Contribution to human capital is the most profitable investment. CEO Eldorado.ua about self-education, leadership, and support of employees

12/ 05/ 2023

Vira Vitynska. CEO Eldorado.ua Photo by Artem Galkin for Forbes Vira Vitynska began her career at Eldorado.ua in 2001 as a cashier-controller. Already in 2020, in just under 20 years, a woman led the company. Under her leadership, business has gone through a pandemic, and now a major war. Eldorado.ua CEO Vira Vitynska told Forbes how the company works in wartime, supports employees, and transforms the approach to leadership. Employee Support The network is present throughout the country, the biggest challenge was and remains work in the front-line zones. Over the past year, we had to simultaneously completely rebuild logistics, save warehouses, assist the Defense Forces, send equipment for humanitarian needs, deal with the settlement of partner supplies, optimize the number of stores, set up remote workplaces and, without hindering anything, continue to develop transformation and digital projects launched before the invasion. From the first days of the war, Eldorado.ua prioritized the safety of employees and their further financial and psychological support. First of all, there was an evacuation and relocation of people from the most dangerous regions, and their employment in new places. The main task was to survive and protect workers. Vera claims that the priority was precisely the team - therefore, they decided not to make cuts, to provide payments. Human centrism is the basis of our companys values, and we prove this in practice, adds Vira Vitynskaya. Now the focus of HR efforts has shifted to mental and physical health support programs. In particular, insurance programs have been preserved, there is a project on psychological support Take care of yourself and the initiative Zarady solovjinoji to inspire the team to communicate more in Ukrainian. 176 employees mobilized into the ranks of the Armed Forces of Ukraine continue to pay material assistance and support according to individual needs. As a company that professes the philosophy for the sake of families, it is important for Eldorado.ua to support the families of IDPs and victims of war. Therefore, last year the company started the project Zeglynka dlja rodynky. Anyone can charge a zeglynka for 23 UAH for modular housing to families who lost their own because of the war. Rethinking leadership and constant self-education Investments in development and education remain the companys value guideline. In particular, in 2022, Eldorado.ua launched an online corporate university for employees with various training programs. In addition, the company has been working for two years on the restructuring of internal culture, including among managers. Among other things, the transformation aims to develop the concept of a service manager - a leader who not only performs operational management functions but is also involved in solving the issues of his employees. Our HRs assess the psychological state in each department. Based on the results, we cooperate with managers, and look at how they work with their subordinates. In general, leaders have become more open and empathic, Vira notes. According to CEO Eldorado.ua, the key qualities for sustainable growth and successful leadership are adaptability and the ability to constant learning. Vira Vitynska calls herself an eternal student and introduces mandatory educational initiatives for employees. We have a technology business; we cannot stand still. In addition, the client becomes more demanding of the company. Therefore, we practice permanent business education, courses, and pieces of training, advanced training in each link. As a company, we allow employees and managers to develop, and the result already depends on their efforts and motivation. To feel trends and changes in a dynamic world where there is a constant transformation of approaches, opportunities, and responsibility is extremely important for the manager. Therefore, separately for managers, the company has developed the Leader Code program to train heads of structural units. Now 140 managers of various business areas are involved in the program. It is impossible to implement changes if you are not engaged in self-education. We have a systematic approach to this: we invest in the development of personnel, and they grow professionally and remain loyal to the company. Today, about a third of employees have been working in the company for more than 5 years, and several hundred more specialists - more than 10-20 years. Personnel issue Many companies in Ukraine are experiencing a staffing crisis, including retailers. At the same time, if the leadership of Eldorado.ua and departments that can work remotely have hardly changed, then retail is more difficult. Some of the staff reloaded or left, so there are many vacancies in the stores. Certain changes in the labor market are also noticeable: in addition to basic needs, candidates increasingly pay attention to the values of the company and choose a place of work, focusing on whether the business is socially responsible. In turn, Eldorado.ua transforms service approaches to customers, and rethinks values to remain a favorite company for both employees and customers.

