We live in times of maximum uncertainty and the war in Ukraine has proven this.
Most of Ragnarök's team members used to be located in different Ukrainian cities
but when our country was attacked by an infinite number of bombs and missiles
many people, including our employees, had to make a very tough but solid
decision: leave everything and flee. They had to leave literally everything behind:
their properties, loved ones, parents, animals and had to manage their transfer a bit later. It is very stressful and complicated, and it is safe to say that every story of
every person deserves to be heard. Also, some of our hired hands were stuck on
another continent because they went on vacation before the war started. And they also felt trapped by the circumstances.
It goes without saying that the situation made millions of people face various
difficulties, like moving, leaving their hometowns, going through Survivor’s guilt,
and so on. Trying to set up life in a new country is another big challenge because
things are completely different over there. Everything seems odd, especially when
you end up on another continent and have to go through culture shock and solve
other issues like getting adapted to the mentality differences, food tastes, services, renting an apartment, learning another language, etc.
Always being a company that cares about its talents, we are constantly in touch
with our people, so they shared with us their feelings and experiences of living in
other countries. Most of our workers that had to flee, admitted that time difference became an issue number one because they experienced problems with getting in touch with their friends and loved ones. For example, one of our team members is in the US right now, and Ukraine is 11 hours ahead. Another person is in Thailand and there is a difference of 4-5 hours. However, due to the time difference, it is problematic not only to stay in touch with family and friends, but also to cope with the workload, since it is followed by Ukrainian time. Although they all admitted that it was not easy from the very beginning, the support and care of Ragnarök helped them to adapt to the new reality. Basically, it was our mission to take part in it because the relationship with our talents is way more than just ‘company-workers’. We are family.
We knew from the start that it would be difficult to keep up with the work pace of
the team that is located in Ukraine. After hearing that the team members who left
the country struggled with the time zone difference, we came up with solutions.
Our employee who moved to the US had to work nights to keep up with everything because there’s 11 hours difference. So, our solution was to let him work a couple of hours at the beginning of the general working day, and finish the rest of the time during his day. When we offered this solution, our employee said, “This is a huge support and understanding from the project’s side, for which I am very grateful. I didn’t even ask for this!”. We knew it was important to step in and find a compromise because we understand that it is not easy to be isolated from the entire team and we wanted to show support. The moving itself has already cost our employees a lot of nerve cells and money. So, we felt we had to do everything we could to make life easier for them. Now, this schedule allows our team members to flexibly allocate time when to work and when to do personal matters, of which there are a lot now.
Another stress factor was that some clients began to worry as they thought our
team members won’t cope with the work or will have problems integrating into the team because they left Ukraine. But now, as the solutions are found, everything goes well. However, there were also clients who showed their care and support and were ready to keep on working together because they have always been satisfied with the work of our employees.
In general, all team members admitted that the flexible management and individual approach to the issue from the company helped them adapt to the circumstances, as they knew that the company would support them. They also know that even if they encounter any difficulties at work or in life, the right solution will be found. They say, wherever you go, there you are, and that is why every person overcomes difficulties in their own way. Some team members adapted to the circumstances more easily and even admitted that they had already found new friends and created their own Ukrainian communities that help Ukraine donating money. Our employee who lives in Thailand now, shared his feelings and revealed that he found his own way to reduce stress, “Stress and psychological fatigue dissolves in the sea breeze”.
Another worker said that moving to another country helped to get closer to his
family and now, they spend more time together than before. But, of course, one of
the most essential things that helped them adapt is the fact that they didn’t feel
abandoned during the most difficult times of their lives. Even though the war has
begun, our company still supports the employees. Now, we have our team
members located all over the world, from Germany to the US and Thailand, and
we keep on showing how much we care about them.
The times are more difficult than ever right now but our ideology says that you
shouldn’t stick to something old. Focus on the new, better things in life! This is
exactly what we teach our employees. We want to show them that no matter what, we all have to forge positive changes no matter how difficult the scenario may seem. This is the approach that we have to our customers and this is the thing that we teach our team, as well. We teach them how to react fast to literally any change in life and with this skill, no matter where life puts you in, you will always overcome any obstacles.
We are always ready to do the extra mile - to make positive changes happen. And
this is what we also do to our team members. Of course, the life change that
happened for many people right now, including our team, might feel like choppy
waters but when you have support, it becomes smooth sailing. With Ragnarök you will never walk alone in your journey!