We are thrilled to share our 2023 corporate social responsibility (CSR) report! At QAwerk, we believe that a business can be both profitable and responsible. We are committed to helping businesses ship robust and secure digital experiences, taking steps to reduce our environmental footprint, promoting diversity and inclusion, and giving back to the communities where we operate. This report outlines our efforts to date and our plans for the future.
Community Involvement and Development
As a software testing agency operating on the global market, we believe in giving back to the community. Our community involvement and development initiatives are designed to create a positive impact on society. We focus on democratizing QA, helping the underprivileged, and supporting our home country Ukraine.
Popularizing quality assurance
Software testing is indispensable for building high-quality software that is accessible, easy, and safe to use. At the same time, some companies treat it as an afterthought, for various reasons – limited resources, a tight budget, or a lack of knowledge. As a software testing company, it pains us to see how worthy and high-promising products fail or underperform because of insufficient software testing. So, we came up with two solutions.
In 2016, we launched our Bug Crawl program. In essence, any startup or even an established business can turn to us and request a free round of manual testing. It’s a no-commitment engagement that allows businesses to have an unbiased look at the quality of their products and see all critical and minor issues they missed. So far, we’ve helped over 560 apps rapidly improve their product quality for free.
Those apps who pass our QA test, meaning we didn’t find any critical or medium-severity bugs, are distinguished with our Remarkable Quality Award. So far, we distinguished over 50 iOS, Android, and SaaS apps like Mattermost, Strava, and DeepL Translate.
Another solution encouraging businesses to test their products more thoroughly is Android Bug Hunter. It’s a free app that allows teams developing Android solutions to thoroughly test an app’s UI, performance under low memory conditions, and deep links. The app speeds manual testing by providing essential tools even non-technical team members can use. QA engineers, designers, marketers, and product managers can all use Android Bug Hunter to detect and report bugs easily.
Creating social impact
We are committed to supporting social initiatives that help the underprivileged. We regularly participate in fundraisers organized by nonprofits and also arrange our own fundraising events. Our initiatives are diverse and include supporting children with heart disease, helping seniors, foster families, and animal shelters. By doing so, we aim to create a more inclusive and caring society.
Supporting Ukraine
As a Ukraine-based company, we feel a strong sense of responsibility towards our country. We regularly donate to nonprofits that cater to the needs of our military and Ukrainians affected by the war. Our contributions aim to provide them with the necessary resources and support. Since February 24, 2022, we’ve donated over $220, 000 in support of Ukraine together with Redwerk, our sister company.
Promoting education
We believe that education is the foundation of a prosperous society. That’s why we create educational events not only for our teammates but also the broader IT community.
Pre-war, we hosted free QA brunches in our offices in Kyiv and Zaporizhia, sharing our own expertise and inviting reputable speakers in our industry. Such events promote knowledge sharing and give people interested in pursuing a tech career a better understanding of the skills required for the job and daily tasks.
Every quarter we curate a list of free and paid tech events devoted to software testing, QA, penetration testing, and cybersecurity. We share this information with the global tech community to emphasize the importance of continuous learning and upskilling.
Labor Practices
Our labor practices are designed to create a supportive and productive work environment for our team. They reflect our commitment to respect the personal lives of our employees while ensuring productivity. We believe that a happy and healthy workforce is key to delivering high-quality services. Here’s how we ensure the well-being of our employees.
Generous paid time off
We understand the importance of work-life balance. Therefore, we provide 20 days of paid time off and 14 paid sick leaves. Additionally, we are off during all of Ukraine’s public holidays, ensuring our team has ample time to rest and rejuvenate.
Flexible work schedule
We believe in results, not clock-watching. Our teammates have complete freedom over their schedule, allowing them to work during their most productive hours and seamlessly integrate work into their lives.
Unlimited work from home
Given the current situation in our home country, our offices are closed for safety reasons and we operate remotely. Even pre-war, office attendance was voluntary, emphasizing our commitment to flexibility and work-life balance.
No overtime policy
We encourage our teammates not to overwork. Our HR and project management teams keep a close eye on workloads and conduct mood checks to prevent burnout. If overtime does occur, it is fully compensated.
Mental health care
We deeply care about our employees’ mental health. We provide monthly wellbeing stipends to support their mental wellness. We also regularly arrange online and offline events to foster a sense of community and prevent feelings of loneliness or social isolation caused by remote work.
Training and development
We invest in our employees’ growth and development. We partly reimburse the costs of attending conferences or courses, buy professional literature on employee demand, and provide paid English, German, and Spanish classes. We host internal meetups to promote cross-department collaboration. We also support those employees who want to share their expertise with the global tech community by providing them with our YouTube platform and all the needed marketing resources.
