5 Classes For Surviving Crises From SE Rating’s Ukrainian Workforce

This submit was sponsored by SE Rating. The opinions expressed on this article are the sponsor’s personal.

With over half of our workers hailing from Ukraine, SE Rating confirms that by means of teamwork, you’ll be able to climate the best of storms.

Regardless of the disaster, lack of prospects, withdrawal from the Russian market, large employees relocation, and battle zone work surroundings (for individuals who stayed in Ukraine), we not solely managed to outlive however to evolve past our pre-war stage as a enterprise.

By this text, the SE Rating workforce wish to share how we not solely survived however thrived, regardless of the unspeakable circumstances.

1. Put Folks First. They Are Your Lifeline.

Every one among our workforce members ran the additional mile within the midst of this disaster.

Their onerous work and dedication are what saved this firm afloat.

No business-related ideas and methods might ever make a distinction with out them, which is why SE Rating targeted on offering as a lot safety to the workforce as potential.

SE Rating Moved The Workplace From Kyiv To Wroclaw, Which Helped The Workforce Relocate To Safer Locations.

Within the first days of the battle, your complete Ukrainian workforce obtained a relocation allowance.

Then, the a part of our workforce that arrived in Poland first helped others with transportation, lodging, authorized features, and many others.

Not A Single Individual Was Laid Off. No Cuts Have been Made To Salaries.

Retaining the workforce financially secure turned the corporate’s first precedence.

After solely a number of weeks into the battle, all bonus applications and private improvement coverages have been restored.

We Started Group Remedy Periods To Assist Us Course of What Was Occurring.

Though our SE Rating household was territorially divided and morally damaged, identical to 1000’s of different Ukrainian households, we supported one another.

We organized particular on-line conferences in order that the workforce might synchronize emotionally. We additionally invited knowledgeable psychologist who helped us work by means of the traumas of the battle.

We Started Showcasing Our Workforce Members On Social Media & Sharing Their Tales.

After studying alter to the brand new present actuality, we felt that the voices of our workforce ought to be heard throughout. We launched a collection of posts the place our teammates talked about themselves and their experiences.

This motivated our employees and revealed SE Rating’s human aspect.

Respecting and appreciating your workers is the important thing to their loyalty and, consequently, the important thing to any enterprise’s success.

This strategy to folks has all the time saved SE Rating robust, no matter exterior circumstances.

Folks have been, are, and would be the biggest worth to us as a result of they’re those behind our product – a product that a whole lot of 1000’s of individuals worldwide love.

Lesson discovered: Worth the folks behind the product, and so they’ll reply to you in form.

2. Stick To Your Plans To The Finest Of Your Capability.

The battle turned our lives the other way up.

A lot of our plans have been ruined, and full uncertainty turned our “finest” buddy. Each member of our workforce felt this.

All of us wanted some stability, and our job turned one thing like an “island” of certainty for us. We determined to not change to power preservation mode, however to comply with our roadmap as a lot as we might.

And it labored!

Our onerous work resulted in 4 model new AI and NLP-based instruments:

• On-Page SEO Checker analyzes any net web page by checking it for 94 parameters that have an effect on search rankings.
• Content Marketing Module helps you construct briefs and create Search engine marketing-friendly content material quicker with much less effort.
• SERP Analyzer reveals prime SERP gamers and measures their pages by checking them for 110+ on-page and off-page parameters.
• Backlink Hole Analyzer reveals domains and URLs linking out to your opponents however to not you.

We’ve gotten as near our unique plan as potential and even managed to affix the brightonSEO convention for the primary time in October.

We don’t simply really feel like we’re transferring ahead. We are transferring ahead.

Lesson discovered: Even once you really feel damaged and misplaced, do your job. It might grow to be your supply of reliability in a altering and scary world.

3. Keep True To Your Values – Regardless Of Quick-Time period Enterprise Dangers.

Integrity is one among SE Rating’s prime values.

Regardless of how a lot we need to say what folks need to hear, we stick with the reality.

The reality is that the Russian Federation invaded Ukraine, and we couldn’t maintain supporting shoppers from Russia as a result of it meant supporting companies that have been paying taxes and sponsoring their military.

Though Russia accounted for 15% of the overall variety of SE Rating shoppers, we ceased offering providers to them on the finish of February.

Since then, new Russian customers couldn’t and cannot register with SE Rating, and we don’t settle for funds from present Russian shoppers.

To beat the difficulties attributable to the withdrawal from such a big market, we needed to:

• Redirect our assets to draw new shoppers from different international locations.
• Evaluation deliberate actions and add new platform promotion channels.
• Barely change the pricing coverage.

