Today, as we watch the events in Ukraine unfold at a terrifying pace, all of our thoughts and wishes at BrightLocal are with our Ukrainian team members. Many of our team have been part of the BrightLocal family for many years and have been integral to the growth and success that we’ve been so lucky to achieve.
We stand together, united with our Ukrainian brothers and sisters, against this unprovoked and unjust attack by Russian forces. We will do everything we can to support and protect them, their families, and their loved ones through the uncertain times ahead.
Kyiv: A Peace-loving, Prosperous, and European City
We have been working with Ukrainian software engineers for almost as long as BrightLocal has existed. In that time we have had contributions from over 80 different Ukrainian team members, almost all of whom I’ve had the good fortune to spend time and socialize with, even meeting their wonderful families on occasion.
Through all these experiences I’ve learnt more and more about the proud culture of Ukraine.
I’ve had the pleasure of visiting Kyiv over a dozen times over the past ten years and have watched it emerge from its Soviet-era shackles and evolve into a vibrant, fun, and diverse city, full of passionate and peace-loving people.
It has an abundance of cafes, bars, and restaurants offering cuisine from around the world. It has a buoyant commercial center, full of thriving businesses, both Ukrainian-owned and international.
It has busy shopping centers, where global brands and local retailers vie for hard-earned hryvnias from its growing community of skilled and determined young professionals.
All in all, it is much like any other exciting, prosperous, and democratic capital in Europe—which makes the scenes that we are witnessing today all the more shocking and terrifying.
How are we Supporting Our Team
The safety of our team members is our number one concern. Over the past few weeks we have been looking at various options to help them relocate so they can live and work safely should the worst happen. Well, the worst has happened and we’re accelerating these options and looking for more permanent solutions as far away from the conflict zones as possible. Here’s where our energies have been focused:
- Finding homes for team members and their families to move to in western Ukraine – and now in Europe
- Finding an office or co-working space for team to use close to these homes
- Supporting team members in their physical relocation
- Giving all team members full flexibility to work from wherever, and whenever they want (in Ukraine and abroad)
- Giving money and support to charities that support Ukrainian people and military personnel (learn more below)
To Our Loyal Customers
While the events in Ukraine are troubling and distracting for my team and I, I want to reassure you that we remain totally committed to delivering the best possible service and experience to you.
My message to our wider team is that the best way we can help our team members in Ukraine is to stay focused on our tasks and priorities, and keep delivering on our commitments to our customers.
We have software engineers and technical support team members stationed across multiple countries and locations outside of Ukraine. They are doubling the efforts during this period of uncertainty to ensure that we continue to give our customers a great experience.
Raising Money to Support Ukraine
I would like to ask everyone who reads this blog post to join us in raising money to support Ukraine's fight against Russian invasion and aggression.
We have chosen to support and donate funds to three charities:
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