Human Rights
QAwerk complies with the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights. As a responsible company, we uphold and promote human rights in all our operations. We believe that respect for human rights is fundamental to achieving a healthy and productive work environment. Here’s how we ensure the protection of human rights in our organization.
Equal opportunity
We are an equal opportunity employer. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, or any other characteristic protected by law. We believe in diversity and inclusion and strive to create a workplace where everyone feels valued and respected.
Fair compensation
We ensure fair compensation for all our employees. Our compensation packages are competitive and commensurate with the skills and experience of our employees. We are proud to maintain a zero pay gap policy.
Zero tolerance for harassment
We have a zero-tolerance policy for harassment of any kind. We are committed to providing a safe and respectful work environment for all our employees. Any form of harassment is dealt with strictly and promptly.
Fair Operating Practices
QAwerk has been delivering software testing services to businesses in North America, Europe, Australia, South Korea, and Africa since 2015. With our QA support, our clients can iterate and innovate faster.
Many of the products we contribute to receive prestigious awards or get acquired by market leaders. Our clients rely on us, and this level of trust wouldn’t have been possible without fair operating practices. Here are the foundations guiding our business ethics.
Confidentiality
We understand that our clients entrust us with sensitive information, and we take this responsibility very seriously. To safeguard this trust, we have Non-Disclosure Agreements (NDAs) in place with all our employees and clients. These NDAs legally bind all parties to maintain the confidentiality of the information shared. Furthermore, we have stringent data security measures in place to prevent any unauthorized access or disclosure of confidential information.
Service level agreements
Our Service Level Agreements (SLAs) are a form of commitment to our clients. They guarantee timely service provision and set clear expectations about the level of service that clients can expect from us. Our SLAs cover various aspects such as the scope of work, timelines, quality standards, and escalation procedures. By adhering to our SLAs, we ensure that we stay accountable and deliver on our promises.
Compliance with laws and regulations
Compliance with laws and regulations is non-negotiable for us. We operate in multiple countries, each with its own set of laws and regulations. This includes data protection laws, labor laws, and industry-specific regulations. We ensure our policies and procedures are always up-to-date and in line with the applicable laws.
Transparency
We maintain transparency in all our operations. We are honest about our capacity and expertise areas because we prioritize building lasting and trustful relationships rather than short-term gains. We regularly communicate with our clients about our business performance and ways to improve our collaboration.
Environmental Impacts
Our operations have a relatively small environmental impact. However, we are committed to further reducing our environmental footprint and promoting sustainable practices. Here’s how we manage our environmental impacts.
Remote work
We operate remotely, which significantly reduces our carbon footprint. By eliminating daily commutes, we not only save time but also reduce greenhouse gas emissions associated with transportation.
Paperless operations
We strive to maintain paperless operations as much as possible. Most of our document management is digital, reducing the need for paper and helping to conserve forests. At conferences and events, we prefer to use digital handouts instead of printed materials. This not only reduces paper usage but also makes it easier for participants to access and store information.
Responsible hardware management
We understand that technology has a certain life cycle, and we want to extend it as much as possible. Our hardware management strategy involves donating old computers and equipment to foster homes or underfunded schools in the countryside. This not only extends the life cycle of the equipment but also provides valuable resources to those who might not otherwise have access to them. Also, if hardware can no longer be reused, it is disposed of in an environmentally friendly manner, minimizing electronic waste.
Energy efficiency
We strive to improve energy efficiency in our operations. This includes using energy-efficient equipment and encouraging our employees to conserve energy while working remotely, such as using energy-efficient lighting and optimizing computer settings for energy savings. Also, our remote work policy significantly reduces energy consumption associated with commuting and office utilities.
Green procurement
We prioritize purchasing products and services that have a lower environmental impact. This includes choosing suppliers who adhere to environmentally friendly practices and sourcing materials for promotional events locally.
Consumer Issues
QAwerk is a customer-centric organization. We respect our clients’ rights and interests and prioritize customer satisfaction. With the 95% client retention rate, we believe we are on the right path to managing consumer issues successfully.
Managed services
Each project is assigned a dedicated QA team overseen by a project manager (PM) who is trained to handle a wide range of issues and work tirelessly to ensure that our clients’ needs are met. Our PMs take care of accurate planning, manage customer expectations, monitor our progress, facilitate timely delivery, and report on the work done regularly.
