Part 2: Plans for the Next Horizon

In our earlier post, we shared that we had the opportunity to host a public webcast on 12 April (Day #49 of the invasion) to explore the next phase of support for Ukrainian refugees. CEOs and CHROs should begin planning how their organizations can mitigate the impact of this humanitarian crisis with longer-term solutions to help thousands of Ukrainians begin the journey to a new life. We wrote about the role of HR in humanitarian response.

Here in the second of the two related posts, we’ll share what HR leaders told us they are planning to do to make a difference on the long-term impact of this humanitarian crisis. Our hope here is to share all that we heard and learned so that you and your organization can adopt, adapt or be inspired to take action; here is their distilled wisdom.

Thinking longer term, we asked, “What should organizations be thinking about to support employees in the region as well as contribute to larger relief efforts?”

• As we move into this next phase of planning for impacted and displaced workers, we need to determine what is sustainable and what is realistic:
  • Do organizations have enough internal opportunities to redeploy the employees?
  • Are the employees able to return to work or will they need medical care and mental health support for an unspecified time?
  • Will some need to be placed on temporary leave and if so, for how long and under what terms?
  • And if the business is permanently withdrawing from Ukraine or Russia, will some employees need to be let go?
  • If corporate assets are nationalized, how do you support/extricate impacted Russian colleagues?

Other actions organization should consider to support refugees, their own workers, and mitigate the impact on their talent supply:

• Weigh the longer-term cost of losing current skilled workers and/or not tapping into this network of skilled labor
• Create corporate job hub to source talent.
• Partner with job sites specifically designed to support Ukrainian workers; e.g., www.jobs4ukr.com
• Streamline processes for hiring (verification, government visa times, pre-employment forms, etc.)
• Create flexible work arrangements (hours, location, etc.) to accommodate critical life challenges.
• Prioritize Ukraine staff for temporary internal vacancies in neighboring European countries. In the hope of resuming operations in Ukraine in the future, some companies are retaining Ukraine employment contracts but making additional payments to reflect the cost of living in the host country.
• Prioritize Ukraine staff in global roles for international assignments.
• Leverage international mobility processes to accelerate such transfers.
• Offer training to refugees using company space (e.g., after hours) and trainers on language, skills, and cultural sensitivity.
• Retain mental health experts to work with employees, families, and refugees.
• Create education and training programs with local institutions and humanitarian agencies to skill or upskill workers; teach language skills.
• Partner with placement agencies to redeploy your own talent or source additional talent.
• Build support infrastructure or partner locally to address child or elder care needs, thereby enabling employees to work.
• Leverage technology services for refugee registration for work and service.
• Support service sabbaticals or purpose driven volunteerism for employees who want to help.

To watch the webcast on demand, click here

For a 360° view of geopolitical crises, starting with the Russo-Ukrainian war, and to read some of the excellent work done by our colleagues around the globe, particularly in the human capital space, please visit our Geopolitics Hub where you can find the insights for what’s ahead to help you lead with confidence.

Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it's the only thing that ever has.—Margaret Mead