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81% of companies support employees in Ukraine and abroad – new Survey by Deloitte Ukraine and the American Chamber of Commerce in Ukraine
June 2, 2022
The American Chamber of Commerce in Ukraine (AmCham Ukraine), together with AmCham member company Deloitte Ukraine, conducted the Survey on the Impact of War on Approaches to Human Capital Management.
The Survey aimed to identify the challenges that employers faced in Ukraine in terms of human capital management during the war and investigate the adjusted HR priorities and practices as a response to the new reality.
44 respondents took part in the Survey conducted on April 6 – May 13. Top managers, HR function leaders, and other AmCham Ukraine member companies' managers from various industries filled in the Survey.
Only a quarter of the surveyed companies (25%) conduct operations in full, 65% have limited operations, and 8% - temporarily suspended their operations. At the same time, the vast majority of the companies (90%) have or previously had operations in regions that suffered from active combat.
The biggest challenges in human resources management during the war are employees' safety (74%), supporting team productivity (56%), and ensuring the continuity of work processes (49%).
The most relevant HR priorities include workload management (57%), real-time support and assistance to employees (57%), review of the workforce plan/organizational structure (49%).
Most of the surveyed companies (67%) have not changed their headcount since the beginning of a full-scale war, and nearly half of them (54%) do not plan such actions for the next three months.
Representatives of the companies note that the total workload has decreased - for all employees (31%) or for certain categories (41%).
The vast majority of the companies paid salaries in full to all employees during February - April, but the share of such companies has been decreasing from month to month (due to the more active introduction of partial payments for certain categories of employees).
41% of the companies that had a planned salary review in the period no later than the end of April (62%) implemented changes before the war started. Among those who had a planned review in the period after the beginning of May, 50% changed their plans due to the war.
81% of the companies support employees in Ukraine and abroad. Among financial aid, the most popular are relocation assistance (79%), assistance with housing (79%), and monetary payments (67%).
Communication during the war became more intensive. The companies consider the inability to contact some employees through general communication channels to be the biggest communication challenge (50%). At the same time, 31% of the companies say that they have no communication problems.
According to the respondents, after the end of active combat, the priority areas should be considered for recovery in the area of human capital management. For the government – liberalization of tax and labor legislation, providing financial support for businesses, social support for people who return from abroad, and for internally displaced people. For companies – returning and retaining talent, focusing on employee well-being (including financial, physical, mental, and social aspects), redesigning work processes to ensure better flexibility, recovering and transforming business operations to maximize social impact.
"The war has significantly changed companies' approaches to human capital management. The focus on supporting people confirms the global trend towards human-centeredness. The actions of companies aimed at helping employees and communities reflect business maturity in terms of social responsibility and will provide a strategic advantage in the labor market in the future," mentioned Iakiv Akulov, Senior Manager of Human Capital Advisory Services of Deloitte Ukraine.
"We were pleased to conduct the Survey with the Deloitte Ukraine team professionals. According to the Survey results, the most important priorities for the AmCham member companies are to support employees and continue operational activities. AmCham Human Capital Committee leadership will continue to support companies to create more favorable conditions for doing business and accelerate economic recovery after the war, " said Zarina Demyanenko, AmCham Ukraine Senior Policy Officer (Human Capital, Media & Communication, Hospitality and Tourism Committees).
Full Results of the Survey are available by the link.