Alina Oprea • 11 July, 2023 at 12:00 PM
IT consultancy company SoftServe has reduced direct greenhouse gas emissions by 43% and indirect emissions by 46% in 2022 as part of its 10-year environmental resource efficiency strategy. SoftServe has released its 2022 annual sustainability report. The report highlights the company's commitment to corporate social responsibility. The company currently has almost 100 employees in Romania and plans to reach 800 in 3 years.
SoftServe is one of the largest IT companies in Central and Eastern Europe with over 12,000 employees. Founded in 1993 in Lviv, Ukraine, it expanded to Poland and Bulgaria in 2014 and recently opened development centers in Mexico, Colombia, Chile, and Romania.
"Sustainability is at the heart of everything we do at SoftServe. Our strong commitment to creating a positive impact for the people, communities, and environment in which we operate fuels our passion and actions. This sustainability report reflects our progress since 2022, which is impressive given the circumstances in which we as a company - and the world at large - have suffered amid Russia's war in Ukraine. Together, colleagues, customers, and partners have created a common force for good", said Chris Baker, CEO of SoftServe.
In response to the war in Ukraine, Open Eyes, SoftServe's charitable foundation, has raised more than $11.7 million to provide vital humanitarian assistance and resources to those in need, including 71 ambulances and 52 medical evacuation vehicles on the front lines.
Open Tech - SoftServe's pro bono crowdsourcing platform - has created 10 programs focused on helping Ukraine, such as "The Shelter", which has hosted more than 1 million refugees, and the educational game "NUMO", developed in collaboration with UNICEF Ukraine, which benefited 74,000 children from air raid shelters.
Since the beginning of the Russian invasion, SoftServe has relocated 5,675 Ukrainian employees both abroad and in Ukraine – to areas further from the front line, providing them with financial assistance, while over 1,750 people in Poland and Ukraine have benefited from free psychological support. Approximately 50 employees have been relocated to Romania since the beginning of the war, and of these, 14 have decided to join the 100-person team of SoftServe Romania.
Also, within SoftServe Romania, 41% of employees are women. The percentage of women in associate, leadership, and management positions increased by 1%, 3%, and 2% respectively. Furthermore, the ratio of women in leadership and management roles currently exceeds industry standards. SoftServe has also partnered with non-governmental organizations in Ukraine and Colombia to help more than 110 women start their IT careers by providing free training.
SoftServe's sustainability report also details the evolution of the "Dare to Care" initiative, a company-wide project that provides managers, leaders, and employees with tools and practical tips for self-care. In total, more than 80 events dedicated to employee well-being were organized for almost 13,000 participants.