Ripples in the Water – Work and Inclusion

Ringer i Vannet (Ripples in the Water) is a methodology developed by Work and Inclusion, Arbeid og inkludering, that promotes cooperation between member companies of the Confederation of Norwegian Enterprise (NHO) and W&I service providers. Ripples in the Water aims to increase the level of employment for people with disabilities or disadvantages based on the understanding that the vast majority of people both want and are able to work. People who have fallen out of working life are thus given an important opportunity to get into paid work.

The methodology aims at meeting the employer's real need for labour and providing follow-up to both employers and candidates before, during and after employment. The company gets in touch with a service provider, which after an assessment of the company’s needs in the short and long term, considers whether they have suitable candidates for the position in question. The advisors from the service provider also work with the Inclusive Job Design methodology, to examine with the employer if a new position can be created that matches needs and skills of a candidate. The service provider may also provide training and coaching to prepare the candidate to become employable. The next step is work practice and evaluation, which often leads to employment. During a work placement in the company, the employer gets confirmation that the candidate is doing a good job, and can be considered for regular employment. This period is completely non-binding for both parties. The candidate will often have income as Arbeidsaklakringpenger (AAP) and the employer will not have salary expenses during the internship period. In addition, advisors provide follow-up support in the workplace, including coaching after the candidate has been permanently employed. The aim of Ringer i Vannet is for the company to get a new employee who works in the job and contributes to value creation.

The Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs ordered an evaluation of the program’s results, which showed that this method created more than 3 times more people employed than ordinary supportive employment. The evaluation from 2017 shows that around 80% of the candidates got permanent employment thanks to this method and 57% of the NHO companies would not have recruited without it. Furthermore, 84% of the companies trust that the service providers propose relevant candidates, 79% believed they got relevant information of the candidates and 77% agreed that the actual candidate matched the needs of the company. 

In January 2019 NHO and the Norwegian Labour and Welfare Administration (NAV) started a collaborative two-year project called Ripples in the Water 2, which aims to scale up the methodology to involve more companies and improve access to qualified candidates with disabilities. The project receives funds from the Norwegian government and started to be tested in three pilots in different parts of the country. 

Work inclusion through Ringer i Vannet has succeeded in mobilizing many employers. They now have just over 2,000 Ringer i Vannet agreements with one of their 115 Employment and Inclusion companies. 55 groups have signed a group agreement. Norwegian employers have long traditions of taking social responsibility, as job creators and inclusive workplaces. This tradition is continued in Ringer i Vannet and makes the contribution to society that employers stand for visible. Hiring from the outside and helping to lift people off benefits and into paid work is very important for the individual's quality of life. In addition, for employers loyal employees and they also achieve sustainable welfare development.