Our Playbook
Welcome to our New Normal
The success of any company is directly tied to the well-being of its employees. And well-being comes from one place, and one place only: a positive work culture.
To ensure that your time with the New Normal Group is as positive and productive as possible, we have compiled a playbook as a small introduction to our culture, our expectations, and our values.
This playbook also gives a basic overview of your benefits and career development potential. However, because we are comprised of a family of companies, we ultimately recommend checking out your individual company website for a more detailed look into your soon-to-be work environment.
No matter who you are or where you come from, we hope our community will support your desire to feel welcomed, respected, and appreciated - both professionally and personally.
Welcome to the Group - we look forward to chasing the new normal with you.
The pieces that make up our approach for getting things done is based on our mission: building exponential companies that chase the new normal of their industries. This is important to familiarize yourself with, as it is used as a compass to ensure our teams stay aligned, our people remain accountable, and our group companies continue to scale successfully.
You are a part of our Group because your contributions will play an invaluable role in developing our companies. Without curious people like yourself, who desire to continuously grow their skills, challenge themselves, and dare to question the status quo, we will fall short of achieving our mission.
Our multicultural team consists of people from nearly two dozen different nationalities. And while the places we come from may be vastly different, the one thing that binds us together is passion. As the front-facing leader of our Group’s core set of values, passion has brought us to where we are today, and will undoubtedly take us well into the future.
Passion also helps us develop the potential of people and the technology created by them. When combined with our Group's other core values of execution, speed and entrepreneurship, it forms a unique synergy that brings a special kind of magic to what we do.
As our Group continues to build exponential companies, we will continuously support and implore you to find your passion, nurture it, and share it.
Diversity and inclusion are two pillars upon which New Normal Group stands. Together, our companies are on a mission to chase the new normal of their respective industries. Borders do not bind our growth mindset, and as such, we strive to have our work culture be an accurate reflection of the international world we operate in.
New Normal Group is therefore committed to hiring people regardless of their background. This includes race, religion, gender, national origin, political affiliation, sexual orientation, marital status, disability, and age. To unleash the possibilities that bloom from such diversity, we ensure that our working environment is healthy enough to support inclusivity. We do so by listening and engaging with our employees, as well as supporting team collaboration across company lines.
There is no New Normal without diversity and inclusion. To read more about our commitment to building a colorful world, fostering belonging, and empowering individuals, check out our diversity statement.
Moving to a new country can be overwhelming. Luckily, there are many awesome colleagues here who have already made the same move. Along the way, they have collected some useful information that we have compiled into a document called “Moving to Norway”. Rest assured that you will receive this prior to moving.
We know that you are eager to put in the hours. Work is fun - but we also believe in flexibility, and so we trust all of you to be able to structure your own workday. You were hired because you are extremely good at what you do, and we want to give you the flexibility to do just that.
At the same time, we also believe that work is more fun and rewarding when done side by side with colleagues. Therefore, we provide a flexible work schedule where you can define your 40-hour work week within the timeframe of our core hours.
Normal working hours for full-time employees are 40 hours per week, Monday through Friday, with a half hour lunch break each day. This comes to a total of 37.5 working hours per week, or 7.5 hours per day. If you do work shifts or have other different working hours, this will be agreed upon separately.
Provided that these core office hours are respected, you can move some of your working hours around over the course of the week. Just note that your manager should always be kept informed of your planned work schedule.
If you want to accumulate extra hours to take off later, just be sure to get your manager's thumbs up first. This makes it much easier for us to plan upcoming tasks and projects.
Please note that flexible working hours do not count toward overtime. You may also be required to attend meetings, workshops, etc. outside of core hours.
We only work overtime when absolutely required, or under special circumstances. And while there will be plenty of times when a business requires a little extra, we ultimately believe that our free time and extracurricular activities are vital when it comes to recharging our batteries and gaining new perspectives. As such, we strive to impose as little overtime as possible.
Some of our group companies are remote-first companies, while others allow a great deal of flexibility in regard to where we work from. We celebrate flexibility and realize that at times we all need to work remotely (unless you work shifts). It could be from home, from the cabin, your parents’ house, or a different country. Or anywhere, really.
Regardless of where we work from, it is a focus at New Normal Group that we are here for each other, ready and able to help and support colleagues in their daily work. Teamwork makes the dreamwork!
To help colleagues plan their work and reach out when needed, please remember to:
- Plan your schedule with your team
- Update your calendar so everyone knows where you are and how to reach you
- Make sure to be online during core hours (if your time zone allows it)
- Be present on Slack
Attendance at meetings and customer needs should be given high priority.
Having a collaborative and diverse team that can work across companies, people, and skill sets is at the heart of what we do.
This is because we believe in developing the potential, the curiosity, and the connection between and within people. We encourage everyone here to learn new things, try something different, fail at it, then try again. To then pass this process onto others, while also taking the time to show interest in their personal pursuits.
But this type of growth doesn’t always come easy. So in order to work hard, we also need some structure in place to keep our work environment well balanced and productive.
Co-creation and collaboration are important aspects of growing our business. However, there are times when we all need to focus and concentrate on specific tasks. So if you encounter a “do not disturb” icon on slack, a closed door, or see a colleague working with their headphones on, please do not disturb them.
Our HQ-workspace is a shared one, so we ask to please keep it neat for you and those around you. Make yourself at home, but have discussions and meetings dispersed around the building to keep office noise low and productivity high.
As we have mentioned, we work hard to play hard. The hours we put in rewards us by giving us hours to take off - well deserved time to enjoy ourselves outside of the office. And this we believe is vital: we all need proper time to relax, slow down, and reconnect with ourselves, our passions, and the world around us.
