Mouzakis Ilias (Greece)

Morten Ottow (Denmark)

Alex Sokol (USA)

Nelson Carrasco (Cuba)

Mark Sawchuk (Canada)

I still had to wait two years for my Ukrainian “green card.” I’d say getting a permit is comparatively easy to get in Ukraine – in a lot of countries around the world, it’s much harder!Nelson Carrasco

I was also a little surprised at the primitive approach to customer service and the sullen faces in the streets! But at the same time, I fell in love with the beautiful architecture; witnessing the city burst into spring; and experiencing Ukrainians’ amazing hospitality towards foreigners.Mouzakis Ilias

• Mouzakis Ilias

  Well, I arrived back in 2008 and as you might imagine, I was gob-smacked at a lot of things! I’d imagined that everybody would speak English, but very few people actually did. So I found it quite a challenge trying to communicate for my everyday needs. Of course, a lot has changed since then! I was also a little surprised at the primitive approach to customer service and the sullen faces in the streets! But at the same time, I fell in love with the beautiful architecture and wide pavements; witnessing the city burst into spring; and experiencing Ukrainians’ amazing hospitality towards foreigners. As you can see, I had a lot of mixed emotions!

  Alex Sokol

  Having lived in the region before moving to Ukraine, I would say that culturally and socially, there were not too many surprises when we first moved here. However, Ukrainians’ enthusiasm for adapting to a western management approach and health model was surprising for me, and I feel very fortunate to be surrounded by intelligent health managers who truly believe in what they are doing. Similarly, their embrace of change has been particularly motivating!

  Mark Sawchuk

  I was actually really surprised by how young the L’Oreal Ukraine team was. People here seem to start working at 18 or 19 having already finished university. In Canada, the average age for entry-level employees is much higher.

• Nelson Carrasco

  Talking about when I first moved here – I was immediately struck by programmers’ levels of expertise here in Ukraine: they were all fantastically good and they would code beautifully! But at the same time, I also noticed that many lacked an understanding of just how important customer service and customer satisfaction is. These incredible programmers would forget about the client they were working for, and wouldn’t try to ensure that the client later returned. Elsewhere, I was surprised by Ukraine’s nightlife: it’s so happy! So much happier than in other countries. You know, people might lose their job, but they still go out to party!

  Morten Ottow

  When I arrived, I was surprised to see that there is still an “old school” difference between men and women in Ukraine. For example, men should earn money and work, but women should stay home and take care of the house and children. It’s probably an overgeneralization, and of course does not apply to everybody, but I got the sense that Ukrainian women are not as highly regarded as Ukrainian men. I think I was also really surprised by just how low salaries are here – especially for doctors and teachers. Away from the workplace, I’d say that I was pleasantly surprised by how long and warm the summers are here!

• Mouzakis Ilias

  For me, the work culture in Ukraine is really different compared to other cultures I have experienced. Staff want to be motivated and to be regularly appraised; they want to have clear targets and to receive regular coaching. It seems that they want to feel really engaged so that they feel like they belong to the corporate environment in which they work.

  Morten Ottow

  Compared to Denmark, the culture isn’t that different, but there are a few things I’ve noticed. On Fridays, for example, people tend to leave work early in Denmark. But in Ukraine, they will stay late in order to finish all their tasks before the weekend. Here, you’re also much more likely to be invited to some sort of celebration, even with work the following day. In Denmark, we usually don’t drink much if we need to be at work the next day! Networking and personal relations are also much more important here. In Denmark, I just check the phone book if I need: banker, lawyer, accountant, electrician, mechanic etc. and they will all be certified professionals doing a good job. In Ukraine you don’t know what you get until the job is done so people prefer to go through their own networks. I’d say that there’s also a stricter hierarchy within workplaces here – the boss is expected to have all the answers, and the only people who seem to be able to make decisions are those at the very top of the company.

