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Укр 17th PEOPLE MANAGEMENT CONFERENCE
On May 23, KA Group held the 17th PEOPLE MANAGEMENT CONFERENCE in Kyiv in the face of challenges, turbulence and permanent uncertainty. This time we sought answers to the main question: how to see people in a strategic dimension? 17' PEOPLE MANAGEMENT CONFERENCE is a strategic event for HR and leaders who are shaping a new map of competencies and business that grows through people.
This year, the HR conference from KA Group celebrates its 10th anniversary, so it was held with special inspiration and a special update in the format - ANTI-training on the topic of conflicts in teams.
And the PEOPLE MANAGEMENT CONFERENCE was supported by general partners - MHP, robota.ua and the official partner INGO.
The conference organizers developed a difficult task - to gather HR experts, managers, leaders who manage people at a time when the very term "normality" is on pause. KA Group is important to be Ukrainian, which is what HR, managers and employees are dealing with in conditions of war, turbulence, personnel shortage and employees from 5 generations in one office.
Evgeniya Blyznyuk, sociologist, founder and CEO of Gradus Research, prepared a study specifically for the conference on the level of employee burnout according to industry, type of company, management, and even depending on gender and duration of work in the team.
So, the fewer employees you have in your company, the higher its eNPS. Newcomers look at you with optimism, but it quickly evaporates, especially if the schedule is tight, the manager is indifferent, and the team is “closed”.
At the conference, Evgeniya shared these studies:
● a performance schedule is a top factor of attractiveness for young people;
● eNPS falls among those who work part-time;
● a hybrid model is better for all extremes;
● international companies lead in employee loyalty;
● “difficult” newcomers are not a sentence, but a point for the development of HR approaches.
Olga Gorbanovska, executive partner, head of the People Advisory Services practice at EY Ukraine, clearly articulated that every transformation is a small or large stress test for the company.
And somewhere in the process there is always the same turning point. It is in his team that it either bursts at the seams or goes through it strong. Those who manage to notice this moment survive. Companies that have trained managers who are able to provide psychological support thrive.
And HR trains these managers, so today they are a key factor in the stability of the team in a minimal world. Therefore, teach managers to feel the team, stop in time and act accurately.
HRD & CEO - where is the line between trust, responsibility and common sense? This discussion is like apt psychotherapy for business. Six experienced managers honestly talked about who is to blame for what in the HR and CEO tandem, and how to build cooperation without drama.
The main insight of the discussion: HR is not just about people, but about business through people. Caring is not an additional expense, but daily operational work. The CEO trusts HR when it speaks the language of numbers, not assumptions (Evgenia Kuzminska).
HR should stop putting out fires in the shadows and become a strategic partner for business. After all, the mood of HR teams sets the climate for the entire company.
As moderator Roman Bondar summed up: trust is built on a systematic and strategic approach, not on 24/7 heroism.
The CEO wants to see HR not as a magician, but as a player who knows the business and turns caring into results.
Changes are not a solo, but a jam session and lindy hop. Olena Zhiltsova, founder of the "School of Management Thought" and co-author of the book "Soft Skills: Being Yourself" is convinced that even the most pumped-up manager cannot single-handedly smooth out the turbulence of the modern world.
Because real answers to complex challenges are not born in the head of one genius, but in the team's dialogue. "Everything rests on our ability to cooperate. Problems are now interdisciplinary - and the answers must also be shared," - says Olena.
But there is a nuance. If the team has not provoked talk about changes, it cannot project them. Without preparation, there will be neither constructive nor breakthrough.
Therefore, the challenge for a leader is not just to come up with a new strategy, but to teach the team to be its co-author.
AI does not get tired, does not forget and is not late. But in order to work with it harmoniously, you need to "invite to the dance" correctly, - noted Iryna Gnutova, HRD Comfy and a well-known expert in artificial intelligence in Ukraine.
From the description of the vacancy and analysis of the resume to maintaining internal channels, creating tests and even... preparing for the interview, it is worth entrusting an AI assistant.
To get set up for collaboration with AI, Iryna recommends 4 simple steps:
● Set the role – who is it: recruiter, copywriter or interviewer?
● Describe the context – why are you doing this?
● Give clear instructions – what exactly needs to be done?
● Ask for clarification – “how did you understand me?” or “what else do you need?”
Renata Delporte, Senior Vice President of Global HR Business Partner at SoftServe, in an offline podcast with SEO KA Group Lana Mitchenko, said that we risk working in the HR department of the 90s, where well-being, training and facilitation are considered “outdated”.
She also warned that a manager who has subordinates is most hindered by one quality. When he happens to have a team. This bright mind that wants to solve all the problems and then throw away the decisions in the team is the worst thing that can happen. People feel unnecessary, uninteresting.
A "bright mind" that wants to win everything on its own (make a strategy, hire the right person) and simply inform the team is the way to lose trust and motivation. People want to be needed, not listeners of a monologue.
In modern business, people are not just a resource, but the main development strategy. How to train, motivate and not lose those who are not yet at the top, but are already nearby? Where to start with a new competency map, advanced training and retraining?
Here are the most interesting thoughts from the discussion about the new competency map in 2025 and the team of the future.
The mature generation needs to be taught to teach - it is not just a transfer of knowledge, but a mutual upgrade. Forget Soft Skills - now Power Skills: how much energy you put into your work and how it shows your uniqueness.
The 70-20-10 formula works perfectly: 10% - trainings and books, 20% - conferences and networking, 70% - practice in the workplace. It is in real tasks that skills grow best.
When people are not afraid to change positions in the company, they stay. This is a sign that the workplace is not a dead end or a sentence.
“Motivation in business is this internal engine that cannot be borrowed or given away,” - knows and practices this experience psychotherapist, expert in crisis psychotherapy Elena Platova. Envy and gratitude are two sides of one powerful destructive force of development. They create that special emotional charge that helps people strive for more. But motivation is not "flooded" by illness, it cannot be "planted" through trainings or bonuses.
Oksana Smilka, Founder of TwoCo and COO of Scalr, and Olena Taranenko, Chief Communications Of
