Metinvest raises the bar for business responsibility when working with veterans

The company is creating an ecosystem for the integration of veterans into a full life and return to the profession

Metinvest Group is creating an ecosystem for the integration of veterans into normal life and work, and considers this a fundamentally important task for the survival of the business. This was stated by Tetiana Petruk, Director of Sustainable Development and Human Resources, in an interview with dsnews.ua.

According to her, the total number of Metinvest employees mobilized since the beginning of the war has already reached more than 8,000, which is actually every sixth employee. The company has been consistently adapting all its business processes to accommodate both former employees and veterans hired on the labor market. So far, nearly 400 employees have joined the company after demobilization from the Armed Forces.

Metinvest’s strategy for working with veterans is based on the principles of responsibility, consistency and internal justice. In particular, the company seeks to apply a unified approach to incentive systems for all employees to unite rather than divide teams.

According to the Director of Sustainable Development and Employee Relations, since the beginning of the war, support for employees and their families has become an important area for the company.

Metinvest cares about its employees who ensure the production process. Each enterprise has bomb shelters equipped to accommodate people for a long time. For employees who cannot leave their workplace, special areas have been created where they can safely wait out air attacks. In addition, such employees must wear military protective ammunition.

The company provides employees mobilized to the army with bulletproof vests, helmets and clothing sets, as well as the necessary equipment upon request.

«We pay for treatment for seriously injured employees. And we help employees who lost limbs in the war with prosthetics. The joint program of Metinvest and Protez Hub involves 50 employees and their families, of whom 34 have already received prostheses worth up to €30 thousand and undergone rehabilitation,» Tetiana Petruk noted.

The company develops both general and targeted psychological support programs for the Group’s employees and their families, including children.

The Group is also creating an inclusive ecosystem for the integration of veterans into normal life and work.

«Not only because the shortage of personnel may become a major constraint to the post-war economic recovery. But also because these employees are our DNA with proven experience, qualifications and skills, and we understand that without returning our mobilized employees to their jobs, the group’s companies will lose a lot,» Tetiana Petruk said.

To further develop its talent pool, Metinvest is also already hiring veterans in the labor market, given that the country’s defenders gain not only military experience during their service in the Armed Forces but also develop such business-critical competencies as leadership, teamwork, etc.

The company pays attention to the health and psycho-emotional state of veterans, provides additional medical examinations, and explores opportunities to introduce its own rehabilitation programs. In addition, the company focuses on preparing managers and teams for the return of Ukraine’s defenders. Together with its partner, Wellbeing, the group has already held webinars on «Returning Heroes from War» for 23,000 employees and launched training for managers at all levels.

The company provides employees, including veterans, with the opportunity to undergo retraining in the professions they need at the expense of the enterprise, including at Metinvest Polytechnic University. Since the start of the full-scale invasion, 19 thousand employees have completed the training. The group’s assets in Pokrovsk, Zaporizhzhia, Kryvyi Rih and Kamianske employ about 8.2 thousand people.

As GMK Center reported earlier, Metinvest from the beginning of the war directed to support Ukrainians and the Armed Forces of Ukraine 4.8 billion UAH.