• Nelson Carrasco

  Here, working hours are much more flexible than in other countries. I was actually shocked when I first started working here: you can come into work whenever you want, and you are supposed to control your own time. Slightly contradictory to this, though, is that micromanagement is also quite a big thing here – you don’t just have a goal which you need to achieve, you have to constantly report on your progress to your superiors, too. In one job I had, I found myself having to write reports on my progress every morning and every evening, which was really time consuming. I have also noticed that in offices, people don’t communicate much – there’s very little chatting and interaction which I find quite strange.

  Alex Sokol

  I feel that Ukrainians are more open and serious about their work, and that they are perhaps less competitive with one another than, say, Americans or Europeans. They seem to be more willing to share their experience with colleagues, and they work as more of a team. At the same time, though, it seems that the work culture here is more risk-adverse than in other countries.

  Mark Sawchuk

  At L’Oreal at least, there doesn’t actually seem to be that much of a difference if I’m honest. Staff are all respectful of each other, like to have fun, are passionate about their work, and are results oriented. I think the main difference is that so much revolves around paperwork and contracts here – something which certainly adds to bureaucracy in the workplace.

• Mouzakis Ilias

  The western style of management – by which I mean open doors, the sense that we should all speak and work together as a team, and that we can speak to the CEO without prior arrangement – is still an odd concept for many. Many employees who have joined our bank having only ever worked in local banks have been very surprised – in a good way! – by the style of management in a European bank.

  Morten Ottow

  Compared to Denmark or Scandinavia in general, workplaces in Ukraine seem to have stricter hierarchies, and there are more defined processes. I try to delegate responsibility and encourage colleagues to make decisions – sometimes, you need to get used to this and to learn that it is OK to make mistakes.

• Alex Sokol

  Healthcare in the former Soviet Union was always hierarchic, and the idea of staff having the autonomy to make decisions was never part of the historical work culture. Ukraine also doesn’t have a traditional “service-culture,” and so the concept of personalizing our client interactions, engaging with our patients, and genuinely caring for them as care-providers should is sometimes very new for our team-mates. It is welcomed, but it takes some time in training.

  Mark Sawchuk

  I have found that staff are very respectful of their superiors – so much so that they may hesitate to speak up if they don’t agree with a senior manager’s opinion.

• Mouzakis Ilias

  I would never wish to discriminate, but yes, I have noticed differences. Women seem to engage better when one is polite and calm – I get the feeling that they like to be the gender that is “protected” – and you have to be more careful when speaking to them to ensure you get the results you wish for without any emotional conflicts. Of course, I am generalizing and exceptions do exist. But I would also admit that women are better employees than men – men are more laid back and usually need to be pushed in order to take initiative.

  Morten Ottow

  No, not really. I try to have as balanced a gender ratio as possible, as it creates a more dynamic work atmosphere.

• Nelson Carrasco

  I don’t want to be offensive or discriminatory, but in general, I have found that Ukrainian women are more responsible and hardworking than men. Usually, what you see is that high ranking officers are men, but middle managers – the ones really interacting with other workers, controlling staff, and getting the job done – are women.

  Alex Sokol

  Healthcare may be an aberration, but six out of seven of our Clinic Managers are women – and actually, I think women often make better healthcare managers as they are loyal, compassionate, empathetic, and hard-working.

• Alek Sokol

  Ukraine is fertile for entrepreneurs. There are tremendous opportunities in areas such as finance and investment, agriculture, healthcare, IT, and programming.

  Mouzakis Ilias

  Unfortunately, because of language barriers, jobs available for expats in Ukraine are very limited. Most commonly, expats work here while on assignment to local subsidiaries of foreign companies. But if one wants to continue working in Ukraine, it is often difficult to find a suitable job with an international-level remuneration package. The only industry which may be suitable is the IT sphere, which has developed hugely here due to the extremely high levels of expertise coupled with low taxation and competitive wages compared to Europe and the USA.

