Equal treatment plan

In Norway, the Equality and Anti-Discrimination Act of 1 January 2020, requires all Norwegian employers to work actively, purposefully, and systematically to promote equality and prevent discrimination. This work must be documented and carried out in collaboration with employee organisations. The annual report must include an account of the current situation and the measures that have been implemented.

Several of NR’s sources of funding, such as the Research Council of Norway and the EU Framework Programme, have additional requirements to ensure equality and prevent discrimination. This plan both meets Norwegian legal requirements and the requirements from NR’s funding sources.

Promoting gender equality and equal treatment is also a key part of NR’s ongoing efforts to strengthen our research, organisational culture, and internal development. The plan is therefore dynamic and allows for targeted measures to be implemented if inequalities are identified or otherwise deemed necessary.

Responsibilities and resources

NR’s management, represented by the CEO, is responsible for following up the plan. The action points will be monitored by both the HR Leader and CEO. NR will allocate sufficient resources to implement the measures.

As a small organisation, NR integrates equal treatment into its broader culture rather than drawing extensive plans or assigning dedicated full-time staff to oversee them.

Status

	Administration	Research scientists	Management	Board
Men	8	24	2	5
Women	4	52	5	2
Total	12	76	7	7

13 employees in primary positions are from 9 other European countries, and 10 employees are from 7 non-European countries. As NR is a small organisation, coincidence can significantly influence these numbers.

NR’s gender balance is also influenced by the gender distribution among qualified applicants. This remains a challenge for recruitment within the field of technology, where women are generally underrepresented.

NR ensures equal treatment of both genders and minority groups in recruitment, career development, salaries, and promotions, and actively works to avoid any form of bias. There are no reported cases of conflict or unfavourable treatment.

Staff surveys conducted in 2024 indicate a reasonable work-life balance. On all 8 main topics in the survey, NR’s employees gave more positive feedback than the average at comparable research institutes in Norway. No widespread or fundamental work environment issues were identified. NR has the necessary expertise to address gender equality and minority-related challenges.

As part of a compulsory national gender report, NR compared the salaries of male and female employees as of 1 January 2024.  Staff were divided into 12 categories. The average salary for women ranged from 92,6 % to 106,2 % of the average salary for men.

Female employees took an average of 27 weeks maternity leave, while men took an average of 20 weeks paternity leave.

In 2024, NR received 169 applications from men, 67 from women and 1 from a candidate whose gender was not specified. Of those hired, 5 were women and 6 were men.

Total sick leave in 2024 was 4,4 %. NR places strong emphasis on facilitation and communication, enabling employees with residual work capacity to work in line with their ability during periods of illness.

NR has good accessibility, both physically and online.

Objective

1. Ensure equal treatment of both genders and minority groups in employment, career development, and promotion, and actively work to prevent all forms of inequality.
2. Promote equal treatment of both genders across all employment categories and boards.

Annual work plan

1. Report gender statistics in the annual report, to NR’s board, the Research Council of Norway, Statistics Norway, and other public bodies upon request. If the statistics are not satisfactory, management will take action to address to analyse the issue and support positive development.
2. Assess gender balance in all recruitment, career development processes, and decision-making bodies.
3. Monitor workloads to ensure that they are appropriate.
4. Assess whether there are gender-related issues in NR’s research or in the broader research landscape within relevant fields.
5. Establish a working group if necessary to ensure gender balance in recruitment and career development.
6. Maintain and communicate a clear position that all individuals shall be treated with respect and dignity.

Culture

1. Maintain a strong focus on scientific quality of research.
2. Ensure equal treatment of all individuals regardless of gender, race, ethnicity, age, religion, sexual orientation, and nationality.
3. Strive for equal representation of both genders in all employment categories, management, and decision-making processes. This includes both employment and career development.
4. Ensure that employees have a reasonable and sustainable workload.
5. Promote a positive working environment where all employees are treated with respect and dignity.
6. Continuously work to further develop and strengthen this culture.

Adopted by NR’s management 28 March 2025