HR in War“It’s our priority to support employees and their families’ well-being”
HR in War
“It’s our priority to support employees and their families’ well-being”
Like so many companies in Israel, mavens has been struggling to find normalcy in extraordinary times
“Even though normality has gone and I’ve lost all sense of time, I'm amazed by the resilience and drive to help others through their darkest hours,” explains Einat Gershleifer, HRBP at mavens. “Seeing our employees volunteering to pack boxes for families who’ve lost everything or helping restaurants make food packages for people in need. It’s been wonderful to watch people use their sadness as a contribution for good.”
HR in War is a new series exploring how companies in Israel are adapting in unusual times. At CTech we believe the world should know about the atrocities committed on 7/10 while at the same time highlighting the continued resolve and resistance of the Israeli tech ecosystem.
“Every day we’re making sure everyone in the company is safe, offering emotional and practical support through company-wide meetings and smaller, team-based check-ins, and also giving our employees the time to do whatever it is that will give them purpose,” she added.
Company name: mavens
Your name and title: Einat Gershleifer, HRBP
Names of founders and upper management: Gad Maor, CEO and Co-founder. The company is owned by Zynga/T2 following an acquisition in Sep 22’
Field of activity: Mobile Publishing Technology
Number of employees: 85
Office location: Tel Aviv and remote
On a scale of 1-10, how much did the war disrupt operations at the company?
10. I’ll start by saying that some of our employees lost loved ones, which means they’re in a moment of grief, as we all are for our fellow Israelis - this is the biggest disruption. But we’re also working from home with the majority of us experiencing rockets or sirens every few hours that cause us to run to a shelter. The schools and kindergartens are closed which means parents have children at home. And of course, some mavens or their partners have been called up to serve in the army reserves which is stressful and induces much anxiety. It’s a situation that changes daily and there’s no routine, so work, in the way we knew it before October 7th, isn’t happening right now.
What consequences have you experienced from these disruptions?
Of course, most of our activities are somewhat on hold now, so business plans, staffing, and moving to a new office - something that should have happened in the next two months, will be delayed. We have full support from the international leadership, and we believe in our ability to rapidly close any gaps.
What are the two major challenges you are coping with these days?
For some of our employees, constantly being at home is challenging. I can see a time soon when employees will want to start coming back to work. But a return to normality completely depends on how the situation develops. Another challenge is understanding where we need to help - not only in different volunteering opportunities but also to which employee, and to which family. I’ve found that I need to know whether someone wants to be super involved, or needs time to themselves. One day at a time is all we can do.
What support do you provide to employees?
Every day we’re making sure everyone in the company is safe, offering emotional and practical support through company-wide meetings and smaller, team-based check-ins, and also giving our employees the time to do whatever it is that will give them purpose.
That might be being with their families or volunteering in the community. It’s no surprise that amazing people create amazing things. Like some of our developers who’ve helped build a platform that shares survivors’ testimonials and influencers reading survivors’ stories. Others helped build a WhatsApp bot that connects people who want to offer their help with those who need it. And another that’s sourced 500 qualified therapists to treat people who need help with their mental health. We’re helping them turn this time into finding something meaningful for society.
Do you have employees with foreign citizenship who asked to work from another country? If so, has movement been requested/approved?
No.
In the event employees feel they encounter hostility, how do you guide them to respond to the situation?
We didn’t feel any hostility in any of our direct communications with people or colleagues abroad. Only full support and understanding.
Startups only: How do you communicate the situation to investors, and how are they reacting?
Our parent companies Take Two and Zynga have shown such understanding and compassion. Many of them work outside of Israel but they check in with us and make sure we have access to anything we need. They’ve donated 1.2 million shekels ($297,000) to help us start an aid fund and we’ve asked the mavens to decide where the donation should go to make a difference. It’s our priority to support employees and their families’ well-being. We encourage them to understand that even small acts, like a phone call to a friend, can be meaningful and significant.
