Karin van Houten from Wadudu  did a interview in a Dutch magazine for and about employership. She talks about inclusive employment. Inclusive employment means that you have a genuine interest in your employees and take into account any limitations. This requires patience and flexibility. For example, someone must be able to withdraw if necessary. That means keeping space in the timetable in case it is not possible to finish the work.

Everyone is welcome at Wadudu. There is only one condition and that is the will to get started. If someone reluctantly comes every day, no matter how hard you try, it’s not going to work. Then you have to say goodbye to each other. Ultimately, the work has to be done, we are not a daytime activity, we are a production company.

Contact with the municipality

Karin has been involved with Wadudu since 2020 and came into contact with Wadudu with inclusive employment practices. Wadudu is a growing company, so there are regular vacancies, because not everyone has an affinity with animals, it is not always easy to fill these vacancies. We already had a number of employees at work via a reintegration process, so there was already a connection with the municipality of Midden-Drenthe. When we had vacancies again, we turned to the same municipality.

This resulted in a fruitful collaboration, because we now employ nine people through them, out of a total of twelve employees. In addition to tapping into a new source, Wadudu thinks it is important to do something for society and to offer a place to people who are less likely to find a suitable workplace.

“It’s not an obligation, but I still have a strong feeling that every company should do its bit. Even if you only help one person to get a job, everyone benefits from it. The person in question, who belongs again and builds independence, but also society. It’s a win-win situation. ”

You can read the complete interview with the AWVN here.