Business Lockdown: Grammarly manager Visikirsky says startup to telework until September

Editor’s Note: Ukraine’s businesses have been struggling after the country introduced nationwide restrictions on movement and travel starting on March 12. The restrictions are set to last until at least June 10, gradually easing starting May 22. Most businesses are still closed with employees working remotely or not working at all. The exceptions include supermarkets, pharmacies, banks, parcel delivery services. The borders are closed to most forms of traffic, except Ukrainians returning by foot or by car. Most domestic transportation is heavily restricted. Estimates range on how deeply the ensuing recession will harm Ukraine’s economy. The Kyiv Post talked with entrepreneurs about their daily struggles, asking how the quarantine has affected their ventures and what they are planning to do once it’s lifted.

We want to hear your personal story of survival during this national lockdown. Please contact us at [email protected].

Anatoliy Visikirsky
people partner (human resources manager and business partner) at Grammarly, a tech firm that develops artificial intelligence to help improve people’s writing online. Founded by three Ukrainians, Grammarly is valued at over $1 billion.

“Grammarly is fortunate to be in a strong position as a company. Our key business indicators remain stable, and our jobs and hiring plans are unaffected. The biggest change so far is that all team members will continue to work remotely for the foreseeable future. Team safety is our highest priority, and we want to be sure that we’re doing everything we can to safeguard the health of team members and their families. We also know that people have been living with a lot of uncertainty, and we’re trying to reduce some of that by committing to an extended remote-work period. 

“Because the situation has been completely new for everyone and has such a high level of uncertainty, we started our preparations as early as possible. Grammarly is a global company with offices on two continents, so we needed to proactively monitor the situation from the very beginning. For this purpose, we created a global COVID-19 Crisis Team early on – even before the WHO declared a pandemic – and I am part of the team. We have daily meetings where we discuss the current status, what should be improved, and our next steps. 

“When the situation started to escalate, we made a proactive decision to start working from home. In Kyiv, this happened on March 11, far before such an order was official in Ukraine. We are prepared and can operate remotely as long as it is necessary. Team members in all our offices — San Francisco, New York City, Vancouver, and Kyiv — are working remotely. On May 4, we announced that they could plan to do so until at least the first week of September, and we know and accept that it will likely be even longer.

“Personally, I miss people a lot. I’m inspired by Grammarly’s culture and the connection we have between team members. It’s been difficult to be away for so long – but we are also finding opportunities to stay connected while we are all online. We have a lot of Zoom activities and mental health support programs to help people stay connected and supported. But no one would argue with my saying that we all are feeling the lack of opportunity to see everyone’s faces and to hug our friends and colleagues in person.  

“When we are ready to reopen our offices, we plan to do so in stages, with added health and safety protocols. We want to be sure that offices can be available for those who would prefer to work there, but we are acting with caution and are going to move very slowly and carefully.

“We haven’t received any help from the government, but we also haven’t asked for any. We have offices in three countries. We know that governments everywhere are having to make difficult decisions for our communities, and we appreciate the care and thought that goes into making decisions that impact people’s lives. 

“Grammarly is a global company. As a business, we think that our responsibilities aren’t limited only to what happens in our offices. The pandemic will end someday, sooner or later. We should remember that people’s lives are of the highest value, and as responsible employers, we should take any possible actions to minimize the spread of the virus and to protect our teams.   

“Businesses worldwide can support one another by sharing their experiences in dealing with this crisis in a sincere and open way. We believe that transparency and awareness can be really impactful and help others to minimize their losses.”