What Is It Like to Work in HR: Ukrainian HR Speaks

When one thinks of an IT company, one typically thinks of a bunch of tech geniuses vigorously typing and staring at numerous monitors in a dark room. Or maybe they imagine a group of inspired weirdos creating the next big startup a la Silicon Valley show. Anyway, people rarely think of non-technical specialists who do their fair share of the work in any IT company. I mean those working in sales, marketing, finance, and, of course, human resources. 

This was actually the first reason that motivated me to write this article — to tell the audience about the work that human resources managers do in Ukrainian IT companies and why it is so important. Another reason is that the duties and responsibilities of HRs in the US and HRs in Ukraine are often drastically different. So by reading this article, you will find out how HR managers help to keep developers on outsourced projects and members of dedicated software development teams satisfied and happy with their work environment.

What Is an HR Manager

Let’s begin with a brief description of what an HR manager is and what is the main idea behind all the work such specialists do in Ukrainian IT companies. To put it simply, an HR manager is a link between employees and business. We do try to keep every individual specialist working for the company happy and comfortable but we also keep in mind all the needs and goals of the company as a business. 

With the rapid development of the IT industry in Ukraine, the role of HR also changed, and now there is a division into many specializations. But I will mention this in more detail in the following parts of the article. Now let’s talk about what the working weekdays of an HR manager consist of.

Daily Tasks of an HR Manager

Obviously, what a human resource manager typically does during the day largely depends on the size of the company as well as what this IT company does — outsourcing, outstaffing, or product. In this article, I share my experience as an HR in a small company that offers outsourcing and dedicated team services.

The first mandatory thing I do is actually work with human resources. I work from the office so every morning when I arrive I try to check the general mood of the team, to see if everything is alright, and if anyone needs my help or advice. I also check my email for requests and questions and our HRM system to manage day off and sick leave requests. We also have short daily sync with management to check our weekly activities and our progress with OKR goals.

Once a quarter I have a series of 1-to-1 sessions with each employee where we discuss their emotional state, their work on the project, and their relationships with peers. This is definitely my favorite part of my work as I am an extroverted and people-oriented person (if not HR, I would choose BA or PM career). When I communicate with a person and see that communication is valuable to them, that they find support or consolation in our conversation, or that they understand something that they could not understand before, it inspires and motivates me.

Another important part of human resource management is policy creation. Without properly described processes, the life of the company can become hectic. However, this is the part of the HR job I dislike the most. So I try to get to writing after I get overwhelmed with communication (however much I love people, everyone needs to have a rest sometime).

The most difficult thing in my HR routine is to synchronize completely opposite thoughts. At Impressit, I am both an HR People Partner and an HR Business Partner. And sometimes the desires and needs of one and the other do not coincide. Therefore, my task here is to find a common denominator, to reach a consensus. This is what requires the most of my resources.

Strategic thinking is also one of the most valuable traits of a good HR manager as one will usually work alongside top management to plan out the development of the company. I take an active part in the strategizing process at Impressit, and to be honest, I absolutely love it as at these moments I truly feel how I can actually influence the lives of our team.

Debunking Myths about HR

Now you know the usual daily routine of a human resource professional, we can dive a little bit deeper and talk about other aspects of HR's work.

Truth be told, the work of HRs in the Ukrainian IT industry is surrounded by myths and fiction, with which one has to fight daily and prove with their own experience that not everything that is said about the HR profession is true.

The first and main one is the sexist myth that HR is a female profession. This was probably true until around 2010, but now I’d say that 30% of people in the Ukrainian HR community are men. Why do they say that? Because it is believed that women are more empathetic, more receptive, have a higher level of emotional intelligence, and men are more restrained, less understanding, and generally have lower EQ. But I would say that these claims are ridiculous as all these traits do not depend on gender.

The second is that human resources is the department that uses the largest part of the company's funds. In my experience, this is partly true, because to have profit and results, one has to invest. In this case, the funds invested in HR come back in the form of employee loyalty, reduced recruiting costs, strong corporate culture, and a positive image of the company on the market.

Last but not least, there is a myth that has been around for a very long time — that HR is kind of a service personnel. I have to say that for the most part, without HR, there are no established processes in any company. So with time, everything gets quite chaotic. It is usually Junior and Middle-level employees who do not quite grasp the importance of HR processes. However, those who have more work experience and plan to pursue manager positions understand the need for a qualified HR.

What Is It Like to Work in HR Now

Just like any other profession, the role of an HR manager transforms and changes. Throughout the years I can see how the Ukrainian IT HR community grows which means that there is a growing demand for these specialists. 

Also, as I’ve mentioned earlier, there is an ongoing trend of division into various HR specializations. I’m speaking of HR Business Partner (that works primarily with the company’s management), HR People Partner (that works, as you could guess, with a certain team or department), Employer Branding Specialist (that takes care of the employer’s image), HR coordinator (that is responsible for the well-being and mental health and all processes on a separate project) and many more. The number and nature of HR duties increased dramatically.

And then again, I can’t finish this article without mentioning two significant events that affected the world and the HR profession specifically. Yes, I mean the global pandemic and the ongoing war in Ukraine. 

With regard to Covid, surprisingly, the whole Ukrainian IT industry adapted very quickly. Although HRs and recruiters were the first to be laid off during the first wave of the pandemic, the companies understood what a mistake they made when everyone went fully remote. The necessity to manage people remotely created new HR duties — organization of communication, support of corporate culture, and new ways to keep people engaged and motivated. And if we take into account the fact that some companies began to actively recruit people after some time, it was necessary to unite people scattered around the country using various methods. And then the hybrid method of working brought new challenges.

But it seems to me that this transition took place very quickly and very successfully. Because for a very long time, businesses did not believe that work can be done remotely and it will be done efficiently. And now, taking into account the number of remote workers, offices are being created in different countries, and those offices can even be virtual — these are crazy opportunities for business owners to broaden their horizons. People can work from anywhere in the world and feel comfortable.

The war in Ukraine obviously influenced each and every one in Ukrainian IT both on personal and professional levels. During the last two years, even HRs without a degree in psychology became psychologists. The usual scripts I use during 1-to-1 meetings now include questions to check if the person’s emotional state is alright and if the person has inner defense mechanisms to deal with the hardships of life during the war. 

Now it is extremely important for HR to be able to support their employees on various levels, support routine work processes that give people a sense of stability, prevent burnout even more effectively, and keep the sense of community in the company. 

In Conclusion

This article is based on my 7-year experience in HR in various Ukrainian IT companies. And I still feel like I’m learning something new every day from my peers. Sometimes I wonder what would happen if all HRs disappeared. I won’t claim that the business world will fall into chaos, but in the absence of mediation from HRs, setting up processes and understanding each other will be more difficult, and will definitely take longer. That is why it wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that HR managers are a necessary and important part of every Ukrainian IT company. It’s that little cog that keeps the whole machine running smoothly and efficiently.