Data privacy and security
In today’s digital age, data privacy and security are of utmost importance. We have stringent data privacy policies in place and employ robust security measures to protect our clients’ sensitive information.
Feedback mechanism
Feedback is a crucial part of our continuous improvement process. We highly value our clients’ feedback as it provides us with insights into what we are doing well and where we can improve. To facilitate this, we have established mechanisms for our clients to provide feedback on our services, such as surveys and one-to-one meetings.
Dispute resolution
Our focus on building long-term partnerships helps us prevent major conflicts or disputes. However, in the event of a dispute, we have a fair and transparent resolution process in place. We strive to resolve any issues amicably and in the best interest of all parties involved.
Organizational Governance
Our organizational governance is designed to ensure accountability and transparency at all levels. We believe in a flat structure with minimum bureaucracies, which fosters open communication and encourages employee initiatives.
Flat structure
We operate on a flat organizational structure, which eliminates unnecessary layers of management and empowers our employees to voice their ideas and take the lead on projects or initiatives they are passionate about. Also, it helps us to cut costs to reinvest in employee perks and charities, creating a positive societal impact.
Cross-department collaboration
We value the ideas and initiatives of our employees, and we want them to communicate with each other and exchange their knowledge freely. We have established barrier-free communication on a company-wide level, meaning employees can reach out to top leadership without any roadblocks or mediators.
Accountability
We hold ourselves accountable for our actions and decisions. Accountability is critical to building trust with our stakeholders and achieving our business objectives. Our employees have a lot of independence in decision-making, and they clearly understand their areas of responsibility and consequences in case of inaction or sloppy work.
Supply Chain
Our supply chain practices are designed to ensure that we work only with suppliers who share our commitment to ethical business practices, human rights, and environmental sustainability.
Ethical procurement
We procure services and products only from suppliers who adhere to ethical business practices. This includes fair labor practices, respect for human rights, and compliance with laws and regulations.
Environmental sustainability
We prioritize suppliers who are committed to reducing their environmental footprint. For instance, we procure cloud services only from reputable organizations that are doing their part in reducing their carbon footprint and maximizing the use of renewable energy.
Supplier evaluation
We regularly evaluate our suppliers based on their performance, adherence to ethical standards, and commitment to sustainability. This helps us ensure that our supply chain aligns with our corporate social responsibility goals. We do not engage with suppliers from the aggressor countries like Russia and Belarus.
Sustainable Development Goals
For 2023, QAwerk has established five sustainability goals. These are the pillars that allow us to continue operating as a responsible company and effectively navigate through challenges.
Goal 1: Support NGOs and Ukrainians affected by the war
As the war continues, so does our support of Ukrainian nonprofits, defenders, and families affected by the war. We continue donating to charities and raising funds independently to help supply our defenders with the essentials they need and provide humanitarian aid to the most vulnerable members of society. Since February 2022, we’ve donated to multiple nonprofits, such as Come Back Alive, Serhii Prytula Charity Foundation, Hospitallers, Sprava Hromad, United24, and many others.
Goal 2: Fostering continuous learning
We believe in the power of continuous learning and professional development. We are expanding our areas of expertise, upskilling our QA engineers to test AI systems, and deepening our cybersecurity expertise with a focus on penetration testing and security auditing.
Goal 3: Striking work-life balance
Our current work-life balance policies have proven to be fruitful as we’ve fulfilled all of our obligations to clients and keep the provision of our services at a high standard. 97% of our teammates report that they are happy with their schedules. We remain flexible to quickly respond to emerging needs and offer the most relevant perks and support.
Goal 4: Creating job opportunities
Despite the global recession and the full-scale war in our home country, we strive to expand our business to create new job opportunities. This not only helps talented individuals in Ukraine implement their skills and earn a living but also contributes to economic growth.
Goal 5: Celebrating our wins
We have a tradition of celebrating our major wins. Even though now, during the war, we don’t have massive celebrations, we still want to thank our team for their hard work. So, we arrange online and offline team buildings, quizzes, and other entertainment activities to recharge and acknowledge our employees’ contributions.
Building Great Future Together
As we move forward, we will continue to align our operations with the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals. We believe businesses have a crucial role in addressing global challenges and driving sustainable development.
Our resolve to uphold the highest standards of integrity, transparency, and accountability in all our operations is steadfast. We are dedicated to fostering a work environment that respects human rights, promotes diversity, and encourages continuous learning and professional development.
We immensely thank our clients and partners for their continued support and deep trust in us. Together, we can build pioneering solutions designed to promote the social good. Thank you for being a part of our journey towards sustainability, innovation, and technical excellence.
