FAVBET about work in wartime

Chief Human Resources Officer, Serhiy Koshyl, talked about this more: did the staff have to be reduced with the onset of hostilities, did the management cut wages and did the hiring process change?

What was the number of staff at the Favbet company before the war, and did it have to be reduced with the start of hostilities?

Favbet is a diversified holding that includes several business areas, so it is incorrect to name a single number of personnel.

As for the layoffs, the company's management adopted a strategy of preserving jobs as much as possible: we believe in the victory of Ukraine and the stabilization of business operations. And together with a strong, well-functioning team, the exit from the crisis will be quick and sure.

Did many Favbet employees have to move to the west of Ukraine or abroad with the outbreak of war?

In the first month, it was difficult to calculate. People moved every day. As of April, 12% of employees were abroad. Of those who remained in the country, about 40% were in Kyiv and the region. The others are mainly in the west of Ukraine, but a significant part was with families in the central regions. It was the least in the front-line regions.

How many staff members currently work remotely and do not visit the office at all?

Since the start of hostilities, the company has had a completely remote mode of operation. In principle, most employees have been working remotely even before, due to the pandemic. At this moment (July), part of the employees already regularly visit the office at their own request.

Did the management have to make unpopular decisions regarding personnel: cut wages or transfer to part of the rate?

We adhered to the principle of payment for actual time worked. Here it is important to understand two factors: the availability of tasks and the ability of employees to be in work mode.

If we talk about loading, we have not had any significant stoppages in the projects. Some of them have been revised and replaced by others, which are more prioritized at the moment. In general, downloads have partially decreased in business areas where employees do not have the opportunity to work remotely (in particular, because many of them have left Kyiv). At the same time, many were moving, especially in the first months, in connection with which vacation or non-working days were issued.

How many employees voluntarily resigned from the company when the war broke out?

Maybe because of moving abroad, or for other reasons? The percentage of voluntary dismissals has decreased. For example, there were practically none of them in March-April. Since May, there have been isolated cases due to moving abroad or due to family circumstances. But now there are not enough of them to see any trend.

In recent years, the labor market in Ukraine has changed a lot and will continue to change in the direction of remote work and Europe. Also, the gap between IT and non-IT industries has become even bigger. Confirmation of the number of vacancies and candidates. This will increasingly affect the retention of employees in various areas.

What is the staffing situation at Favbet now? Is the company hiring new employees? Perhaps there were new positions in the staff that became relevant precisely during the work of business in wartime conditions?

We are currently actively recruiting. More than 40 vacancies in various areas are open. To some extent, the current crisis situation has contributed to the revision of the company's long-term goals and the development of new projects, for which we are currently staffing the teams. For the most part, this is the hiring of vacancies typical for our business: developers, digital marketing specialists, customer support, etc.

Tell us about the specifics of personnel selection in the gambling industry. Perhaps there are some special difficulties that arise precisely because of work in the gambling sphere?

The gambling business is very dynamic, diverse, and customer-oriented. Many employees, coming here, stay for a long time. Gone are the days when the gaming business was compared to something unethical.

Now it is a modern entertainment area with international competitors, technological projects and a large number of employees. And thanks to the improvement of regulation at the state level, the industry attracts foreign customers and operators, which forces us to develop even more intensively.

Therefore, the difficulty of hiring in our niche depends on the same factors as in other industries: the applicant's competencies and willingness to work in our rhythm. We have several rounds of interviews with HR and hiring managers so that we and the candidate can be 100% sure if we are a good match. If we see that the applicant has doubts about the gambling sphere, most likely, we will not take him… But at the same time, he may have the same doubts about other industries: outsourcing, fintech, crypto, etc. Therefore, as a large business, we understand the risks of hiring the "wrong" people and are looking for candidates aimed at long-term productive cooperation.

How is the adaptation of new employees carried out in your company? Did this process change with the onset of the war?

Taking into account the pandemic, the onboarding process has already been adjusted for remote work. It lasts three months and includes welcome meetings, periodic meetings with the employee/manager/HR, as well as collecting feedback for HR analytics. The start of hostilities affected only an increase in the mailing of documents and welcome packs. Otherwise, the process remained the same.

We know that Favbet implements many charitable initiatives, supports the army and forcibly displaced people. Can you elaborate on that?

Today, the main goal of 95% of the projects of our Favbet Foundation is to help the country and forced migrants, support the army and rehabilitate wounded soldiers. We continue to take care of two orphanages. Before the war, they were engaged in the development of the state program of digitalization of libraries, however, unfortunately, the process is currently temporarily suspended due to hostilities in the country.

At the moment, the company has transferred more than UAH 4 million and 5 tons of fuel directly and through charitable organizations to the needs of the Armed Forces. We also purchased three ambulances, which are already used by Mykolaiv medics, and bought two armored cars for the front. Starting from October 2021, the Favbet Foundation transfers UAH 100,000 every month for the rehabilitation of soldiers.

Favbet is currently also actively supporting Ukrainian refugees who have stayed in Croatia. We started by organizing a trip to a football match for peace between "Dynamo" Kyiv and "Dynamo" Zagreb. They also opened a free language school, on the basis of which a whole center is already operating for Ukrainians to communicate and receive the necessary support.

The projects of the fund and the company can no longer be divided into two separate directions. Before the war, about 15 people actively worked in the foundation, but today every third of our employees participate on their own initiative in charitable projects within the framework of the foundation or the company.

What are Favbet's immediate goals for the development of the company as a whole and the employee team in particular, can you share with us?

Unfortunately, I cannot tell you in detail. This is a trade secret. But in general – the preservation of current positions, as well as the development of new projects that appeared in connection with changes in recent months. And, of course, one of the important directions of the company now is the support of the army and employees who are in the ranks of the Armed Forces.