Graded parental leave ended

July 12th was the final day of the second round of my graded parental leave with our twins Alexander and Cecilie (now almost 2 years old).

Graded parental leave approved, six weeks in

This last Friday I finally got a formal response from NAV concerning my application for having graded parental leave from January 2017 to mid-July 2017. My application has been approved (six-seven weeks into the 50% leave).

At office 5 days a week

After moving to Stavanger around November 30th, a new work routine has started, with 5 days a week in the office at University of Stavanger´s Department of social studies. Occasionally, later on (once all my three kids are in kindergarten, starting next autumn), I expect to stay at home some days to write in full concentration. Next Spring will be somewhat different, with plans for 50% graded parental leave.

Application for delaying parental leave

I have just applied for delaying parts of my parental leave from 1/8-2/11 2016 (100%) to 1/1-19/7 2017 (50%). I am currently in graded parental leave until July 31st.

Parental leave formally approved

Today I received the letter from NAV formally approving my application for parental leave in the period April 1st to November 2nd (graded until July 31st).

Parental leave to be approved

NAV, the Norwegian social and labour services, has informed me (orally) that my application for parental leave is being approved (ca. 10 weeks after I applied). My parental leave (for being with my twins born last autumn) starts as graded leave (40% from April 1st 2016 until June 30th, 50% in July). From August 1st until November 2nd I will be on 100% parental leave.

Application for parental leave sent

Today I have posted my application for parental leave in relation to the birth last autumn of our twins Alexander and Cecilie da Silva-Tønnessen. All I have had so far is two weeks straight after birth. I now apply for a further 21 weeks or so, with some of it taken as graded parental leave (part-time, combined with part-time work). If the application is approved as submitted, I will start part-time parental leave April 1st and have full-time parental leave August 1st to October 26th (the latter portion of leave will be rearranged if I get a position as Head of department at University of Stavanger).

Plans for paternal leave 2016-2017

My wife is expecting twins - and I am expecting to be on graded paternal leave (50%) in the whole academic year 2016-2017.

End of second round of parental leave

My second round of parental leave (graded leave, 75%) at the occasion of the birth of a certain Matias Laurits da Silva-Tønnessen, my beloved son, ended yesterday, on March 13th. The next few months, however, my work routines will likely remain pretty much as they have been since New Year (he still needs being looked after, after all).

Current work routines - organization of work week in-between child care

There's been some back and forth with the organization of my work week as I have entered the second period of my parental leave. Changes include that 

• now and until March 15th, at least, I will not routinely work during the daytime at all when my son is at home. Except for during naps and days in which he is in kindergarten (without me accompanying him) during daytime, I am routinely only working after hours, after his bedtime. 
• But one day a week plus a further evening is relationship time (date with my wife).
• Thirdly, after a couple of evenings where I tried to put my son to sleep but he only cried himself to sleep (given the sudden absence of his ever-present mother) the first time and didn't sleep at all the second, I now take part in putting him to sleep EVERY evening yet for now leave the finish to my wife. As soon as he's truly calming down with me, I'll start putting him to sleep alone at times. With regard to work this implies that I get ca. 3 1/2 rather than 4 hours work time each working evening.
• In consequence of pt. 1 I do not plan for a full hour of email and incidental tasks in daytime plus a further full hour in the evening, but only 1 full hour whenever I am working. This occasionally puts pressure on my overall flexibility and ability to go through with all scheduled tasks.

See also:

Graded parental leave, part 2

Work and family life - a few new work routines

Graded parental leave, part 2

Starting today and lasting until March 14th, I'm on 75 % graded parental leave (combined with 25 % employment contract with University of Stavanger's Department of health studies - until June 30th; 10 % research contract starting March 15th).

Remaining part of parental leave to take place early 2014

This week I have received a letter from NAV, the Norwegian Labour and Welfare Administration (see previous posts on their repeated inability to deliver on what are my rights according to Norwegian law), confirming that they have accepted my application for parental leave in the beginning of 2014. Specifically, I will have graded parental leave (75 %) from January 1st 2014 to March 13th 2014. At the same time I have, for the first half of 2014, a 25 % position at University of Stavanger's Department of health studies.

NAV messes up again - pay for parental leave 3 months late, AGAIN

The parental leave I have had so far, this Spring, has been rewarding - but the pay I'm entitled to according to Norwegian law has only exceptionally been paid in due time. First, it took 3 months into the parental leave before I received anything at all. In May I had some correspondence with NAV, the Norwegian Labour and Welfare Administration, and they made some formal changes to my leave, which I had from January 1st to June 24th. The pay for the period following May 17th didn't arrive, so I called NAV, and they told me the money had been paid to my university, University of Stavanger. When I called the handling administrative at my university, I was told she was on sick leave, and that I would have to make contact with her early autumn. And so I did this week - only to hear that UiS thinks that NAV has made (yet another) mistake - the money should never have been transferred to them, but straight to me, since I had graded parental leave combined with a 20% contract at UiS. The result? That pay for some 40 days have not yet been received by me, and that UiS will now ask NAV to pay it to me, some 3 months late.

All in all this means that only the pay for April and half of May has been paid on time. Apart from that, NAV's payments have been 3 months late. And this is how I make a living...

See also:

Another round with Norwegian bureaucracy

 ¤%&NAV: Parental leave approved 3 months on overtime

 

Remaining parental leave; plans for spending time with my son

I have applied for taking what remains of my parental leave, after the birth of my son Matias Laurits October 10th 2012, January 1st - March 15th 2014, with 75% graded leave and 25% work for University of Stavanger. This amounts to 39 full days of parental leave.

Furthermore, my wife and I are making plans for the care for our son this next academic year. I want to have some time with him some weekdays at daytime as well, and will therefore alternately work on daytime and in the evening. The same goes for next Spring, both during my remaining parental leave and after. We are hoping to get a kindergarten to have him in its care for three days a week.

See also:

Another round with Norwegian bureaucracy

¤%& NAV: Parental leave approved 3 months on overtime

A few days back I received a letter from NAV, the Norwegian Labour and Welfare Administration, informing me that my application for parental leave in the period January 1st to June 24th 2013 has been accepted. As noted earlier in this blog, I am on 80 % leave combined with 20 % workload. The answer from NAV came almost 3 months into my parental leave, and they had not paid me a penny until now - meaning they had in effect been owing me money for some 3 months. This whole story has been outrageous, and caused me a lot of concern and worries.

As if this wasn't enough, NAV has now sent my wife a letter where they seem to have misunderstood their own rules ... but enough about that.