Valuable variety

Kaja leads a unit responsible for HR consulting across the organization at Multiconsult.
– We are a kind of first-line HR, and simply put, we act as management support in everything that concerns employees. I lead a unit with three HR consultants, and am responsible for consulting all managers who belong to an Oslo-based unit, she says.
Kaja joined Multiconsult as an HR consultant in 2020, before moving to the management position of HR Business Partner in the fall of 2022.
– For me, Multiconsult is a workplace where the possibilities are unlimited. If you raise your hand, you will be listened to, and you will be pushed into what you dare to try. There is always something new to learn and to reach for, she says.
The “If you want, you will get” culture that characterizes Multiconsult means that Kaja has never had plans to change employers.
– I have always experienced great support from my managers and know that I have their back, no matter what. In addition, there are good opportunities for professional development, and that is another big plus, she states.

Baby and master's degree
In the fall of 2023, Kaja and her partner Britt became parents to little Gustav. When he was born, Kaja, as a co-mother, was listed as "father" in Gustav's epicrisis at the hospital.
- A friend experienced the same thing when she had a child in 2019, but even though it was reported in the media at the time and the hospital promised to make a change, nothing has happened. I don't take it too seriously and feel that society is moving on, after all, there are still a lot of things that heterosexuals don't have to deal with, she says.
Kaja has rarely experienced uncomfortable situations because of her orientation, but felt the fear after the terrorist attack on the Pride march in Oslo in 2022.
- We were out that night, but had gone home before the shooting started. I also remember an incident at a previous workplace, where a close colleague made a gay joke during lunch in the cafeteria. It stuck with me because I was in a fairly new relationship, and it led to me not telling anyone at work that I had a girl boyfriend, or what we had done on the weekends, for example. It took a lot of mental capacity to constantly have to guard what I said. It is very demanding, and it goes without saying that you don't get the best out of people who are constantly watching what they share. When I left there, I decided that I couldn't have that at work, and since then I have been very direct, she says.
After Gustav was born, Kaja completed her master's degree in law, which she has been working on in parallel with her job for the past few years.
- Fortunately, we have enough space at home for me to have my own office. Gustav is now almost 10 months old, and will start kindergarten in the fall, she says.
For now, both Kaja and Britt call themselves mom.
– None of us feel it natural to call ourselves mother, so time will tell if Gustav comes up with something better, says Kaja.
Kaja is currently on leave, which still falls under the father's quota.
– I don't care what it's called, but I think it's good that an HR employee experiences this so that we can change it for those who come after. The reason I take this so lightly is that I know that it doesn't reflect what kind of employer Multiconsult actually is. It's just a "bug" in the system that no one has said we need to fix, she says.

Broad spectrum
The family has settled in Røa, in the same area where Kaja grew up. She played soccer in Røa IL, and was so good that she received a soccer scholarship to Virginia Commonwealth University in the USA. At that time, she had already spent a year studying economics at the University of Oslo.
– I have always done well in math and economics, so it was natural to continue in that direction. It was actually mostly out of laziness that I chose to do a master's in economics and management in the USA, she says.
After four years in the USA, and having completed my master's degree, Kaja moved back home to Norway.
– By then I was done with numbers and wanted to work with people, so I applied for various HR positions at the same time as I started law school, she says.
After working at Oslo University Hospital, the Norwegian Public Roads Administration and Tine, Kaja found her dream job at Multiconsult.
– My experience is that your demographic factors don't matter here as long as you are good at your job. We have an incredibly wide range of diversity variables, and that is a great strength. If we use diversity in the right way, it has enormous value, because we get more perspectives from people with different life experiences in discussions, decisions and so on, she points out.
Although Kaja does not work directly with recruitment herself, she has close contact with the recruitment team.
– We who work with HR and as managers in Multiconsult must be very aware of our own prejudices and preconceived attitudes, so that we do not unconsciously hire people who are like ourselves. The recruitment team is good at getting managers to stop and have a conscious approach to this in hiring processes. When it comes to diversity, we certainly have a way to go within certain categories, but I experience Multiconsult as an open and inclusive workplace, says Kaja Bretteville-Jensen.