HR Meetups: Powered by AUK is a joint initiative by the IT Ukraine Association and the American University Kyiv, created to foster meaningful, professional, and open discussions around current HR challenges. These quarterly gatherings bring together HR specialists from leading Ukrainian IT companies, representatives of the academic community, and invited experts.
Each event serves as a space for exchanging experience, inspiration, and strategic thinking. It combines the intellectual depth of an academic approach with practical business case studies, helping participants rethink their approaches to working with people, cultures, and teams.
In focus:
Cross-cultural hiring: how cultural differences shape communication and collaboration
The globalisation of the labour market, wartime migration, and the growing number of international teams are raising new questions for HR professionals: how to effectively hire, retain, and develop people from diverse cultural backgrounds—and whether Ukrainian companies are ready for this challenge.
Cultural differences influence everything—from how individuals perceive feedback and approach hierarchy to how they respond to humour or overtime. What is considered normal in one culture may become a source of misunderstanding or even conflict in another. HR functions that overlook this risk losing talent—or failing to attract it in the first place.
Ukraine is currently experiencing a unique moment: the war has accelerated the integration of Ukrainian professionals into international teams, while also reshaping the domestic labour market. Ukrainian companies are increasingly working with international partners, relocated teams, and distributed workforces—requiring a new level of cultural sensitivity from HR.
At this meetup, we will speak openly about existing biases in Ukrainian society towards people from other cultures, the nuances of working in an American corporate environment, how to build inclusive hiring and onboarding processes, and what the future of the Ukrainian labour market may look like in the context of potential labour migration.
Please note: HR Meetups: Powered by AUK is a closed-format event, available exclusively to ITU Members.