Despite the full-scale war, the HedgeHog company did not stop its work. The role of HR managers has acquired a new meaning for us and our partners, customer companies. All of us have experienced emotions and states unknown to us before. In order to continue the work, the situation required quick and bold reactions and decisions. Let’s talk about how HedgeHog went this way and what solutions we found.
We remind you that we provide HR consulting services to some logistics companies, so our area of responsibility includes not only the HedgeHog team but also the teams of our clients.
The first thing that needed to be done was to assess the situation, determine priorities, and create at least some kind of action plan. In the first weeks of the war, the most important issue was security. For this, HR faced the task of building a personal relationship with each employee in order to understand his condition, the situation in which he and his family found themselves, his plans, and what kind of help he needed. At this stage, it was important to convey the company’s position in providing support and providing concrete assistance to its employees. To make sure that they are not alone with their problems during these difficult times.
We identified specific requests and tasks that the company was able to undertake:
Every decision regarding benefits and assistance was considered and deliberate, considering budgets and the company’s actual capabilities. The main task of HR managers in this process was to balance two components: the needs of employees and the company’s capabilities.
Having mastered the situation, we began to work on the automation of support issues – a decision was made to create a care department. This was an important decision, as HR managers had to return to other tasks and later resume recruiting. Since our clients, logistics companies, work for the US and European markets, the teams did not stop working and fulfilling their duties, as they did not stop growing and creating new jobs.
So a care team is a more coordinated and larger level of support. In our case, HR and event managers, psychologists, lawyers, and buyers were involved in the work. A hotline was set up; clear instructions were given regarding moving, registration, etc. And later, a site was created where we collected literally everything in one place: a form for creating a request for help, a list of issues we work with, answers to frequently asked questions, useful information, etc.
The conclusions that we and our clients made regarding the support of the team during the war:
One of HedgeHog’s core values is people. But just talking about it is not enough. This must be proved.
Staying aloof from events like war was impossible for Hedgehog. After all, every employer is responsible for his people. And by supporting his team, he supports his business and, thus, the whole of Ukraine.
