Various stressful life situations directly affect our mental and emotional well-being. Sometimes, it's difficult to recover from intense emotions and focus on other things. Now, imagine the daily challenges faced by our employees mobilized to the front. These are memories that are impossible to forget, making it hard to shift focus.

Recognizing the mental challenges of our veterans, Metinvest Group became the first in Ukraine to create an environment at its enterprises that facilitates the return of individuals with combat experience to civilian life. A critical aspect of this effort is training managers to effectively interact with and support veterans. Line managers play a pivotal role as they engage daily with demobilized employees, greatly influencing team dynamics.

In 2023, Metinvest Group introduced the "Leadership during the War" course with support from accredited coaches and military psychologists. This course enhances understanding of veterans' needs, experiences, and mental states, enabling managers to facilitate their swift and comfortable integration into teams and work processes. It also harnesses veterans' frontline experience and skills to bolster team cohesion. 

Over 800 line managers have already completed this training, designed to deliver the most effective information without disrupting daily operations.

Classes span four weeks (3.5 hours per week) and are conducted remotely via Microsoft Teams. The program includes a motivational webinar and three thematic modules: "Acute Psychological Conditions: Diagnosis and First Aid," "Primary Reintegration of Veterans," and "Uniting People with Diverse War Experiences into a Team." Telegram supports the training with additional module materials, meeting recordings, tests, practical tasks, and more. The course concludes with a practical workshop to solidify knowledge and skills for practical application.

The "Leadership during the War" course equips managers to effectively engage with mobilized employees at every stage: from receiving the call-up and communicating during wartime to supporting demobilized employees and reintegrating them into teams. It also provides guidance on managing personal stress and fostering productive recovery.

Feedback on the "Leadership during the War" program from its participants

Daniil Tymoshenko, leading power engineer at Zaporizhstal:

"While carrying out my work tasks, I currently communicate with five recently demobilized employees. We take great pride in welcoming colleagues who have completed military service and returned to civilian life within the Metinvest team. However, it's clear that team leaders face the challenge of integrating individuals with vastly different experiences, including those from war. Neither universities nor refresher courses adequately prepare us for this. There's a scarcity of reliable information on how teams can adapt to veterans and vice versa; instead, the issue is often clouded by myths.

These are unprecedented experiences for all involved, which underscores the timeliness of the 'Leadership during the War' program. Its greatest asset is the expertise of our instructors, professionals with real-world experience in working with demobilized individuals. As a result, they provide us with effective, proven tools."

Oksana Tkachenko, Head of the Rehabilitation Department for Disabled People at Inhulets GOK:

"Currently, I oversee 112 employees, including 9 veterans. While employing individuals with disabilities has long been standard practice at Metinvest, veterans with disabilities constitute a distinct category of employees. Disabilities acquired in civilian life versus those resulting from combat differ significantly in their impact on individuals' psyche, necessitating unique adaptations to accommodate these changes.

Initially, when veterans started returning to our teams, leaders lacked essential tools: qualified psychologists, basic knowledge of psychodiagnostics, and an understanding of how war could affect people's physical and mental health. Fortunately, programs like "Leadership during the War" from Metinvest's partner, Wellbeing Company, now exist. In my view, every manager in the company should undergo this training.

Understanding psychology and basic psychodiagnostics skills have become crucial for providing timely support during critical mental health crises among employees. It's also crucial to grasp the battlefield experiences of veterans. The "Leadership during the War" program addresses these issues, transforming managers into leaders equipped for today's challenges.”  

Liliia Neklesa, Head of the Freight and Commercial Service Department at Kamet- Steel:

"With the current turbulent events — martial law, involvement of numerous plant personnel in hostilities, and the return of service members to civilian life—there arose a necessity to adjust daily relationships with subordinates and military families. Initially, there was a lack of understanding of the differing worldviews of individuals with traumatic war experiences.

Conflicting situations often arose due to vastly different perspectives on the same events between production employees and former military personnel. This highlighted a gap in leaders' knowledge and understanding of the psycho-emotional states of those who have encountered war or trauma, including the loss of loved ones and comrades. Initially, concerns lingered about implementing team changes effectively. However, after completing practical training sessions, I realized the essence: how to guide individuals back to peaceful life, offer support and counsel, and reciprocally, how military personnel can positively influence rear-area operations and contribute meaningfully to civilian life." 

Artem Badion, foreman for repair and maintenance of electrical equipment of ZCMW:

"I was led to the program by the desire to learn more information on how to properly communicate with veterans. There was a case when one person came on vacation from the front line and was very closed, did not even communicate with his family. Thanks to the knowledge gained at the "Leadership during the War" program, it was possible to find the right contact with him and bring him out of this state." 

Oleksandr Antonov, Head of the Energy Management Service of Yuzhny GOK:

"The war has made its own adjustments to our lives. There are certain difficulties in communicating with veterans returning home, for example: what topics can be discussed, and which should be avoided so as not to worsen the emotional state of the veteran. Metinvest Group organized training under the "Leadership during the War" program, where I was taught all the intricacies of communicating with veterans. Today, the circle of my acquaintances and friends, one way or another connected with the war, is constantly growing. During another conversation with one of them, I heard the following phrase: "Friend, you have changed a lot, we began to talk to you on the same wavelength." I was very pleased that the knowledge gained was useful, for which many thanks to all the training instructors!"