(P) IT Smart Systems: One of the first IT companies in Romania to embrace fully work flexibility

More or less pushed by the pandemic, work flexibility has become a “must-have” for most employees when looking for a new job. Everyone got a taste of what flexibility brings and very few are willing to go back to a 9 to 5 at the office setup, statistics show that in 2022 when choosing an employer, flexibility is a top priority.

IT Smart Systems, is a boutique Romanian software company with craftsmanship in digital identity, omnichannel, SOA that has been working for over two decades with the world’s biggest players in their industry. The company has two offices, one in Bucharest and one in Chisinau, 150 employees, some working remotely from other cities, and opened the door to a more flexible work environment a year before the pandemic started.

ITSS had 3 years of experimenting and finding the best formula for giving more and more autonomy to its teams. It started with offering the option of hybrid work to all employees and supporting the need for flexible hours and continued with the development of new areas of flexibility in terms of job rotation, part-time roles and improving the work-life balance. Now they offer a big range of flexible benefits that leave room for a very personalized working path, from the possibility to work from anywhere to a tailored work schedule, ownership and opportunities to learn new areas of expertise, internships, the possibility for employees to take a sabbatical, etc.

When asked about their vision of flexible work, they defined FLEXIBILITY as giving the possibility to choose and the power to adapt. “We are proud to say that flexible working is our way of working, and it has been for a long time. We are a creative and diverse community; therefore, a 'one size fits all' approach doesn’t fit us. Flexibility in the workspace has become a necessity and we are pledging for it, as we have noticed that our employees are more balanced, more productive, and more creative when they have space to make their own way of working”, said Mihaela Georgescu, Managing Partner.

Of course, implementing this high level of flexibility in a company takes a lot of resources and doesn’t come without challenges, like for example the decrease in identification with the company culture and a more distant and more isolated way of working for many employees, due to the “zoom effect”.

The benefits are nevertheless enormous if flexibility is implemented correctly and with a team of executives and HR specialists constantly taking the pulse of the community, communicating and asking for constant feedback, and creating a supportive work environment.

“Employees are not the only ones benefiting from implementing flexibility as a way of working. Communicating more about flexibility as an important principle in IT Smart Systems and always giving more options created a different mindset in the company culture. The return was in more flexible solutions for the business, more innovative and creative ideas, and overall more out-of-the-box thinking, “ shared with us Mihaela Georgescu, Managing Partner.