HR in War
The three questions CyberProof asks itself every morning during war
The company has an Israeli workforce of nearly 100, causing management to align priorities and tasks each morning based on a reduced worker count.
“I am proud to be part of an industry-leading company that cherishes both its people and its business imperatives, recognizing their importance to economic stability and client relationships,” said Maayan Cohen-Haziz, Israel Site Lead & VP HR at CyberProof. “I believe our employees feel supported by our constant efforts, enthusiastic reserve participation, and high motivation to contribute.”
CyberProof provides advanced cybersecurity services based on its proprietary, cloud-native platform that leverages orchestration, automation, and machine learning. The company's clients include large, global enterprises undergoing cloud migration. The company has taken part in HR in War, a series that explores how companies in Israel are adapting in unusual times. CTech believes the world should know about the atrocities committed on 7/10 while also highlighting the continued resolve and resistance of the Israeli tech ecosystem.
“We want to strengthen the families of the injured, kidnapped, evacuated, or murdered and to wish our soldiers success in their mission,” she added. “We continue to pray for the safe return of everyone who was kidnapped. Am Israel Chai!”
Company name: CyberProof, a UST Company
Your name and title: Maayan Cohen-Haziz, Israel Site Lead & VP HR at CyberProof
Names of founders and upper management: Yuval Wollman - President, Tony Velleca - CEO
Field of activity: Cyber
Number of employees: ~640 total employees with locations in India, Singapore, Israel, UK, EMEA, and the U.S.
Office location: Tel Aviv, Azrieli Towers
On a scale of 1-10, how much did the war disrupt operations at the company?
Four. Our Israel office has 95 of the company's 640 total employees. Currently, 20 are enlisted in active reserve duty, with some having spouses or children who are also enlisted. Naturally, this has a significant impact on both their personal and professional lives. A few employees are also parents of young children who need proper childcare options available. Additionally, we have an employee who was evacuated from their home located near the border area.
What consequences have you experienced from these disruptions?
We have had to return to remote work after almost overcoming it pre-crisis (following an in-office model of 3 days each week).
Beyond immediately assisting employees, we held a workshop for managers on crisis leadership - managing teams remotely while meeting customer needs. We focused on near-term planning to mitigate long-term issues, both personal and professional. Managers held daily team check-ins, with special attention to supporting HR.
We met each morning to align on priorities and tasks. We asked: “What is most urgent and important right now? What can be postponed? Who is best suited for certain roles?”
What are the two major challenges you are coping with these days?
The first one is that we didn’t know for how long and for what period we would be missing some of our employees. After a few weeks, We understood the needs and we started preparing plan B for recruitment in Israel for teams that needed support.
In addition, it was challenging to deal with the desire of some employees to temporarily leave the country with their families, as well as to understand how that would affect local teams, perceptions, etc.
What support do you provide to employees?
From day one, we contacted all employees via WhatsApp, conveying full availability to assist them and their families. Our HR team mapped enlisted staff and relatives. Every enlisted employee promptly received food vouchers for themselves or their family. We also reinstated 24/7 emotional support anonymously through a counseling provider.
Employees who were forced to move from their homes were offered assistance in finding alternative residences. Donations were gathered for military units. We scheduled guidance to help our employees communicate if they felt their children were anxious. Also, the HR maintained constant outreach to enlisted personnel and families, providing personalized support wherever possible.
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It was possible to work from home if someone was unable to commute. Unlimited volunteer hours were also allowed. We instituted weekly informal “coffee chat” video meetings to connect employees.
Moreover, we collaborated to support an impacted kibbutz community. Our global executives and local staff jointly held a successful fundraising event for the kibbutz. We continue direct work to assist their long-term needs.
We provided wellness activities to boost employee morale for those who could attend the office.
Do you have employees with foreign citizenship who asked to work from another country? If so, has movement been requested/approved?
Yes, several employees requested to fly to another country and work from there, we approved everyone's request and supported them as much as possible.
How do you communicate the situation to customers? Do you see hostility or support?
Our customers expressed great support and understanding given the circumstances. Since we have global teams, continuity plans were instituted in conjunction with our offices in Spain and India.
Alongside demonstrating this support, it was critical to proactively convey our ongoing commitment to customers' security needs, especially with intensifying cyberattacks. We initiated calls updating stakeholders that our team remains safe and focused on delivering as promised. Clients were assured they could continue relying on us for robust protection amidst the environment.
In the event employees feel they encounter hostility, how do you guide them to respond to the situation?
Fortunately, no internal hostility has been experienced - rather, substantial empathy pervades our supportive environment. As a company, we maintain zero tolerance for any hostility and are proud of our culture of mutual respect, regardless of origin, culture, or location. Nevertheless, we have prepared managers to address any potential issues with HR support, underscoring how we would handle such situations should they arise.
