How to support people in times of crisis?

The simplest way to find the right direction was to ask our employees what they currently require, and how Boldare can contribute to implementing relief efforts. As a result, we came up with a few ideas that we hope can be an inspiration for other companies to act.

Psychological safety

The very first action that we took was setting up a special task-force team designated to identify the needs of the Ukrainian employees & their families and, in the next steps, to provide them with tailored ways of help. Our goal is to be a helping hand during their relocation processes and to offer mental health support in the difficult times as well.

Speaking about mental support, we’ve launched “The Boldare Hotline Support”. This is a special online meeting space where anyone can join and share their thoughts and feelings. What is essential, in all of this we remember about all our employees and care for an open dialogue with them. Boldare people know that they can easily count on mutual understanding if the current situation distracts them from performing their duties.

Transparency and open communication

We always care for transparency and open communication, and now this approach is even more important. To provide our people with constant access to information, we organize cyclic Q&A meetings focused on the new reality in times of crisis. Likewise, a new Slack channel “Z Ukrainą” [“With Ukraine”] collects data about every possibility of getting involved in supporting Ukraine. This is a place where our dedicated support group communicates about the proven campaigns that Boldare people can become a part of.

Supporting aid organizations

To support people affected by the conflict more directly and materially, Boldare provides an aid budget for multiple relief operations. According to the current needs, we’re focusing on three areas:

• providing direct support to our employees and their families affected by the conflict,
• financially supporting our employees who have offered shelter to refugees from Ukraine,
• allocating donations to aid organizations.

Instead of earmarking a one-time donation, we’ve decided to implement a long-term support campaign based on diversified aid measures, easily adaptable to emerging needs. Employees who want to contribute on their own can always draw from the list of valuable and proven donations created by the organization (we update it regularly).

Helping fast and efficiently

The main goal is to provide help as soon as possible. That’s the reason Boldare supports all the grassroots initiatives that are born in the organization. Employees are more than welcome to spread the word about their actions on the company’s public channels. There will always be a space and budget at Boldare to promote such activities (via both internal and external communication). We encourage teams to act, help, and actively participate in various social impact movements. Thanks to this approach, our people have a sense of empowerment and belonging. Particular activities often gather communities that share similar values and act together more efficiently in a good cause.

Technology that helps

Boldare also acts as a member of the Tech To The Rescue initiative. Like other TTTR partners, we are naturally determined to use technology for the good of society. Digital solutions can help overcome real-life challenges, as well as become genuine support in times of crisis. Currently, under the TTTR cooperation, we created UASOS app - an application that aims to help Ukrainians find accommodation in Poland in a smooth and fast way.

Acting against disinformation

We don’t forget about the cybersecurity of our people – this is our priority. To act against cyberattacks and disinformation, we’ve prepared for our employees a list of reliable sources of information and a special guide on how to detect and protect themselves from fake news. Our cybersecurity specialists appeal to everybody to be very careful while choosing links, and they share some of the best practices with others.

Supporting our clients

Obviously, we still care a lot for Boldare clients. We run complementary support for our clients and their businesses. Product Strategists are open to analyzing their situation, discussing exposures and opportunities, and educating how to mitigate possible risks. We’ve gone one step further and are eager to help in identifying valuable partners in areas that we cannot attend to.

We are aware that there is a lot we can do – not only now, but also in the following weeks. Likewise, we’re tuning in long-term help solutions. The plan is to regularly monitor the situation and allocate our efforts where they are truly needed. Furthermore, we control and distribute the Boldare aid budget on an ongoing basis and donate funds to relevant places. We want to provide constant support in diversified relief actions. And we believe that sometimes seemingly small acts can be the beginning of real change.