5 ms·

Does not surprise me. As a Norwegian I have experienced working for smaller companies getting bought up by US multinationals in many occasions. The new America

Does not surprise me. As a Norwegian I have experienced working for smaller companies getting bought up by US multinationals in many occasions. The new American bosses tend to be surprised that employees have rights. I remember they went through their employee handbook covering the rules we should follow. Some of the rules they had on the books which was illegal in Norway: 1. Ban talking about politics and religion at work. Illegal in Norway as freedom of speech is a protected by government. 2. Drug tests of employees. Also illegal unless you operate heavy and dangerous equipment and have been given special permission by government to do such tests. 3. Criminal background checks. Also illegal unless you work with say children or in the military. Of course we also kept hearing stories about how our colleagues in the US offices got treated. Not very nice. People got fired on the spot and kicked out. In Norway you got to give a 2-3 month notice. You cannot suddenly spring on people “you are fired!” And the reason for firing has to be legitimate. Insubordination e.g. isn’t a valid reason to be fired in Scandinavia. You have to be clearly neglectful of your job, or there has to be economic hard times. Hence you don’t have to be worried about getting fired for say pissing off your boss as long as you are doing a decent job.

jjcon 6y ago
> The new American bosses tend to be surprised that employees have rights This reads like bad fanfic - you are relying on people’s ignorance of Norwegian law and stating things that are just not true. For instance Employers can ask employees to not discuss politics on work time except as it relates to the job, both countries have the same exception and rules for this. Employers can require drug testing in Norway though it is less common - the law you are referring to is about full medical examinations and specifically excludes substance testing.
JaceLightning 6y ago
> Ban talking about politics and religion at work. Illegal in Norway as freedom of speech is a protected by government. I'm all for freedom of speech, but there are certain policies that make me uncomfortable. Like talking about sex should be freedom of speech, but is taboo in the workplace. It's all about protecting everyone's rights to feel comfortable (by banning topics that enrage people.). > Criminal background checks. This is common practice as people don't want to hire workers who will steal or cause other issues. What's wrong with that? > People got fired on the spot and kicked out. Sure, that's pro worker, but not pro business. If someone isn't doing their job, they gotta go. Not 2-3 months. Now.
- pepe56 6y ago
  You seem to underestimate the level of productivity and willingness to bring the company forward, that comes from a good worker/business relationship. And a good relationship requires good management and trust from both sides. I would try to explain that in more detail, but I feel like your opinion is already very much set in stone.

jjcon 6y ago

> The new American bosses tend to be surprised that employees have rights This reads like bad fanfic - you are relying on people’s ignorance of Norwegian law and stating things that are just not true. For instance Employers can ask employees to not discuss politics on work time except as it relates to the job, both countries have the same exception and rules for this. Employers can require drug testing in Norway though it is less common - the law you are referring to is about full medical examinations and specifically excludes substance testing.

JaceLightning 6y ago

> Ban talking about politics and religion at work. Illegal in Norway as freedom of speech is a protected by government. I'm all for freedom of speech, but there are certain policies that make me uncomfortable. Like talking about sex should be freedom of speech, but is taboo in the workplace. It's all about protecting everyone's rights to feel comfortable (by banning topics that enrage people.). > Criminal background checks. This is common practice as people don't want to hire workers who will steal or cause other issues. What's wrong with that? > People got fired on the spot and kicked out. Sure, that's pro worker, but not pro business. If someone isn't doing their job, they gotta go. Not 2-3 months. Now.

pepe56 6y ago
You seem to underestimate the level of productivity and willingness to bring the company forward, that comes from a good worker/business relationship. And a good relationship requires good management and trust from both sides. I would try to explain that in more detail, but I feel like your opinion is already very much set in stone.