How Shell has become a veteran-friendly company in Ukraine

When and how did you start your preparation? What were the prerequisites you needed?

In fact, we started more than two years ago. We realized that in our case, we will have to prepare more than 1,500 employees who work at 118 stations and offices. The first step was to create training conditions for each of our employees, removing all potential barriers in the process. At the time, we had an internal corporate app installed on each employee’s phone, so we could share news, conduct training, share important resources, and more. However, in addition to this, we identified 11 potential barriers.  As an example, physical barriers: how to study during blackouts if there is no electricity and no possibility to charge one's phone and laptop? Therefore, already in 2022, we issued charging stations to all office employees, while our stations were equipped with diesel generators.

Another barrier we identified was: how to study when people are extremely anxious and have no inspiration to do so? As a solution to the problem, we conducted a survey to find out what employees’ current needs are and adjusted our mental health program consequently. In this way, we discussed the following topics with office employees: growth mindset and its impact on mental health, resilience, burnout, and resourcefulness. While the following topics were discussed with the stations’ employees: growth mindset and its impact on mental health, resilience, bereavement, and information hygiene. Frankly speaking, the subject of grief is of the most difficult ones, but we are proud that our staff realized the need to explore this matter. Over time, we had to move even further in this direction, since there were quite a lot of losses. Even in peacetime, people were not sufficiently knowledgeable about this topic: namely, how to communicate with a person who has experienced a loss? How and what kind of assistance to offer? Should we talk about the loss and how to do it? How to announce the loss to children for the first time and talk to them about it later on? All these questions became even more relevant in wartime.

So far, we have supported the publication of 10,000 copies of one of the guides of the volunteer project “How are you, brother?”. Ukrainians can read this guide by downloading it on the website, or get it for free in printed form, paying only for delivery. We supported the publication of the guide “How are you... How to talk to those who have lost their loved ones" and hope that in this way we can help many during this extremely challenging time. For our part, we also use the guide in the training of our employees, because now our teams are saying goodbye to their colleagues who died in the war, and it is important for us to support their families not only financially, but also with sincere condolences and tactful communication. Moreover, delving into this topic will help us better understand our future colleagues - veterans, as they have experienced a lot of grief from the loss of their comrades. Therefore, our task is to prepare everyone in our company for the return of veterans, and this requires creating prerequisites for understanding important things and working through difficult but relevant topics.

Furthermore, we have created a channel in our app called "Our People Are Here — Space for the Unbreakable" because we realized that everyone needs support with learning how to communicate during the war with each other, with loved ones, with children. In addition to a million defenders, there are even more those who are waiting for soldiers’ return from the frontline and are currently supporting them as much as they can. In this channel, we share contacts of communities where one can get help, links to useful resources, such as the Veteran Hub, the volunteer project "How are you, brother?" and others.

When do you start supporting your veterans and how do you support them from the moment of mobilization?

Support for our employees begins at the mobilization stage. Upon request, the company can provide uniforms, shoes, and additional items (gloves, backpacks, hats, Panama hats, socks, thermal underwear, and so on). In addition, we practice online auctions among our employees, who support the initiative by selling their lots or purchasing those of their colleagues. Such an activity is quite popular among the company's employees, and they are happy to take part in it. Moreover, we support mobilized soldiers during their service. For example, we have a set of the most necessary things for the first time in a hospital, as staff often find themselves far from their homes and might not have what they need the most. Also, we are preparing a program for their return, making sure that we provide equal opportunities for everyone. Equal opportunities are not about giving everyone the same things, but about giving everyone what is needed the most in a particular situation. For instance, we currently offer free psychological support to all our employees.

For those with combat experience, we offer an opportunity to contact military psychologists who better understand combatants and, therefore, can provide quality assistance. The same approach is in legal services, which are necessary for those who just returned home, have many relevant questions and are looking for their solutions. Also, we train our demobilized employees as mentors and provide external community contacts to better help others adapt. We also thought of potential candidates who have been demobilized: we developed a guide for directors and managers that teaches them how to conduct interviews and ask questions about their previous combat experience. Thanks to this, directors and managers better understand the specifics of such communication and feel more confident during interviews.