Vira Vitynska

CEO Eldorado.ua

Photo by Artem Galkin for Forbes

Vira Vitynska began her career at Eldorado.ua in 2001 as a cashier-controller. Already in 2020, in just under 20 years, a woman led the company. Under her leadership, business has gone through a pandemic, and now a major war. Eldorado.ua CEO Vira Vitynska told Forbes how the company works in wartime, supports employees, and transforms the approach to leadership.

Employee Support

The network is present throughout the country, the biggest challenge was and remains work in the front-line zones.

Over the past year, we had to simultaneously completely rebuild logistics, save warehouses, assist the Defense Forces, send equipment for humanitarian needs, deal with the settlement of partner supplies, optimize the number of stores, set up remote workplaces and, without hindering anything, continue to develop transformation and digital projects launched before the invasion.

From the first days of the war, Eldorado.ua prioritized the safety of employees and their further financial and psychological support. First of all, there was an evacuation and relocation of people from the most dangerous regions, and their employment in new places.

The main task was to survive and protect workers. Vera claims that the priority was precisely the team – therefore, they decided not to make cuts, to provide payments. “Human centrism is the basis of our company’s values, and we prove this in practice,” adds Vira Vitynskaya.

Now the focus of HR efforts has shifted to mental and physical health support programs. In particular, insurance programs have been preserved, there is a project on psychological support “Take care of yourself” and the initiative “Zarady solovjinoji” to inspire the team to communicate more in Ukrainian.

176 employees mobilized into the ranks of the Armed Forces of Ukraine continue to pay material assistance and support according to individual needs.

As a company that professes the philosophy “for the sake of families,” it is important for Eldorado.ua to support the families of IDPs and victims of war. Therefore, last year the company started the project “Zeglynka dlja rodynky”. Anyone can charge a “zeglynka” for 23 UAH for modular housing to families who lost their own because of the war.

Rethinking leadership and constant self-education

Investments in development and education remain the company’s value guideline. In particular, in 2022, Eldorado.ua launched an online corporate university for employees with various training programs.

In addition, the company has been working for two years on the restructuring of internal culture, including among managers. Among other things, the transformation aims to develop the concept of a “service manager” – a leader who not only performs operational management functions but is also involved in solving the issues of his employees.

“Our HRs assess the psychological state in each department. Based on the results, we cooperate with managers, and look at how they work with their subordinates. In general, leaders have become more open and empathic”, Vira notes.

According to CEO Eldorado.ua, the key qualities for sustainable growth and successful leadership are adaptability and the ability to constant learning. Vira Vitynska calls herself an eternal student and introduces mandatory educational initiatives for employees.

“We have a technology business; we cannot stand still. In addition, the client becomes more demanding of the company. Therefore, we practice permanent business education, courses, and pieces of training, advanced training in each link. As a company, we allow employees and managers to develop, and the result already depends on their efforts and motivation”.

To feel trends and changes in a dynamic world where there is a constant transformation of approaches, opportunities, and responsibility is extremely important for the manager. Therefore, separately for managers, the company has developed the Leader Code program to train heads of structural units. Now 140 managers of various business areas are involved in the program.

“It is impossible to implement changes if you are not engaged in self-education. We have a systematic approach to this: we invest in the development of personnel, and they grow professionally and remain loyal to the company. Today, about a third of employees have been working in the company for more than 5 years, and several hundred more specialists – more than 10-20 years”.

Personnel issue

Many companies in Ukraine are experiencing a staffing crisis, including retailers. At the same time, if the leadership of Eldorado.ua and departments that can work remotely have hardly changed, then retail is more difficult.

Some of the staff reloaded or left, so there are many vacancies in the stores. Certain changes in the labor market are also noticeable: in addition to basic needs, candidates increasingly pay attention to the values of the company and choose a place of work, focusing on whether the business is socially responsible.

In turn, Eldorado.ua transforms service approaches to customers, and rethinks values to remain a favorite company for both employees and customers.