Many of us have moved to Norway from other parts of the world. This means that you might wish to plan vacation outside of the ‘main’ vacation period here in Norway (July and August).
You are of course free to do this, as a vacation should be taken and used on your own terms, in a way you feel will best recharge your batteries. In order to reach a recharge level of 100%, here at New Normal Group, we provide you with five weeks of vacation per year (25 days in total).
It is the employer’s duty to ensure that an employee’s holiday entitlement can be taken during the holiday year. If ongoing projects or tasks have prevented you from taking all your vacation days, you can transfer up to 15 days of unused vacation from one year to the next.
Norway has quite a few public holidays. In addition to these days, we also believe that Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve are days we all should spend with family. As such, you also have these two extra days off from work.
Not feeling well? Don’t bring those bugs to the office! Stay at home with a warm blanket, cup of tea, and binge watch a Netflix series. And if you feel slightly under the weather but well enough to work, we would still prefer if you did so from home until you’re feeling better and pose no risk of infecting those around you.
Some of our companies have an occupational health provider that supports the organization on matters related to health, safety, and environment. Management and HR also work methodically with this for the overall group. Be sure to speak up if you have any suggestions or input related to this field, as there is always room for improvement.
We do not discriminate based on gender, religion, nationality, ethnicity, sexuality, or culture. And it goes without saying that no one should ever be subjected to harassment or other improper conduct.
As such, the threshold for reporting instances is low. Do not hesitate to contact HR if you have questions or concerns, or are feeling unsafe in or outside of work. We are all expected to practice cultural sensitivity in our interactions with one another, online and offline, whether it be with co-workers or customers alike.
While it is important to have fun at work, it is equally important to have fun outside of work. As a young international company, we pride ourselves on the benefits that come from social events, particularly the interactions and conversations they inspire. Every year, we organize a summer party and a Christmas party, where we can dress up, dress down, be ourselves and just have some fun.
In general, we realize the hardships that come with moving to a new country or region. This is why we push for inclusion and prioritize social activities with our colleagues, as well as getting outside to explore the local area, be it out in nature or in the city.
We believe healthy food is an important part of having a successful day at work. Therefore, we provide a simple Norwegian lunch five-days a week. This is a taxable benefit, which you will see as a tax deduction on your pay stub.
Once a week, a private tutor holds Norwegian lessons in our own office building for anyone interested. We have one class for beginners, and one for those who are more advanced. Since learning the local language and discussing cultural norms is one of the best ways to integrate, we warmly welcome anyone to join!
No need to worry - we will provide you with the tools and equipment you need to do your job. How else can you succeed?
After years and years of doing awesome and important work, we know there will come a time to retire and enjoy the fruits of your labor. This is why we offer a defined contribution pension scheme to our team members, securing your golden years as golden. This benefit is handled by your employer if you are hired in Norway. For remote team members, this is included in the monthly fee and administered individually.
All of us need to be prepared for life’s unexpected moments. In case anything happens to you, the majority of our companies are happy to offer the following insurance plans*:
- Travel Insurance: Modern people travel for work and for pleasure. Our travel insurance covers all types of travel too, whether it be you alone or with your family, business related or pure fun.
- Health Insurance: Sometimes we need a little extra help. Our health insurance allows you to get specialized help when needed.
- Occupational injury insurance: Our occupational injury insurance covers financial loss after a work-related accident or disease.
*Please note that there may be small variations or discrepancies between individual companies.
For remote team members, this is included in the monthly fee and administered individually.
We aim to sustain a work culture characterized by innovative thinking. A place where every one of us takes responsibility for our own learning and development, and feedback is provided to ensure continuous growth. Ultimately, our ambition is to make sure that you can continue to develop alongside your group company and its ever-changing needs.
At New Normal Group, we encourage continuous dialogue and feedback, both colleague to colleague and employee to manager.
Here are three simple questions designed to help you and your manager reach a shared understanding of your status-quo. Keep in mind that it can be good to indicate your overall level of satisfaction. For instance, roll a dice! On a scale of one to six, let us know where you’re at:
- How is work right now – are you learning new things and having fun?
- Is there anything you would like to change or improve?
- Is there anything you need help with (tasks and responsibilities, challenges, career or personal development)?
To aid in this dialogue, we also conduct more formal employee appraisal interviews that focus on your career development and performance. These form the basis for the discussion of each individual staff member's skills and competences. Both you and your manager should prepare for the conversation by thinking through the following four elements:
1. Skills and Qualifications
2. Performance
3. Career Development
4. Goals
We depend on the people who desire to be the best at what they do. It means that we recognize those who work hard, invest their time wisely, and strive to learn new things. For these traits allow the personal growth that is required to keep up with the professional growth of the company.
When we recognize this type of attitude towards work and growth, we want to to able to reward you with positive and exciting career development. This can take many forms, whether it be new tasks, bigger challenges, leading projects, or changing roles completely. The bigger you think, the bigger your growth!
Upon resignation, your last working day is normally calculated from the first day of the following month. Your notice period is normally three months (unless your contract states something different or you've agreed upon on another date with your manager.) For example, if you give notice on January 15th, your three month notice period begins February 1st.
We will always be sad when someone chooses to leave our group. Yet we know that the world beyond our doors holds an endless number of experiences waiting to be had. But as someone who played a part in growing our group, we will always have your back. No matter where your path may take you, we will continue to root you on.
Remember to notify your local police, tax authorities, and immigration services (UDI).
