Deloitte Romania: learning and career development, high up on the business and HR agenda

Driven by the frequent change of the professional competencies required to perform at work, lack of experienced candidates and employee’s desire to develop professionally continuously, learning and career development are the top priorities of the Romanian business and HR leaders, followed by employees’ experience, according to the fifth edition of the study Deloitte Human Capital Trends 2017.

The study shows that in Romania the priorities in the Human Capital area are different when compared to the region or at global level. While for the Romanian respondents and those in East and Central Europe the professional development of their employees is the top priority, at global level the most important aspect from the human capital perspective is the Organization of the Future.

“The results of the study indicate that the Romanian labor market has own dynamic when compared to other countries,” said Raluca Bontaș, Director Global Employer Services Deloitte Romania.

“Currently, the capabilities necessary to perform at the workplace change from a period to another. The traditional model that worked in the past, in which those competences developed in the early stages of work were recognized for the entire career, is no longer valid. That is why both organizations as well as employees are constantly concerned with developing certain competences. Some employers are facing the lack of experienced candidates and thus they develop internal programs for professional development. In their turn, candidates place career development among their main areas of interest. In this respect they need counseling as well as an organizational structure meant to facilitate reaching this goal,” added Bontas.

Employees experience is another key priority among Romanian employers (51%).

“This topic is important as it is harder and harder for employers to find valuable employees and to motivate them and retain them on a long term. In this context the HR function is currently concerned with identifying the employees’ needs, which differ depending on a number of criteria such as generation, personal situation and with tailoring the offer of employment and retention as much as possible. Thus the concept of Total Rewards (the full package of compensation and benefits consisting of both financial and non-financial, tangible and non-tangible elements that the organization has to offer) is very contemporary and may include benefits such as flexible working hours and flexible remuneration programs with components such as Stock Options Plan (the possibility of an employee to obtain, under certain circumstances, company shares). Also, the agenda includes topics such as employees’ well-being or systems that generate productivity growth.”

Another priority on the business’ agenda is the organization of the future. 

“Less flexible and hierarchic structures tend to be replaced by ecosystems and networks of teams within organizations. A small network has the advantage of delivering quick results, generating a high level of engagement among members and direct attention towards mission envisaged. Thus, the competences of each team specialist help each other and connect directly to results delivery. To implement such a style a new mentality is needed along with adapting the structure of the organization in order to rethink processes.”

The study has also revealed that respondents expect growing investments in their employees compared to last year: 11% versus 5% in 2016. Over 40% of the Romanian respondents answered that their organization plans an over 1-5% growth of the investments in human capital in 2017, higher than in 2016 when 3% of them reported such growth.

Deloitte Human Capital Trends 2017 is one of the most comprehensive studies in human capital globally. The 2017 survey is our largest and most extensive to date, with input from more than 10,400 business and HR leaders across 140 countries, including Romania. Sixty-three percent of the respondents were HR professionals, with other business executives comprising 37 percent. The perspective of the respondents outside the HR area is extremely valuable for the entire study.

For further details, please access the Deloitte Romania Human Capital Trends 2017 page