DTEK Energy presented its experience in supporting veterans during the “People Power. The Future of Work for Each and Everyone” forum, which took place in Kyiv.
According to Natalia Abramova, Advisor to the CEO of DTEK Energy on Veterans' Issues, since the start of the full-scale war, more than 5,500 DTEK employees have joined the defence of Ukraine. Almost a thousand of them have already completed their service, and half have returned to work at the company. Therefore, the company is consistently creating an environment in which every veteran who wants to work has real opportunities to do so, regardless of changes in their health. To this end, the company is creating adaptive, safe and full-fledged conditions for returning to professional life.
The company has developed a roadmap for veterans' return to professional activity, which includes:
- introduction of the institution of veteran assistant,
- psychological support and support for families,
- legal support,
- extended insurance package ‘Veteran+’,
- training programmes and professional reorientation;
- a tool for automated job matching for veterans with disabilities.
According to Ms Abramova, these steps are aimed at creating an environment of trust where everyone can openly talk about their difficulties and receive real help.
"As an employer, we have made a decision: work must be accessible to all our veterans. Even in complicated operations — above ground in mines, at thermal power plants, in production facilities — we must find a way. Changes in health should not ruin a professional life. Veterans do not ask to be glorified — they want to work, be part of a team, be needed. And we will do everything to make this possible," said Natalia Abramova.
She emphasised that the company's initiatives in this area are primarily aimed at supporting those who joined the Armed Forces of Ukraine from the company's enterprises but are forced to return to civilian life due to injuries and trauma.
A practical step, said Natalia Abramova, was the implementation of a pilot project for veterans with disabilities to create an inclusive environment at one of the company's coal mining enterprises. The team conducted an accessibility audit, identified barriers and made the necessary changes: installed handrails, equipped adapted toilets and showers, and marked dangerous areas. This is perhaps the first experience in Ukraine of creating an inclusive space at a large industrial enterprise — the surface of a mine, which has traditionally been considered unsuitable for people with disabilities to work at.
According to the CEO's Advisor, an accessibility audit of the common workspace has already been conducted at 20 of the company's enterprises: mines, TPPs, and machine-building plants. By the end of the year, DTEK Energy plans to complete inspections and prepare recommendations for improvements, as well as move on to the gradual implementation of a roadmap for changes to introduce inclusive solutions at enterprises.
Another important part of supporting veterans with disabilities will be the launch of an automated job matching tool that will compare a candidate's functional abilities with the requirements of the position. The tool takes into account medical classifications, professional functions, and harmful production factors. At one enterprise alone, the system has already made more than 21,000 such comparisons. According to Natalia Abramova, this tool, which is unique for Ukraine, is currently in the testing stage.