Sustainability in our sails
At the beginning of 2023 there were several hundred thousand people outside the Norwegian labour force. Many of them have a strong desire to get inside. A new joint venture has taken shape at Møller Medvind Arena which shows how untraditional recruitment methods can yield very positive results.
4Service
Tone Hartviksen was born in Kirkenes, but grew up in Sarpsborg. She has been working at 4Service since 2020 and currently holds the title of ESG Manager.
– 4Service has been working on sustainability since its inception in 2010, but in recent years we have added increased structure and created a more holistic strategy. Today, we cover all areas which fall under the ESG umbrella in a great proactive way.
Hartviksen is referring to the abbreviation ESG which stands for Environmental, Social and Governance.
– 4Service rarely lacks good measures, but one of the challenges often involved in sustainability work is to find precise ways of measuring any relevant effects. We have a lot of exciting work ahead of us during the years to come.
In 2022 4Service, under the leadership of Hartviksen, devoted extra focus to knowledge.
– Without correct, up-to-date knowledge, we are working in the dark. Being able to inspire and update my colleagues is an important part of my job.
Company managers have received training during the course of the year. Hartviksen says:
– It's great to see that so many people care about sustainability. We are a large company and obviously we all have varying degrees of knowledge about this subject. It has therefore been important for me to spread my net wide by creating enthusiasm and curiosity about everything ranging from concepts to relevant regulatory amendments.
Today, 4Service is an ISO-certified company in respect of quality management and environmental management and it has defined food, the environment and people as its focus areas.
– Our goal is the same, be it sustainable Norwegian seafood, taking responsibility for the entire supply chain or recruiting outsiders: to make society around us a little better every single day that we go to work.
7 May 2021
In May 2021 4Service took what was to become an important, and not least exciting, step in respect of recruiting outsiders.
– That was the day when we had our first meeting with Møller Medvind, Hartviksen explains.
She was joined by CEO Tor Rønhovde and CMO Marius Pedersen.
– Recruiting outsiders is challenging. Møller Medvind has found a great way of doing just that. When they invited us for a chat, it was easy to say yes.
Møller Medvind, part of the Møller Mobility Group, contacted 4Service because they both have experience with and goals relating to social sustainability. The purpose of the meeting was simple: to find out how the two companies could collaborate in respect of the new Møller Medvind Arena.
– The meeting revealed opportunities for being able to participate and engage in innovative thinking. That’s something that we always find exciting. We shared experiences, presented our wishes and formalised a joint venture. Today, just over 20 months later, we are responsible for the food, cleaning services, a café, bookings and conference services at Alfasetveien 11. We only started working at the premises during the autumn of 2022, but in typical 4Service style things have taken off and I am impressed with what we have achieved in such a short time, concludes Hartviksen.
Rom for suksess
Collaboration is essential for us to find suitable candidates for various positions at 4Service. Melissa has a need for supported employment (VTA). Here is what happened when we included Melissa in an "interview" for a position as a well-being host at our company - a position we have created specifically for individuals in the supported employment program.
Møller Medvind
Mari Førde is a fourth generation owner of Møller. In 2017 she and Bjørn Erik Tangen set up Møller Medvind AS.
– Today up to 700,000 people are outside the labour force in Norway. At least 100,000 of these are young people, says Førde.
Møller Medvind, an automotive company, is aiming to do something about this.
– Our method is simple, but effective. Permanent full-time positions over time are what works best when combating exclusion from the workforce – regardless of the industry.
Since it was founded, Møller Medvind has managed to bring NHO, LO and NAV around the same table. This has inspired substantial allocations from the national budget, as well as a strategy under which NAV has committed to work actively in order to find solutions in respect of social exclusion over the next six years.
– It's about seeing people in more ways than simply looking at their CVs. In order to succeed, it is necessary to develop expertise in the companies concerned and to offer them collaboration with NAV which will provide them with guidance and help with recruitment.”
Those who end up outside the labour market have often not finished school. Some of them have language challenges, many have been in too many places for short periods of time or have never had a proper job.
– At Møller Medvind, we give people a full, permanent position, and thus access to those parts of society that often come with a job. In our experience this creates increased self-confidence, both at and outside work, as well as access, in time, to the housing market and eventually a job outside Møller Medvind.
Førde shares much of the credit for the success of Møller Medvind with NAV.
– Our collaboration with NAV is unique and innovative. I am proud that together, in an open-minded manner, we are managing to offer good vocational training, warm leadership, thoughtful recruitment and a sound social framework.
Rom for suksess
Collaboration is crucial for us to identify excellent candidates for various positions at 4Service. Melissa requires supported employment (VTA). Here, you can witness what happened when we included Melissa in an "interview" for a well-being host position at our company - a role we have specifically created for individuals in the supported employment program.
