Kevuru Games Brand Manager Olena Butenko gave an interview to the Ukrainian media PlayUA, where she talked about how the company managed to work in the conditions of war and continued to grow and develop in order to be able to support the Ukrainian economy and contribute to the speedy victory of Ukraine.
Below you can see the beginning of the article.
Olena, to begin with, tell us a little about yourself. Is there an interesting story about how you ended up on the Kevuru Games team?
I am a journalist by education, I worked in my specialty for a long time, and then, like many of my colleagues, I switched to PR and communications. I have experience working with small and medium-sized businesses, the restaurant industry, and cultural projects. I joined the Kevuru Games team in 2021.
There is no incredible story for my hire. On the contrary, everything happened rather quickly. And this, I think, indicates a well-functioning recruiting and HR system. More context: in my case, it took a week from the first interview to the offer. One of the main messages voiced by our recruiters in interviews is the presence of common values between the employee and the company. I think that I had the maximum match.
During my work in the company, the team managed to implement many interesting projects. We made grandiose plans for 2022, which, unfortunately, changed after February 24. In the new realities, we are building communication processes in a new way, but most importantly, we continue to work and support the country’s economy.
What were your actions after russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, and what role did the company play in them?
Speaking specifically about me, I, like most people, left Kyiv on February 24: my family and I moved to a safer place. In the first days of the war, the company actively helped with the relocation, colleagues supported each other in every possible way. A channel was created where everyone could share their request for housing, transportation, or assistance.
Part of the team was already working from abroad and was safe. Many workers moved to the west of Ukraine. Ladies could use the possibility of relocation to Europe (Poland, France, Hungary, Italy). Throughout March, when employees were moving to safe places and arranging their lives and could not fully work, the company still paid them the minimum wage. Everyone who was on probation was automatically credited as successful. Vacation, weekends, and sick days used for the move were fully paid for by the company. If necessary, employees were provided with separate material assistance for relocation.
