EPAM System’s Employees Express Outrage Over CEO Response to War in Ukraine; ‘I Am Furious,’ Posts One

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girl with flag
Image via Lewin Bormann at Creative Commons.
EPAM employees are upset at what they see as a tepid corporate denunciation of Russian aggression in Ukraine.

Employees of EPAM Systems, the Newtown-headquartered tech firm, are responding sharply to posted comments from its CEO on the war in Ukraine. The international strife hits close to home for the staff, as 14,000 of them work in the now-war-torn country, with 18,000 more of them at risk in Belarus and Russia. Ryan Gallagher encapsulated their deep discontent in Bloomberg.

EPAM representatives refused comment on the development, which began when Arkadiy Dobkin, EPAM CEO, posted what was intended to be a LinkedIn message of support.

The objections stemmed from Dobkin’s lack of condemnation of the militaristic actions of either Russia or President Vladimir Putin.

Further, employees critical of the corporate response have seen their internal communication tools — Microsoft Teams, Microsoft Outlook — quickly blocked. Some are even unsure of their current employment status with the firm.

Criticisms included employee comments of:

  • “There weren’t any encouragements to join Army, or volunteer… . Instead, they said ‘If you can work, work; if you can’t, take sick leave.’”
  • “I am beyond disappointed. I am furious with the company. Tomorrow is a working day at EPAM, and I don’t know if I’ll live to see it. I beg you to help!”

More on EPAM’s official response to the war in Ukraine is at Bloomberg.

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