When we teach our employees the basics of tactful communication with people with combat experience, we take care of both sides in this dialog. Inclusion is an essential priority for our company and its principles are mandatory for everyone who works here. We teach our employees that veterans are not only our potential colleagues or job candidates, but are our family and friends, neighbors, partners, suppliers, clients, and so on. That is why we must prepare our employees for the return of veterans both to our company in particular and to civilian life in general.

Why did you decide to participate in the Veteran Friendly event organized by the Veteran Hub and what does the award mean to you? Was it difficult to win? What are you proud of?

We were motivated to take part in the event by the opportunity to get a real assessment of our practices from the Veteran Hub with veterans’ participation, as we currently do not have many employees who have been demobilized. In the same way, we have not yet found many candidates for vacant positions on the labor market. Therefore, we believe that comprehensive evaluation and feedback, ongoing training and monitoring will help us get prepared for the future.

In the process of evaluating a veteran candidate, we always rely on our culture and values, as well as respect for others and their experience. For us, each candidate is first of all an individual and a professional. We do not evaluate primarily based on such characteristics as age, gender, social affiliation, or combatant status. We pay attention to previous experience, professionalism, personal qualities, development prospects in the company and interest in a job. It is crucial for us to find common ground with everyone, and identify the capabilities and benefits of working with us. We evaluate all candidates on a peer-to-peer basis. We are highly interested in skills veterans acquired during their service and which can be successfully applied in civilian life: leadership, resourcefulness, teamwork, comprehensive situation assessment, ability to make decisions under uncertainty, and so on. Hence, we followed our usual approach of providing equal opportunities to all candidates.

First, we are proud that the direction we have chosen includes both veterans themselves, as well as their loved ones, relatives, people who are currently serving, and all other employees who in one way or another live in the conditions of war. We care deeply about everyone in our company, and even more, about veterans. Second, we were convinced that we are on the right path and that our practice is exactly what demobilized soldiers, and their families need, thanks to the award and practical assessment from the Veteran Hub as well as the positive feedback we received from veterans themselves. However, unfortunately, such a practice is not yet quite common among companies in Ukraine. Therefore, we intend to share our experience and promote these important practices for veterans not only among our clients but also in the wider community. We believe that we will contribute to raising awareness and ensuring an inclusive environment in the entire country.

How do you intend to promote your practices in the wider community?

In general, we have activities in which we involve not only our employees but also their relatives and friends. For example, we organize blood donation months, as this is a rather urgent problem in the country today: only a third of patients receive donated blood on time. This initiative found many supporters among the company's employees and their relatives, who wanted to contribute to the development of the blood donation culture in our community. In addition, we welcome representatives of other companies located in the same business center to join this initiative.

As for the important practices that we share with our customers, we have a project called "A Dream That Cannot Be Stopped". It is aimed at publicly honoring our country and all those who are currently defending it, and commemorating all those who defended our country’s freedom at the cost of their lives. We often hear that this practice is extremely important for veterans and their families. Unfortunately, such a practice has not yet become common along with the commemoration of the fallen on the Day of Remembrance of the Defenders of Ukraine on August 29 which has not yet reached the necessary public scale. This day is dedicated to honoring the heroism of defenders, volunteers, and all those who sacrificed their lives for Ukraine's independence, sovereignty, and territorial integrity. On this day, we remember not only those who died in the Ilovaisk tragedy but also thousands of fallen soldiers in the current Russian-Ukrainian war, which has been lasting since 2014. The sunflower has become a symbol of this day - a symbol of the courage of Ukrainian defenders and a symbol of life continuation. On this day, Shell honored its fallen colleagues at all our stations and publicly paid tribute to all the defenders of Ukraine who fell on the battlefield defending our homeland. In addition to the minute of silence, the poem "Dream, do not betray" by Lesya Ukrainka was recited in honor of our defenders. The events paid special attention to the components of our statehood - the Ukrainian language and culture - and focused on the idea that we all have one common dream: free and independent Ukraine.

