Our last blog post on the subject was only a short time ago. Nevertheless, it seems as if months have passed in the meantime, so strong is the momentum of the situation in Ukraine. As a digital agency with colleagues from Ukraine, we would like to use our reach to show them: Our support is safe for you and we stand by your side.
Blackbit keeps the operation running - also at the request of our local employees - and pays unchanged salaries, operating costs and rent for our office in UNIT.City.
Ukrainian Blackbits on the ground are engaged in volunteer work and still try to catch up on their workload on weekends to keep a touch of normality. With a better future firmly in mind and buoyed by an unwavering hope, they are already trying to set a course for the post-war era.
"Our old life ended on 24.02.22, our hearts are heavy. But we hope for a future of peace and safety." - Julia Shynder, UX/UI Designer
Despite the desolate situation, the team around Alexander Strizhakov remains confident and shows an unbroken will to resist, carried by the hope for a better future:
"I am sure that Ukraine will be free. We are encouraged by the worldwide support we have received in recent weeks. The support of our German colleagues is overwhelming and we can hardly find words to express how grateful we are and how connected we feel with you. We will rebuild our country and look to a new future with our families, I am sure of it. We are not giving up." - Alexander Strizhakov, Kiev Site Manager
All team members from Ukraine who want to leave the country we try to accommodate and provide for. Blackbit founder and CEO Stefano Viani summarizes, "We also respect every individual decision to stay on the ground and fight for Ukraine. We stand shoulder-to-shoulder in thought with our Ukrainian colleagues, whether they are in the office or on the front lines. The attack on Ukraine is not only an attack on a country, it does not only affect us as a company with Ukrainian employees - it is a historic break in all of our lives and togetherness as Europeans."
Our employees here in Germany are also doing their part to collectively absorb what needs to be absorbed - each:r according to their own capabilities: Our colleague Marileen Stamer comes back early from her maternity leave to support the team. Team Lead Dennis Korbginski rips off overtime every day to make up for work bottlenecks. Others donate their leftover vacation from the past year to make up for scarce resources, or choose the easiest route and donate parts of their salary to charity.
The Blackbit spirit keeps our team together, across national borders. We focus our energies and resources on supporting our colleagues and our shared future at Blackbit. We work with tireless perseverance on our projects and are in constant communication with our customers. Despite this unique challenge, CEO Daniel Gerlach makes it clear: "We are in the fortunate position to be able to provide this support, from ongoing salaries to financial donations to immigration assistance. In the face of this war that is to be condemned, we are glad to be able to pitch in, to actively assist our employees, and to confront this war, at least in some small way, with humanity."
#westandwithukraine