This article is a part of a series of materials about corporate social responsibility at SoftServe. If you want to know more about our CSR activities, click here.

There are no restrictions for SoftServe employees who want to grow and move into new careers. The company is ready to help talent and offers them the tools they need to do this. Volodymyr Semenyshyn, EMEA President, talks about employee development, using his own experience as an example.

During 15 years of work in the company, he has worked in the Marketing Department, HR Department, and Software Development Department; he has been a Product Manager, Project Manager, Solution Manager, and Delivery Manager. Then he learned Python on his own and eventually became Executive Vice President.

“I can say from my own experience that barriers exist only in our mind; there are none in our company. We are quite open, and we are a company of equal opportunities. If you contribute to the development of the company, grow and help other people grow, you can look forward to myriad career and professional opportunities,” says Volodymyr Semenyshyn.

How does it work? SoftServe has created an entire ecosystem around the company, from the University to the HR Department. It encompasses a platform for development in general and for leadership development, which includes workshops, Language School, Certification Center, and IT Academy. This system offers employees a set of tools that can be used to gain any knowledge that may be needed within the company.

The company invests a lot in the development of its employees and leadership development. The tools are only 50% responsible for success, with the other 50% depending on how these tools are used. You can have a very high-quality tool but not use it properly.

BY VOLODYMYR SEMENYSHYN | EMEA President

Why do companies benefit from encouraging their employees to grow?

SoftServe is progressing along with the development of its employees: the quality of work is getting better, the company is gaining new customers, and the opportunity to invest even more in new training programs. In addition, even if an employee decides to leave for another company, they will still work for the benefit of the country. This is a win-win situation: companies benefit from helping their employees improve, and employees, in turn, help their company grow.

“The best investment is an investment in training. Material things can be lost, and money can devalue, but knowledge and skills are what you will always have, and something that you can use at any time and in any country. That is why it is such a winning formula for everyone: for the country, for the company, and for the employee,” explains Volodymyr.

Depending on their needs, employees can develop vertically or horizontally, moving up the career ladder or trying new skills and assignments. Niche experts, such as those working in Data Science, are especially valued, but if a person is motivated by leadership and team management, they can develop as a leader or manager.

“A company can also have a wide variety of needs, and when there is matching supply and demand, there is balance. This balance is constantly changing in response to changing market dynamics, technological developments and changes in company needs. That is why you need synergy between the internal needs of the individual and the internal needs of the company,” says Volodymyr Semenyshyn.

He believes that in the nearest future, there will be high demand for Big Data, Data Science and Cloud solution experts.

“This does not mean that there is no demand for other technologies, it’s just that this is where the greatest demand is now. This demand is certain to continue for several years, as everything is being digitalized. The younger generation is better prepared for this since for them, the virtual economy is part of their DNA,” says the expert.

The digitalization of our economy will continue, so IT companies will need ever more employees. Currently, Ukrainian universities are producing around 20,000 IT graduates a year. And the market needs 50,000 such graduates. The solution may be to retrain people from other fields.

Development as a trend and a necessity

SoftServe devotes a lot of time to the growth and development of its employees. Leadership development is a prominent part of this work, being a relatively new area of focus for the company. SoftServe used to invest more in technical skills and employee development, while leaders developed independently. This process was then organized to ensure a more methodical approach to leadership growth. This was driven by the new needs of a fast-growing and changing company.

The company does not insist that you focus on development and growth, rather it allows you to do what you do best, what you love, and be well compensated for it. Accordingly, the company is investing in programs, in its ecosystem, to provide opportunities to employees who are committed to moving forward both professionally and career-wise. It’s your decision; there is no coercion here.

Volodymyr believes that while many IT companies only claim that they intend to help their employees grow, SoftServe is serious about working with their employees in this area. The company spends a significant portion of its profits on educational programs: this is evident in the work of SoftServe University, the dual education programs at Lviv Polytechnic and Ivan Franko National University of Lviv, and the new curricula at these universities.

The next step should be to work with schools and, accordingly, with pupils, because it is at this stage that a person decides what they want to be and chooses a profession. So you have to develop talent as early as possible.

“We do not motivate people with money; this is an additional incentive. The company’s mission is to inspire people to change the world for the better. We want to work with interesting innovative technologies that help society. We implement projects in green energy and alternative energy, and develop solutions for the healthcare and finance sectors. These are projects that people use to influence the development of society,” says Volodymyr Semenyshyn.