In the “Best Employers of Ukraine 2024” rating by the "TOP 100. Ratings of the Largest” magazine, Metinvest Group ranked fifth and was recognised in a special nomination for “Best Veteran Adaptation Programme”. The award ceremony was held on 17 July at the HR Wisdom Summit in Kyiv.
The rating covered the 50 largest employers, and an expert jury determined the winners. The leaders of the special nominations were chosen by the magazine’s editorial board and the business portal Delo.ua.
The ten largest employers in Ukraine also include Nova Poshta, DTEK Group, Kernel, Kyivstar, Philip Morris Ukraine, FUIB, ArcelorMittal Kryvyi Rih, MHP and Astarta-Kyiv.
The criteria for evaluating participants in the special nominations included project scale, availability of additional conditions for staff well-being and safety, educational component and innovation.
The topic of this year’s HR Wisdom Summit was “Places of Power: Transformation of the Work Environment Into a Place of Power and Growth”. HR directors from leading Ukrainian companies shared best practices in ensuring team retention and development, hiring talent and creating a work environment that supports each team member. The summit hosted more than 25 speakers and 300 participants.
Oleg Davydenko, head of corporate communications at Metinvest, participated in “The Role of the Employer in the Adaptation, Reintegration and Socialisation of Veterans” panel, which followed the awards ceremony for the special nominations. Representatives of Raiffeisen Bank, Astarta-Kyiv, Nestlé, and the “How Are You, Brother?” volunteer project also spoke on the topic.
Oleg Davydenko noted that Metinvest begins working with veterans during the mobilisation of employees, with whom it maintains constant communication. When veterans return to work, the Group focuses on not only them, but also their families.
Before launching its support programmes for former military personnel, Metinvest conducted a survey of veterans to determine what kind of help they need. This showed that for veterans, it is important that colleagues stay in touch with them during their military service.
Oleg Davydenko said:
“The team must be ready to communicate when an employee has been mobilised and when they return. Involvement is extremely important. The manager can do this by having a conversation and providing explanations. This process is highly empathetic, as the veteran initially goes through a person, and then through the procedures.”
He added that the Group focuses on two main areas: social adaptation of veterans, including psychological and medical assistance, and professional adaptation, including training and retraining. For example, more than 15 veterans have expressed their desire to study at Metinvest Polytechnic university this year.
Oleg Davydenko commented that around 1,000 veterans have returned to work at the Group’s enterprises. He added that Metinvest is ready to employ all veterans, for whom it has 4,000 vacancies.
