Human resources policy for NTNU
Basis for the human resources policy 
This is 
•	The university's foundation of values 
•	The university's objectives and strategies 
•	Legislation and agreements related to human resources management 
NTNU's value statement is formulated as follows: 
NTNU is based on the fundamental democratic idea of the university as a critical and independent institution. NTNU's activities are to be characterized by openness and high ethical standards. 
NTNU is to have a working and learning environment that is to be compatible with creative interaction, constructive problem solving and critical assessment. NTNU is to encourage contributions from its students and staff, and promote tolerance irrespective of gender, philosophy of life, and culture. 
NTNU is to search for innovative and sustainable solutions to domestic and global challenges.' 
In the context of NTNU's challenges and vision of being internationally recognized as an outstanding university in 2020, it will be important for the human resources policy to achieve a good balance between creative interaction and individual achievement. And if the human resources policy is to work, it must be developed through effective participative processes and perceived as meaningful and stimulating both by management and by employees. At the same time, a good human resources policy must be challenging and ambitious. All of this will form the basis for the organizational culture we must develop in order to achieve our objectives. 
The human resources policy covers many aspects. The most relevant of these are the working environment, recruitment, human resources development, and remuneration. The first of these aspects also includes the life-phase policy. All of these aspects must be seen as a whole. 
•	Working environment: To create and develop good and developing relationships and good leadership 
•	Recruitment: To attract the most skilful staff for all of our work 
•	Human resources development: To ensure that our staff continually develop their professional and social competence 
•	Remuneration: To encourage all employees to make their best possible contribution 
For NTNU's approved objectives and strategies, the long-term perspective is to be an internationally outstanding university in 2020. The specific goals are set for a shorter term and are reflected in action plans reflecting human resources policy for each faculty and centrally for NTNU as a whole. In this context, the objectives and strategies of the human resources policy must be reconciled with the financial possibilities that the university and the faculties have for realizing them. 
Working environment Most of our employees and managers regard NTNU as a place where they would like to continue working in the future. This is a strength for a university that wishes to develop and retain its employees. At the same time, we know that several aspects of the working environment and the terms of employment can be developed and improved. 
The university's ability to achieve its objectives will depend on continuous development and improvement of the working environment for everyone. This will increase motivation and enable personal development for the individual employee. 
For NTNU, it is important to encourage openness and a high level of ethical awareness. This requires skilled leadership, capable of developing effective and democratic participation processes, and of cultivating both teamwork and individual creativity. 
Goals of the human resources policy: 
•	NTNU will be recognized as a place where employees experience professional and personal development, and are motivated to contribute to achieving the university's objectives 

•	NTNU will develop its organization as a whole through established systems for codetermination at all levels, and in good cooperation with the employees' organizations 

•	NTNU will have systems to conduct surveys of the physical and psychosocial working environment in all units, as a contribution to development of the individual working environment 

•	NTNU will be an employer that takes care of all the aspects of all employees' work situation by being an inclusive workplace, also when functional capacity, life stage, or age make adaptations necessary 

•	Necessary reorganization is to be performed in such a way that NTNU's goals can be achieved while at the same time taking care of the individual employee 

Recruitment NTNU's challenges entail a stronger focus and commitment concerning recruitment of outstanding researchers. Recruitment of women to academic posts, especially in natural science and technology, is also a priority area for achieving our goal of becoming internationally outstanding. In NTNU's overarching strategic objectives, the need to increase researcher mobility through external collaboration is described, with a focus on recruitment of outstanding postdoctoral fellows and PhD candidates, who may well come from other countries. At the same time, we must ensure good recruitment from our own ranks, by educating talented students. 
Our combined aspirations make it clear that we must recruit highly skilled people to all functions, not least to technical-administrative positions. This is the only way in which we can achieve our objectives to streamline processes and systems that support our core activities. 
Goals of the human resources policy: 
•	NTNU will actively promote its academic strengths to showcase itself as an attractive place to work 

•	NTNU will recruit the best people in relevant disciplines, with a focus on recruiting excellent researchers. The employees we would like for the future will regard NTNU as a place characterized by interaction and collaboration, with scope for individual creativity 

•	NTNU will be nationally competitive with regard to pay and terms of employment. Future employees from other countries will be given work-related and social conditions that are internationally competitive 

•	Priority will always be given to finding female applicants to academic and managerial posts 

•	A specific goal at NTNU is to recruit and establish the basis for outstanding postdoctoral fellows and PhD candidates, both from other countries and from our own candidates. 

•	Recruitment processes must be effective in order to fulfil the primary goal of appointing the best people. 

•	Good professional, teaching and personal qualities are important criteria in the recruitment of academic staff. For new employees, NTNU will make arrangements to facilitate academic and social adaptation to the workplace and in relation to settling in the city. 
Human resources development As an important contribution to NTNU's achievement of objectives, we will have an organizational culture that enables employees to develop all aspects of their skills. This requires good leadership and scope for individual development. In a knowledge organization, the skills of the individual employee are the most important resource for achieving results. 
Goals of the human resources policy: 
•	Leaders of all units will actively exercise responsibility for professional development of the individual employee. 

•	The individual will be encouraged to develop both professional and social competence 

•	Central opportunities for professional development will be provided to supplement the units' initiatives 

•	Incentives will be provided for taking on management responsibility, and regular opportunities for management training and development will be offered 

•	Arrangements will be made to provide more uninterrupted time for research tasks 
Pay and incentives In terms of the framework conditions at NTNU, pay determination and development in pay take place within the systems of agreements in which we participate as a government institution. As part of this, a common pay policy is agreed between NTNU as employer and the unions. To create common agreed solutions for development in pay contributes to creating a good organizational culture with motivated employees. 
Managers can use pay as an instrument to recruit the staff they want. There is also scope for individual incentives for especially skilful employees. An extraordinary work contribution may be rewarded on a special basis. This primarily requires acceptance of the differentiation this creates. 
Rewards may also be in forms other than pay increases. Specifying incentives is an important responsibility for managers at all levels. 
Goals of the human resources policy: 
•	NTNU will have an overall pay policy developed in cooperation between the employer and the unions 

•	As an employer, NTNU will use differentiated pay to recruit and retain the best staff 

•	The individual manager will consider extraordinary development in pay for the most skilful employees. Academic staff are to be given priority. 

•	All employees at NTNU are to have a general development in pay that promotes motivation and performance 

•	Leaders are to reward employees through good facilitation of infrastructure and other incentives