As mentioned before, we supported the publication of 10,000 copies of the guide of the volunteer project "How are you, brother?" - "How are you... How to talk to those who have lost their loved ones" and hope that it will help support family and friends in our common grief and respect on the Day of Remembrance of the Defenders of Ukraine. I am convinced that the guide will help many Ukrainians find the right words of support, to talk of the fallen, and practical tools for communication on what and how best to offer help to those who have experienced the grief of loss.

In addition to printed editions, we also initiated the distribution of the guide in electronic format. At Shell stations, customers can use flyers with QR codes that not only link to this guide but also all other guides of the volunteer project: "Talk to me... How to provide basic psychological assistance through conversation", "How are you, brother? How are you, sister? Traumatic experience and how to talk about it", "How are you, love? How to talk if you are at a distance?", "How are you, honey? How to talk to a child during the war" and others. Not everyone in Ukraine is aware of the existence of such resources and therefore does not have access to them. As a company, we want to assist others in learning about and using these materials. Among these guides is the notable "How are you, veteran? How to talk to someone who is trying to return to civilian life". In my opinion, this book highlights an important concept on which we have built our entire approach to preparing for the return of veterans. This process is comprehensive, and in addition to the veterans themselves, it includes all those to whom they return. This is a challenge for both sides. So, I will return to my already expressed belief that inclusion is not only about caring for a category or minority with different experiences. Inclusion means caring for every participant in the communication process. Thus, taking into account the needs and acknowledgement of all parties is the only way to ensure truly quality preparation for the reintegration of veterans.

What advice do you have for those who are just starting out on their journey of preparing for the return of veterans?

I believe one should start with one's own culture and one's environment. One can only expect from people what they already have or will soon acquire. This means that if we want people to respect those with different experiences, then everyone should respect him/herself as a person first. If we want them to support others, we need to answer the question: have we provided them with proper support, and are they able to support someone else afterwards? Next, we need to ask ourselves: does the company have the same values, and elements of culture that are aimed at helping others? What is more, some activities do not require bid investments! I return to the example of blood donation that I have already given; this campaign can be organized together with colleagues. Last, I would advise everyone to look wider! For the most efficient reintegration of veterans into society, more people should be aware of the specifics of this process. When I talk about it, I am often asked: "What exactly do you mean? Could you tell us more about it? Where can I read about it?" and many more similar questions. Share all your knowledge with your family, friends, colleagues, and clients, because this is what can build the right social ecosystem and prepare our fellow citizens for returning veterans. Educate yourselves and others to treat veterans with respect for their experience, and without discrimination, unjustified rumors, myths, and prejudice.

About Shell Ukraine 

Shell Mobility business entered the Ukrainian market in 2007 and it is part of Shell's Central and Eastern European cluster. To date, Shell Ukraine employs around 1,600 people. The network of Shell-branded fuel sites consists of 116 functioning stations out of 131 in total in 20 oblasts of Ukraine, offering its customers high-quality motor fuel products, including Shell V-Power fuel, diesel and LPG, as well as a wide range of Convenience Retailing goods, fresh food and beverages products.  

In an effort to meet the expectations of a growing number of Ukrainian electric vehicle owners, more than 16% of Shell’s network have electric vehicle charging modules installed.

Shell is a global group of energy and petrochemical companies with 103,000 employees in more than 70 countries. Renowned for over 100 years of experience in fuel development, Shell uses advanced technologies and innovation to help build a sustainable energy future. Shell also invests in power, including from low-carbon sources such as wind and solar; and new fuel for transport, such as advanced biofuels and hydrogen.