We communicated our place to prospects in an trustworthy method, as we all the time do, and it resonated with them.

We might have misplaced 15% of our prospects, however SE Rating attracted 20% extra since then; our firm stays worthwhile, and our revenues proceed to develop.

This 12 months, we hit 1,000 opinions on G2! We even have the highest-ranking Search engine marketing software program answer in the marketplace. We couldn’t be extra grateful to our customers for supporting and inspiring us alongside the way in which.

Lesson discovered: Once you keep true to your beliefs, it’s going to repay regardless of the preliminary losses.

4. By no means Skimp On Safety. Points Can Value You Dearly.

Crises are downright unpredictable.

Worse but, not having the ability to guess what is going to occur subsequent is without doubt one of the largest explanation why crises are so harmful.

There are one million and one potential issues that may catch you without warning and knock you out if you happen to don’t take preventative measures early on.

Your largest insurance coverage coverage is sorting by means of all of the potential dangers after which discovering methods to beat them.

SE Rating did simply that. We diversified all potential dangers from the beginning in order that our providers might stay in impact, even by means of a disaster.

How To Improve Enterprise Safety

SE Rating applied a number of ways to make sure that processes and knowledge keep secure, below any circumstance.

• Our servers originated in a number of safe areas: Germany, Finland, and the USA.
• We’ve constructed a dependable product infrastructure, and the system continues to work even when some crashes happen.
• Groups, not only one individual, coordinate processes. Every workforce member can deal with issues once they come up. That’s why when a few of us couldn’t work (as a result of they needed to transfer to a safer place or cover in a bomb shelter), different workforce gamers might cowl for them.
• All communication occurs in a single place. In our case, it’s Slack. Now we have separate channels for every challenge, division, and even for promo campaigns. This manner, everyone seems to be on the identical web page and has entry to modifications and updates in seconds.
• We maintain our communication as clear as potential, from C-level administration to particular person workforce members. All pressing choices are carried out directly and with restricted paperwork. Remaining clear braced us for the powerful occasions forward. Our providers continued working, even by means of the start of the battle when plenty of modifications needed to be utilized instantly.
• Now we have operational guides for all departments in Confluence. We describe processes intimately so that every workforce member is aware of what to do when preparing for some activity or exercise.

Lesson discovered: Be diligent and ready for the worst-case situation since you by no means know when a disaster will strike.

5. Don’t Be Afraid To Say What Should Be Stated.

From an operational perspective, we would have liked to ensure our prospects didn’t really feel the influence of the disaster on the corporate’s work and the product.

However on an ethical degree, we needed to tackle the elephant within the room – the battle.

Regardless of the ocean of content material on the market in regards to the invasion, we discovered our voice among the many digital advertising group and flew with it. We nonetheless couldn’t be extra grateful for the help that also comes from this group to today.

We additionally launched a series of posts and articles discussing other ways you’ll be able to help: Ukraine, Ukrainian ladies throughout the battle, Ukrainian Search engine marketing specialists who turned volunteers, and our unbelievable workforce.

Later this 12 months, SE Rating was shortlisted for the International Content material Awards as one of the best Disaster Response Content material Marketing campaign for this collection of publications.

We’re particularly grateful to Miranda Miller who was among the many first to help us as we voiced what wanted and nonetheless must be mentioned.

SE Rating additionally organized a Charity Search engine marketing Webinar with Aleyda Solis, Barry Schwartz, Barry Adams, And Kristina Azarenko, which was attended by greater than 1,100 folks.

The occasion raised $4,000 for the Save the Kids basis, which gives safety to each baby affected by the battle in Ukraine.

With all this help, we have now been satisfied as soon as once more that the Search engine marketing group is an actual household that’s all the time there to face by and with you throughout probably the most difficult of occasions.

Lesson discovered: Make your voice heard and your group will help you.

Be Safe. Be Honest. Be Sincere. Be Supportive. Be Sturdy.

The following pointers solely work when paired with transparency and honesty.

We imagine that these virtues are foundational to each enterprise’s success. You have to be crystal clear about what your applied sciences and processes provide, and be absolutely open to the wants, opinions, and well-being of your employees and shoppers.

• Protected knowledge needs to be constantly secure.
• Clear communications should all the time be – clear.
• If you happen to provide full help, be absolutely supportive.

This strategy proved and nonetheless proves efficient for us and is unlikely ever to vary.

And bear in mind: crises elevate distinctive challenges that require distinctive approaches. One-size-fits-all methods haven’t any place right here. So, use our ideas as benchmarks and adapt them to your enterprise technique as you discover your individual option to success.