Romania is a modern, powerful emerging state with a well-educated and motivated generation of digital workers emerging into the employment landscape. However, while the speed of development is fast, there are still some areas where improvement is needed from government and business to attract and retain these future leaders. 

The Rush to Hybrid and Digital

One example remains the state political blocks on digitalization, highlighting a growing gap between Romania’s technological capacity and its administrative implementation. Organisations will have to work around such obstacles, but for new workers, more pragmatic blockers exist. 

Modern business thrive in the cloud, using AI to accelerate growth and through quick sprints to product and business success, compared to monolithic processes of previous generations. Businesses that can adapt to these methods will attract younger, smarter workers. 

Another example sees hybrid work as a strong motivator for Gen-Z workers, far less so than going fully remote. So, businesses need to adapt their operational and HR strategies to cater to the hybrid workforce, delivering the tools for them to function. 

When using hybrid, successful teams need the autonomy to perform, metrics to identify performance goals are met and coaching for long-term workers to maintain a wider sense of the business and its culture. 

Supporting Business and Personal Growth

Dead-end jobs are a no-no for modern workers, with tutoring, mentoring, extended education and other aspects a strong indicator that a company cares for its workers and is happy for them to expand in the workplace or within their market. 

Similarly, supporting workers in charity efforts, mental health wellbeing and seeing them support the business through green or other initiatives are all a part of the 21st century office. Ensuring a broad and welcoming employee experience is vital for progressive businesses. 

But companies also need to be seen to treat their customers well, through value-adding customer experience efforts. Any business that treats customers as numbers or a mere profit centre will not attract the type of worker or future leader that they need to survive as an organisation. 

Within the business, a move to flat leadership can shift workers’ concerns about progressing up the hierarchy organisation chart. While encouraging everyone to contribute and highlight ways to improve operations. Listening to new hires and their ideas and concerns is also a fantastic way to sweep out some dogmatic ideas that may linger at board or manager levels. 

Ensuring Worker Safety and Health

For those in the office some or all of the time, worker safety is a key concern, with Romanian law aligning with EU standards. Some organisations are slow to adapt these standards, and young workers, while they might focus on modern conveniences like focus rooms, hot desks, cafes and on-site physical exercise, would prefer a safe office above other benefits. 

The use of commercial access control systems is a feature of most modern buildings, but many older and industrial sites lack security, creating the risks of minor and major crime, or social disturbance. Physical security through access control, smart cameras, backed up by boots on the ground add a welcome feeling of protection. 

Beyond physical security, most younger workers expect health insurance, access to local health and sports/gym facilities as part of a progressive work culture. If a business wants to be seen as at the cutting edge of social and health responsibility, sports like Padel are the fastest-growing in the world, and company memberships can help bring young and older workers together for fun competition in a sport that encourages strategy over physicality. 

At a deeper level, young businesses need to show they have moved on from older Romanian (and wider European) issues like corruption, pension theft and links to organised crime. Having external audits, codes of conduct and other visible marks of probity are all vital in demonstrating an approach to a clean and healthy business. 

Summary

Whatever the business, Romanian companies that want to attract the best young talent need to demonstrate progressive and flexible operations and strategies. They should also look beyond salary and traditional perks to compete in the talent market, offering a sense of purpose, culture and willingness to evolve and adapt to the latest approaches, across operations and technology. 

*This is a press release.