and strengthening legislation protecting whistleblowers. Together with the social partners she wants to draw clearer lines for what staffing agencies can and cannot do, strengthen work against work related crime and she invites Nordic colleagues to discuss what the sharing economy and new trends will do to the future of work.

NIVA Education introduces online courses

(Mar 06, 2017) NIVA Education has started offering online courses in various topics to do with working environments and safety. “The best thing about these courses is that I can go back and listen to a lecture again and again. You always notice something new,” says Ásta Snorradóttir, is a lecturer in occupational rehabilitation at the at the University of Iceland.

Camilla Stoltenberg: Nordics should cooperate to improve young people’s mental health

(Feb 28, 2017) The Nordic countries should get together and create ambitious goals to improve young people’s psychological well-being, argues Camilla Stoltenberg, professor and Director-General of the Norwegian Institute of Public Health.

New barometer measures the level of collective decision making in Norway

(Nov 16, 2016) People’s perceived level of influence over their own work situation has plummeted in Norway. In seven years the number of people saying they have a lot of influence has fallen from 89 percent to 77 percent. Imported leadership models get the blame.

Why are suicide rates higher for farmers and firefighters than for librarians?

(Oct 10, 2016) The largest survey of suicide rates by occupational group shows suicide is ten times more common among farmers than among librarians. For women, the highest rates are found among emergency workers, like firefighters.

Protect the trust!

(Sep 16, 2016) "Trust did not create the welfare state, but the welfare state could not exist without trust," says the researcher. Trust is the glue in the Nordic model. Without trust, joint decision-making and collective negotiations would not have existed.