The war in Ukraine is a devastating tragedy, and the Mambu team stands with the millions of people impacted by this invasion. As we crafted our response at Mambu, our focus was to support our employees in ways that truly help and enable them to help as well.

Our first priority was to ensure that our teams and their families were safe, as well as our partners, customers and those we work with. Though we have no offices in Ukraine, we do have Ukrainian employees who want to help family and friends still living in the country, as well as Russian colleagues devastated at what is happening in their country’s name. Supporting these employees, especially in the early days of the escalation, was vital.

At Mambu, we have always strived to be a collaborative employer, one that partners with employees and provides a space where they feel safe, seen and supported. So, we took the time to listen. We created a dedicated slack channel and hosted open sessions. When we asked the Mambu team, “ What would most help you right now?”, two clear answers emerged.

The first, particularly from employees located in countries closest to the war zone, is that they want and need more time. Time to settle family and friends who have been displaced, time to transport and host refugees who have come across borders, and time to fully understand the fallout from this crisis. Above all, our employees, no matter their location, asked for time to participate in the various humanitarian relief efforts going on around the world.

We’ve responded by launching a volunteering time off initiative; five paid volunteer days made available for every employee. These ‘give back’ days can be taken throughout the year, so our people can continue to support relief efforts - and other causes - as needed. We’re also encouraging managers to allow more time for those most impacted.

The result is a team of people that has the time to help, when needed and where possible, free from the pressure of work and the daily drumbeat of meetings and email.

Our second response was focused on fundraising; our employees asked for support in matching their donations. We created a list of NGOs, based on their suggestions, for which we are now double matching donations, through a combination of Mambu funds and a personal contribution from myself. Our list is a combination of well-known, global NGOs, for example, the Red Cross and World Central Kitchen, along with more local, grassroots initiatives, where many of our employees are already active.

Underpinning all of this is our responsibility to look after the wellbeing of our employees. With this in mind, we accelerated the launch of our Employee Assistance Programme, providing additional support to our teams and their families, whether that’s financial, legal, psychological or other areas of need.

As we head towards the difficult weeks and months ahead, we’ll continue to monitor the situation and act as needed, for our people, customers and partners. We continue to encourage our Mambu team to tell us what more we can do to support people suffering so deeply. It’s our role, and it’s our privilege, to help our employees help others.