From the desk to the cyborg’s faceless interaction in The Norwegian Labour and Welfare Administration

Abstract

We explore the shift from desk to digital services in the Norwegian Labour and Welfare Administration (NAV). This organizational shift is part of the "Channel Strategy", which aims to route service users through multiple choices of media channel in NAV. The research question is: How do NAV service users with mental health challenges and cooccurring disorders experience the digitalization of NAV's services? Our methodological framework is a bottom-up perspective. Our empirical sample consists of qualitative interviews with 25 service users with co-occurring disorders and challenges with mental health problems who have extensive knowledge of and experience using NAV's services. The findings indicate a shift towards what we have termed "faceless interaction", which refers to interactions related to users, frontline workers and the welfare system, as well as to how users respond to mediation in a digital context. In this integrated circuit, humans are responding to the terms set by technology; human interaction related to user involvement and responsibility is less prominent. The conclusion indicates that a shift towards digital social services in NAV requires new forms of skill and communication among both frontline workers in NAV and users with mental health challenges and co-occurring disorders.

Predictors of satisfaction with digital follow‐up in Norwegian Labor and Welfare Administration: A sequential mixed‐methods study

“…However, research suggests that tailored and individualised follow-up as effective elements for labour market inclusion (Bond et al, 2016(Bond et al, , 2023Sveinsdottir et al, 2020). If the division of responsibilities and user involvement is increasingly unclear (Fugletveit & Lofthus, 2021), impersonal contact and complicated digital channels may impact satisfaction.…”

“…The changes in interactions between clients and frontline workers can also be regarded as 'faceless interactions'. This term refers to the practice where division of responsibilities and user involvement is increasingly unclear, and underscores the necessity of new skills and communication solutions (Fugletveit & Lofthus, 2021).…”

Organisering og samarbeid mellom kommune og NAV om introduksjonsprogrammet og hurtigsporet

“…Noen brukere kan oppleve seg som mer hjelpetrengende i møte med NAVs digitale løsninger sammenlignet med fysiske møter i et NAV-mottak (Fugletveit & Lofthus, 2021;Lundberg & Syltevik, 2017). Lundberg og Syltevik fremhever hvordan personer som henvender seg til NAV er i en behovssituasjon, skal orientere seg i noe nytt, har behov for trygghet og medvirkning og «ikkje nødvendigvis sit klar til å avlevere den rette informasjonen til staten» (2017, s. 28).…”

Digital aktivitetsplan som kommunikasjonsverktøy i arbeidsrettet bistand

“…Noen brukere kan oppleve seg som mer hjelpetrengende i møte med NAVs digitale løsninger sammenlignet med fysiske møter i et NAV-mottak (Fugletveit & Lofthus, 2021;Kane, 2020;Lundberg & Syltevik, 2017). Lundberg og Syltevik fremhever hvordan personer som henvender seg til NAV er i en behovssituasjon, skal orientere seg i noe nytt, har behov for trygghet og medvirkning og «ikkje nødvendigvis sit klar til å avlevere den rette informasjonen til staten» (2017, s. 28).…”