  Mark Sawchuk

  Expats usually find work at senior levels here, or they are involved when a subsidiary is being opened in the country. In fact, many of the expats that I know here are CEOs, financial directors etc, and it’s rare to find expats in junior level positions.

• Nelson Carrasco

  Most expats will be able to find work in language schools – a lot of foreigners come here specifically for that. They also might find positions within international organizations – and in fact, very often they will get the best-paid jobs, even if they are not as qualified as Ukrainians competing for the same role. Why? Probably because such organizations trust foreigners to be less corrupt.

  Morten Ottow

  I think farming could also be a good area for some. Ukraine probably has the best soil in Europe which is why farming is such a huge industry, and the farms are still fairly cheap to invest in. I know there are quite a few foreign farmers here at the moment – those that I have met have primarily worked in pig farming – and they tend to hire and train Ukrainian teams.
  

• Mouzakis Ilias

  If I were looking for work in Ukraine, or looking to move to Ukraine, I would post something about myself and my career search on the Facebook pages for groups such as “Expat Ukraine,” “Expats in Kiev,” “Fryday Kyiv,” and “The Big Meet”. I would also contact a few Ukrainian recruiters and recruiting companies and send them my resume.
  

• Alek Sokol

  In Ukraine, opportunity is everywhere if you can network and meet like-minded professionals – your success at finding work will depend on your drive! The first place expats start with are networking groups such as “Fryday” and “Internations”, both of which hold regular events. They also might want to engage with groups such as the European Business Association (EBA), the American Chamber of Commerce (Amcham), and the British-Ukrainian Chamber of Commerce.

• Mouzakis Ilias

  At the very top of my list is: do learn the language! In fact, not learning the language was the biggest mistakes I ever made. If you don’t learn it, you will never really “become one” with the people here – you won’t understand their concerns, worries, emotions, and culture. Don’t just rely on the fact that they speak English – believe me, it is not the same. Do go out and socialize with Ukrainians too – be open with them, invest in them, and you will receive so much in return. I think it’s also important that you don’t take the attitude of “I’m coming to an underdeveloped country to show them how things are done.” You must respect everyone, and be sincere and honest, and you will immediately be welcomed and appreciated.

  Morten Ottow

  I think it’s really important that you learn about the culture here, which of course involves learning either Ukrainian or Russian. Remember, you are a guest here, so you need to act responsibly and treat Ukraine with respect. It’s also important that you start growing your own professional network – attending networking gatherings will really help with this. One thing you shouldn’t do is pay bribes. Bribery is widespread here, but you should never get involved in this.

  Alek Sokol

  I would advise someone who has newly arrived here to take the time to learn about and understand Ukraine’s history, culture, and people. Listen to, and learn from your partners and colleagues rather than assuming you know everything. The wealth of Ukrainian talent is tremendous, so as visitor, we are in an extremely fortunate position where we can learn a lot.

• Nelson Carrasco

  I think foreigners arriving here should be careful to never show off. There are elements of life in Ukraine that might be shocking, such as corruption for instance, but you should never act as if your country is better. That’s just plain offensive. From a business point of view, I also think it’s important that you put Ukrainians first. Don’t put foreigners as your top target audience, as you’re just going to fail. I’d also say that language is important – I made the mistake of not learning it when I arrived. I would also add that you should only ever work legally here, by which I mean working with an official contract in place. I remember one company I once worked for, where my employer was really reluctant to pay my salary as we had never signed a contract.

  Mark Sawchuk

  Of course you should do your best to learn some of the language – even just a few key words will be appreciated – and to try to make friends with local residents. You will learn so much more about Ukrainian culture this way! I’d also say that you should visit the regions. After all, Kyiv is very different from, say, Odessa. Professionally speaking, I think it’s important that you make your expectations clear when delegating, as what you are thinking may not necessarily be understood by your team. Last but not least, don’t forget to celebrate your work with your teams and to have fun. Work should never be boring!