The large organizations active in Romania begin to focus their efforts in the second half of 2023 on the human component, through an ever-increasing focus on ensuring a work environment in which the emotional safety of their employees comes first, according to an analysis carried out by executive search company Arthur Hunt Romania.
This is in the context where economic challenges have been inducing, for over 2 years, major pressures on managers in organizations, forcing them to constantly adapt to the ever-changing economic and geo-political context. In addition, fiscal unpredictability and local politics develop additional stress on executives, but also on teams, who often feel overworked and end up exhausted, according to the Arthur Hunt Romania analysis.
These major changes on the labor market in Romania are taking place in the context where organizations have already been subjected to complex transformation and restructuring plans, as a result of the pandemic or the geopolitical context, such as restructuring, massive digitization processes or process streamlining.
“We have observed two different types of organizations active in Romania. On the one hand, those who transposed the context the market pressures on the management structures, subsequently cascading over the entire team – this permanent pressure generated a toxic climate, of generalized anxiety at the level of these organizations. Basically, instead of performing, these types of organizations are totally paralyzed because employees have reached a level of anxiety that prevents them from coming up with any initiatives for fear of making a mistake. On the other hand, there are also organizations that have managed to provide an emotional safety net to employees, where both managers and employees are not afraid to share their feedback, mistakes or initiatives, and this type of organization also has good results in business,” declares Alina Sîrbu, Arthur Hunt Romania Partner and Psychologist.
According to the specialists of the executive search and human resources consulting company Arthur Hunt, teams made up of people with the most diverse professional and life experiences can also bring added value to companies, by identifying creative and faster solutions to current market problems.
“The leaders of 2023 are those who listen to the voice of the teams, consider their problems and recognize and appreciate their vulnerability. Organizations in which pressure and anxiety are established do not perform”, adds Arthur Hunt Romania representative.
At European level, 8 out of 10 company leaders are concerned about the level of stress in their organizations, according to official figures from the European Commission*, with half of EU employees considering stress as common in their workplace.
Ensuring a healthy working environment within organizations, through which problems related to emotional health are combated, is also a priority for the European Commission. The institution funds programs through which EU employees are protected*.
* EU Strategic Framework on Health and Safety at Work 2021-2027