HR Essentials in Business Continuity

by Hanna Pozdniakova, HRD at Vector Software 

Certainly, 2022 has forced people to undergo transformations in all aspects, both professionally and personally. As of February 2022, all of us, whether as owners, managers, or individual contributors, have been practicing crisis management in action. 

Let’s delve into the details of our journey and discuss how we organized ourselves and our teams during this period.

As we reflect on the past year, it becomes evident that all of the company’s activities and actions were aimed at several objectives:

Safety and support

In January 2022, the executive team at Vector Software prepared a contingency plan to mitigate the possible effects of escalation, ensuring the security of Vector’s consultants and business continuity in various risk scenarios. The company also allocated resources and funds to execute the response plan if necessary. Unfortunately, it did become necessary. The following focuses helped our people:

1. Company shelters. We rented houses in Warsaw, Poland and the Carpathians for our employees and their families. The Polish shelter is still available and in high demand among Vectorees.

2. Logistics. We also organized transfers to Poland for female colleagues and the families of our employees, as needed. Additionally, our employees are eligible for an allowance for support during the war, which can be used for relocation purposes.

3. Food, first aid availability, office as a temporary home. Our headquarters in Lviv and office in Kyiv are supplied with water, food, and first aid kits for a larger number of people than we previously had. In addition, we have equipped the premises with personal hygiene items, sleeping bags, and blankets in case people need to stay at the office for an extended period of time. 

4. Infrastructure. Since February 24, 2022, we have established autonomous power supply, backup cable and satellite internet channels, and other measures to ensure business continuity.

5. Other support. Our benefit and support package is dynamic. We launch programs when there is demand or request and adapt them after the MVP phase. During thel Russian invasion, we made an agreement with a kindergarten to help with the children of our employees. We also launched self-care psychological practices, lectures with experts in volunteering, psycho-emotional support, cross-cultural communication, and other initiatives. Our principle of an individual approach and valuing people over processes is strengthened by the full-scale war.

Communication

Transparent and open communication has been one of our values even before the full war started, and we have focused on making it even more frequent and detailed.

As of February 2022, we had 144 colleagues working in our two offices (Kyiv and Lviv) offline, as well as remotely all around Ukraine. Some team members were also on vacation or working abroad. To address this rapidly changing environment, we set up the following communication channels that continue to work today:

General meetings. We hold general meetings with all company employees, during which the entire executive team shares updates and crucial announcements. We openly answer any questions people may have, ranging from the possibility of relocating to our prepared shelter with relatives and animals, to the company’s financial stability and customer feedback. Everyone can share their ideas and emotional state and receive support in real-time. These meetings unite us and provide a sense of support even in uncertain times.

We started with daily meetings, but now we hold bi-weekly meetings with our President Geir Myhre and all VPs in Delivery, Operations, and Finance.

Thematic chats. They naturally naturally emerged for ad-hoc and prompt communication, and HR took over their coordination to make it smooth and clear. These include:

• A general chat on corporate matters, which includes company news, policy announcements, urgent updates, birthday greetings, and welcoming newcomers;
• A “Help” chat, where colleagues have created mini-sections on topics such as organization of humanitarian aid, procurement for the Armed Forces, search for housing, logistics, and more;
• A chat with information for colleagues who are abroad, providing guidance on obtaining temporary permits, mobile operators, kindergarten locations, and our overseas office locations.

At that time, our HR and Recruitment team was available 24/7 to answer any questions. For example, when we heard sirens or news of explosions, we immediately reached out to ensure everyone was safe and alive. The emotions of war entered our working environment in a very radical and sincere way, which was unexpected but has become an important aspect of our company culture. We want to continue this level of care and support, even after Ukraine wins.

Donations and financial support

Payments. To keep it brief, all payments and obligations were made on time and in full amount. It was and still is crucial for us to follow through on our commitments. Additionally, we developed a list of financial support programs for Vectorees, which include the ability to:

• receive advance payments
• use relocation allowances
• receive salary during military obligations
• apply for corporate loans if needed

Donations. Regarding the donation status as of today, we have managed to accumulate $199,502 for donations both corporately and individually. In the frame of our corporate donations, we made transfers to the “Come Back Alive” foundation, Ukraine Armed forces directly, helped to close the fundraising by concrete needs, purchased equipment for the State Emergency Service of Ukraine and other structures. Apart from that, we took care of the Kids Shelter in Korostyshev to cover their needs in day-to-day goods.

Additionally, our Vectorees continue to fundraise individual donations to buy vehicles and equipment for the military. For example, in August 2022, during a charity auction that we organized in a YouTube live format, Vectorees gathered almost 110,000 UAH in one go for the purchase of military cars, which was initiated by one of our colleagues. We see that sharing and support have become a part of our DNA, shared by all employees.

Thousands of lessons learned, tons of mixed emotions, hundreds of losses and wins, millions of actions taken, and finally, the essential crisis management strategies based on Vector Software’s experience during the last year are:

• Have an action plan. 
• Communicate with your team before taking action.
• Deliver information in a calm and professional manner.
• Stay optimistic.
• Be prepared to answer questions about feelings and emotions.
• Decisions made are your best decisions.
• Be human, act as a professional.

Overall, these are only initial reflections on what we, as colleagues and individuals, have gone through. Certainly, there is more to come. For instance, during our recent employee satisfaction survey, Vectorees were even more engaged than ever, achieving a score of 79 on the eNPS scale. This was not only the outcome of some new benefits introduced, but also a result of the unity, purpose, and impact of the daily victories and setbacks that we faced together.