Last week, BRICS Mobility representatives visited a Rusagro Group facility in the Tambov Region. The company has been working with us for two years and is now scaling up the project. They discussed developments with partners, assessed the employer's current needs, and, most importantly, observed how the employees we recruited in Kenya are doing at the Russian facility. Rusagro currently employs 551 foreign workers, and plans to increase that number to 1,500.
"We've tried everything on the domestic market."
The company's staffing problem began back in 2022. As Lyudmila Kolodina, Head of International Recruitment at Rusagro Group, explains, to fill the gap, they tried everything on the domestic market, including hiring self-employed workers. They decided to expand their efforts to the international labor market. Like many others, they began by hiring workers from the CIS countries—and were disappointed. Visa-free employees easily moved from one employer to another, turnover reached 80%, and the business lost stability. The project was shut down. The next idea was to recruit from abroad. How to recruit? "We realized we needed a large, experienced agency that knew how to find and bring in the right people," says Lyudmila Kolodina. "We looked at reviews from other employers and settled on BRICS Mobility."
From India to Kenya: Choosing Africa
India was our first experience with visa-required countries—we brought 70 people. But we encountered an unexpected challenge: the average height of Indian employees turned out to be insufficient for work on the meat processing line. Then we looked at Kenya. And we were right. "When the first group arrived, we realized there wouldn't be any growth issues, plus the guys were very physically fit." "And given that it's an English-speaking country, it was easier for us to adapt," notes Lyudmila Kolodina. Currently, the company employs over 500 foreigners, most of whom are from Kenya. Plans call for bringing in another 600 this year, and to reach 1,500 foreign workers by next year.
"We've learned how to work with them."
Before the project started, Rusagro's biggest concern was the atmosphere within the team—would tension arise between "our people" and the "outsiders." But these fears proved unfounded. "As a result, we've built not only strong work teams, but also sports teams—they play football together," smiles Lyudmila Kolodina. "And overall, the foreigners have helped us reach a staffing level of 92%! Our plans include completely abandoning outsourcing and sticking exclusively to our own staff: Russian citizens and foreigners. We don't even set any limits on numbers: if they make up 15% or more, that's fine, we've learned how to work with them."
We train not only employees but also employers
One of the most important components of success is site preparation. Rusagro translated all training materials and navigation into English in advance and developed a mentoring system. Of course, there were questions. One of the main ones was preparing Russian supervisors and team leaders to work with foreigners. Stanislav Shemetikhin, a production training supervisor, notes: "When you hire someone here, you see them, talk to them, and understand their background. Here, we looked at profiles and videos, but that's a completely different matter. Once they've arrived, you have to work with them." The most challenging aspect was the language barrier. Not all managers and team leaders spoke English well. But they found a solution: they used interpreters and sign language. And within six months, even the Russian employees had improved their English, and the foreigners began to understand Russian.
"Foreigners became mentors."
When the number of foreign employees exceeded 100, the adaptation process accelerated. Those who had arrived the previous year began training the newcomers. Kenyans have become mentors—and they're proud of it. "They're proud that their skills have improved, that they can teach," emphasizes Lyudmila Kolodina. "And when production managers say they're not afraid to hire new foreigners, that there's someone to teach them—that's a success for our project."
Solutions that help businesses grow
During our visit to Rusagro's facility, we were once again convinced that the system for recruiting foreign personnel established by BRICS Mobility delivers measurable results—stability, low turnover, and high productivity. Staffing has reached 92%, turnover has dropped significantly, and the company plans to completely eliminate outsourcing. "We work with Russia's largest enterprises, including in the agro-industrial complex, where the problem of personnel shortages is very acute today. I'm pleased that our solutions are helping Russian businesses grow." "I express my gratitude to Rusagro for believing in BRICS Mobility and launching a rather bold project that has now resolved our partner's personnel needs," notes Natalia Vershinina, Head of BRICS Mobility.
"We've learned how to work with them."
Before the project started, Rusagro's biggest concern was the atmosphere within the team—would tension arise between "our people" and the "outsiders." But these fears proved unfounded. "As a result, we've built not only strong work teams, but also sports teams—they play football together," smiles Lyudmila Kolodina. "And overall, the foreigners have helped us reach a staffing level of 92%! Our plans include completely abandoning outsourcing and sticking exclusively to our own staff: Russian citizens and foreigners. We don't even set any limits on numbers: if they make up 15% or more, that's fine, we've learned how to work with them."
We train not only employees but also employers
One of the most important components of success is site preparation. Rusagro translated all training materials and navigation into English in advance and developed a mentoring system. Of course, there were questions. One of the main ones was preparing Russian supervisors and team leaders to work with foreigners. Stanislav Shemetikhin, a production training supervisor, notes: "When you hire someone here, you see them, talk to them, and understand their background. Here, we looked at profiles and videos, but that's a completely different matter. Once they've arrived, you have to work with them." The most challenging aspect was the language barrier. Not all managers and team leaders spoke English well. But they found a solution: they used interpreters and sign language. And within six months, even the Russian employees had improved their English, and the foreigners began to understand Russian.
"Foreigners became mentors."
When the number of foreign employees exceeded 100, the adaptation process accelerated. Those who had arrived the previous year began training the newcomers. Kenyans have become mentors—and they're proud of it. "They're proud that their skills have improved, that they can teach," emphasizes Lyudmila Kolodina. "And when production managers say they're not afraid to hire new foreigners, that there's someone to teach them—that's a success for our project."
Solutions that help businesses grow
During our visit to Rusagro's facility, we were once again convinced that the system for recruiting foreign personnel established by BRICS Mobility delivers measurable results—stability, low turnover, and high productivity. Staffing has reached 92%, turnover has dropped significantly, and the company plans to completely eliminate outsourcing. "We work with Russia's largest enterprises, including in the agro-industrial complex, where the problem of personnel shortages is very acute today. I'm pleased that our solutions are helping Russian businesses grow." "I express my gratitude to Rusagro for believing in BRICS Mobility and launching a rather bold project that has now resolved our partner's personnel needs," notes Natalia Vershinina, Head of BRICS Mobility.