UNIC held an event within the UNIC Business Integrity Month, «Hard Talk with CEO: The Importance of Inclusion for Companies in the Post-War Future

On May 30, the UNIC held an event within the UNIC Business Integrity Month, «Hard Talk with CEO: The Importance of Inclusion for Companies in the Post-War Future,» in partnership with KPMG Ukraine.

The moderator of the event, Olena Makarenko, Partner, Advisory Services, Head of the Forensic, Sustainability, and ESG Group at KPMG Ukraine, UNIC Executive Committee Member, spoke with the speakers about changing the corporate culture of the company due to the challenges of the war; employment and creation of new jobs for people with disabilities; reconfiguring processes in companies within the inclusion and their readiness to invest in the new reality in the labor market, etc.

We publish the main theses of the speakers' speeches.

Olena Kulchytska, Advisor to the Minister of Social Policy.

Several ministries cover the issues of adaptation and employment of people with disabilities at the same time, so we are jointly building coordination on this issue. Today, we have a medical model of the perception of a person with a disability, which is identical to incapacity to work and is assessed only by health factors. Unfortunately, it does not consider social needs, professional activity, or a person’s future intentions.The Prime Minister has initiated a medical and social expertise reform to move from assessing only the body’s functioning to assessing all human needs. The Ministry of Social Policy, the Ministry of Economy, and the Ministry of Health are involved in this process. The assessment will be based on the national classifier that was approved 2 years ago. It includes about 10,000 different classifiers that can be used to assess almost any aspect of a person's life. Thus, we will be able to consider each person's needs and characteristics.

 

Why is it important? For an employer, a disability certificate often becomes an obstacle to employment. They don't understand how to adapt the workplace to the needs of a person with a disability, as such recommendations are quite difficult to formulate.

 

By introducing changes, we will be able to limit only areas unsuitable for a particular person. Everything else will be allowed, except in certain cases. This will help employers understand how to employ a person effectively.

 

Another problem faced by people with disabilities is that they do not have a so-called "first chance.” Employers are afraid to give a person the opportunity to prove themselves in a new job because of prejudice and distrust of people with disabilities. Social entrepreneurship has great prospects, as it can create opportunities for people's development.

With regard to women left without a breadwinner, the state should take responsibility for funding and support that the local community cannot cover.

Vitaliy Muzychenko, CEO of the Social Protection Fund for Persons with Disabilities.

When we talk about the current activities of enterprises, we primarily focus on resources. We can talk about infrastructure and investment attraction, but the main value of the state is the people. The number of qualified personnel in Ukraine constantly decreased even before the full-scale invasion in 2022. On the one hand, a large number of people have gone abroad, which is a huge challenge. On the other hand, the war leads to an increase in injuries, damage, and loss of functionality. We must create conditions for people to realize their potential in the labor market.

At the beginning of 2022, there were 2.7 million people with disabilities in Ukraine, most of whom belonged to the 3rd disability group. We are talking about the interaction process between a person's needs and the employer's vision, which was previously absent because there was a paternalistic model of state care for people with disabilities. Disability and incapacity for work were seen as the same thing, and employers were uninterested in solving these problems and ignored them.

This year, for the first time, we analyzed compliance with the standards for the employment of people with disabilities. Three-quarters of employers who were supposed to fulfill their obligation have already done so, which amounts to about 72,000 companies. This is a good result, but compared to Western European countries, we have less than 50% involvement, so we still have a lot of work to do.

This process involves creating new mechanisms and motivations. We need to create conditions for people with disabilities who need programs to support them, provide social support services in the workplace, and create conditions for training and obtaining the necessary qualifications. We are on the verge of creating a new model and conditions for employment.

Currently, the problem is low pay for people with disabilities compared to other employees. In addition, many people with disabilities do not disclose their status to management because they do not see the need to do so and do not want to stand out. However, the portrait of people with disabilities is changing. Today, many people have been injured or wounded due to hostilities and are returning to civilian life with a new status. Today, there is a need to solve problems at the level of rehabilitation, restore functional capabilities, and involve them in all spheres of public life. Previously, the medical unit was doing this independently, and no one cared for the person afterward. We must rebuild the rehabilitation and employment system and make it more inclusive.

Volodymyr Kudrytskyi, Chairman of the Board of NPC Ukrenergo

In the first few days, we made every effort to keep the power system under control. The system’s collapse would have meant the inability to effectively resist the enemy in the first days of the invasion. We moved all units responsible for operating the power system to safe locations. During the first two weeks, we allowed our employees to relocate from occupied or risky areas.

Of the 253 employees who took part in the hostilities, about 20 have returned and are working at the company. We have implemented a rehabilitation program for veterans and created an adaptation checklist for people with combat experience, which includes social, physical, and psychological support and assistance with medical treatment and prosthetics, if necessary. We also continue to pay our employees who participate in combat operations.

 

Bogdan Volchok, CEO of SCF Ukraine.

In our corporation, people are the central value. This value is again confirmed in the context of a full-scale invasion. We have implemented a number of safety rules. We provide an opportunity to evacuate to a shelter or bomb shelter during an air alarm. Physical safety is of great importance to us, as well as its impact on psychological health. We also work to adapt the shelters to the needs of our employees. We have recreation areas, internet access, water and food supplies, blankets, etc. In addition, we supported our employees during the massive shelling in the winter. Each employee was provided with portable chargers and warm clothes. We decided to continue paying salaries to mobilized employees and their families. We also created a union of combatants. All these measures are aimed at guaranteeing the well-being of our employees.

Ivan Andriychuk, Director of Agro Region Boryspil.

In 2014, our company launched a training platform for all persons who participated in hostilities and wanted to receive priority employment, training, and adaptation. Today, our company greatly supports the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU), devoting all its efforts and priorities to this cause. Many of our employees went to war, we pay their salaries in full and take into account the needs of our employees.