25. januar 2023
Møller Medvind Arena was ready for opening right at the start of the new year.
– We had been located in Alfasetveien since 2018, but now that the entire building is being used, it was natural to give it a name and celebrate properly.
The opening of Møller Medvind Arena was attended by Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre, as well as leaders from NAV, NHO and LO. The former was responsible for the ceremonial aspects, but there was no ceremonial ribbon to cut.
– We like doing things our own way. So the opening was marked with the presentation of an employment contract instead, smiles Førde.
With 150 employees spread over 10,000 square meters, there is naturally a need for support services such as canteens, cafés and cleaning services, as well as booking and conference services.
– 4Service was the first external company to become part of the Møller Medvind Arena. It was important for us to have key players in place prior to the opening.
So far 4Service has five employees working in the new building, all on full-time contracts.
– I really think that 4Service has understood what the Møller Medwind method is. It's fun to see how the team has taken up their tasks with energy and enthusiasm. And I would like to thank Hartviksen and the management of 4Service. From day one they have been motivated and forward-looking. Not all companies would have taken the chance to operate as they did here at Møller Medvind Arena.
The company that Førde helped to start in 2018 has not only attracted the attention of the prime minister, but also of competitors and partners who are looking at the eastern part of Oslo.
– So far, the response has been overwhelmingly positive. In many ways, this is the Norwegian model, just in a slightly different guise. It is bipartisan, easy to understand and is basically all about reducing poverty and making things more equal. We all have a responsibility to society. I would encourage anyone who can to devote more resources towards helping more people to access the labour market. We would all benefit from this, in both the short and long term, concludes Førde.
NAV
One person who thinks in both the long term and short term is Nancy Merete Myrvang. As a market adviser at NAV (the Norwegian Labour and Welfare Administration), her working day is full of different needs.
– My job involves finding the right candidate for the right employer. This is done by searching for candidates in our databases, engaging in outreach work with companies or ensuring that the companies that contact us receive guidance and follow-up. If everything goes according to plan, they will have a new employee, says Myrvang.
She works at NAV in Nordstrand, but covers the whole of the Oslo area.
– I've now had the pleasure of doing this work for six years. Although all cases are different, there are also some common denominators. The main thing that most of our candidates have in common is the fact that they have a challenge that requires a bit of extra attention.
A bit of extra attention is definitely an important ingredient at Møller Medvind Arena.
– First, let me say that this is a workplace like other workplaces. At the same time it is also a job that offers candidates a slightly more cushioned start than usual. It is about adapting the follow-up of individuals and believing that they can succeed. This is exactly what those who work at Møller Medvind Arena get.
Myrvang has helped 4Service to find the right candidates.
– Tone Hartviksen and I know each other from our previous workplaces. This time Møller Medvind was the link. Assisting Tone and 4Service with this recruitment work has been a real pleasure.
Recruitment
At the end of 2022 4Service had three full-time employees at Møller Medvind Arena. During the first quarter of 2023, the group expanded to five.
– The usual recruitment procedures involve looking at CVs and application texts and then inviting people to attend an interview. In my experience you often lose a bit of the person behind the forms. Therefore, in consultation with both Møller Medvind and 4Service, we have chosen to be more flexible when undertaking recruitment for these particular positions.
Myrvang highlights the desire to work and personal suitability as being important qualities.
– People are more than just their CVs. By talking to people and investing time in getting to know them, we can uncover good candidates who might not have made it if we had just followed the classic recipe.
– Traditional interviews have been replaced by a nice cup of coffee. But at the same time as being considerate, we also need to stipulate some requirements.
– There are primarily four requirements that candidates need to comply with in order to become part of 4Service at Møller Medvind Arena. Firstly, they must want to work in the canteen and do cleaning. Secondly, they must be able to be present one hundred percent during their working hours. Thirdly, they must have the physical prerequisites necessary for being able to do the job. And finally, they must not have any private challenges that are incompatible with their working lives.
Myrvang has a lot of positive things to say about the collaboration that has now taken shape.
– 4Service has been inclusive, curious and genuinely committed to making a difference. They are skilled at asking questions and follow up candidates in a very good way. Fortunately, the vast majority of employers want to contribute towards increased inclusion, but not everyone is willing to set aside the resources that are actually required.
Although the collaboration between Møller Medvind, NAV and 4Service is still in the early stages, Myrvang is optimistic about the future.
– We all share the ambition of increased inclusion in working life. One matter close to my heart is that this should also apply to slightly older people. The fact that 4Service has shown a willingness to invest in more than just young people is something that I believe and hope that they will continue to do in the future, she concludes.
The value of the A4 life
Eirin Enoksen spent nearly 40 years outside the labor market before securing a permanent, full-time job at 4Service. How did she manage to reintegrate into the workforce after so many years of being excluded?