Authorised sick leave at the University of Oslo (UiO) is reduced, but this does not comfort the main employee representative of the Norwegian Association of Research Workers.

FOTO: Åshild Bekke Eidem

FOTO: Åshild Bekke Eidem

- This is a major issue. I am not at ease. This may indicate that many people are not on sick leave even though they should be, main employee representative of the Norwegian Association of Research Workers at UiO Kristian Mollestad says. He has recorded poor trends following the reorganisation of faculties and implementation of the Quality Reform.

- I have heard of people who are ill but still turn up for work. Our experience is that temp workers have not been taken on in the event of both sick leave and position availability, Mollestad says and points out that many positions require special skills so that they cannot be given to temp workers or other employees without difficulty.

- If you do not turn up for work, the work load will just keep piling up so that there will be even more to do when you have recovered and are back at work. The alternative is to put an even heavier work load on the remaining employees in the event of illness, Mollestad says.

- Not all right!

This problem has particularly affected the Faculty of Humanities (HF), which has been under a large-scale reorganisation over the last couple of years. The number of departments has been reduced from twelve to seven.

- This autumn, we were so swamped every single day that even if I were on the brink, I went to work. If you stay at home, work load will pile up, an administrative middle manager at HF says, who wishes to remain anonymous.

- It does not feel all right by a long shot, and it is no fun being at work. Sub-Dean for Academics at HF has stated that there is a state of emergency at HF due to the reorganisation, but this has been going on since 2002. How long will this continue? the middle manager asks, who feels that the work load also has limited social life.

- I have nothing more to give. I have tried to cut back on overtime, but that by and large means sitting back on the couch doing nothing. And I know that there are many others who feel like this, the middle manager says.

- To be taken seriously

- We take the reports of heavy work loads seriously. This matter was under discussion during a Senate meeting in relation to earlier reports from Universitas. The Senate set out to assess whether their respective units had any reasons to worry, chief personnel officer at UiO Elisabeth Halsen says.

She feels that it will be impossible to keep an overview of how the situation is at any given time or place, and she points out that the responsibility of planning and individual feedback to employees lies with local executives.

Tor Egil Førland, Sub-Dean at HF, believes there is a good chance that the situation will be improved for employees once the process of reorganisation is finished.

- New computer systems and corresponding start-up difficulties may easily cause an exhausting work situation. Once the start-up difficulties are dealt with and the employees are given proper training, I believe there is a good chance of easing the work load, Sub-Dean at HF Tor Egil Førland says.

Førland underlines that department executives are responsible for following up employees individually. Universitas cannot confront the relevant department executive seeing as how this will reveal the identity of the anonymous middle manager.

Elisabeth Halsen promises that the personnel section will now communicate with employee representatives in order to get an idea of the extent and effects of the problem before possible measures will be implemented.