The business dynamics have changed after the global COVID pandemic started. In this context, the HR department of the Romanian company EXE Software reported some of the most important things that changed in the field, during 2020.

If over time, events such as team buildings and end-of-year parties were organized without exception, for most companies, 2020 was about working remotely, from home, and brought with it the concern about maintaining the idea of team unity and employee satisfaction.

This year, the company has adapted and tried to replace the usual events with virtual meetings that replaced the Christmas party, and plan small surprises and gifts for employees, as a reward for people’s efforts during these trying times.

These initiatives have further mitigated the social distancing measures imposed in recent months, which have particularly affected newer team members, who have found it harder to feel integrated and understand the informal spirit of the company, more authentic and noticeable in the traditional form of work, from the company’s headquarters.

Managing the team has been particularly challenging for team leaders, who have been permanently seeking ways to keep people engaged and help them adapt to these new work conditions: they have focused on communication, encouraged them and provided their constant support. These efforts have been doubled by the HR department, which constantly reassured employees that they can rely on the stability of their workplace, highlighting their efforts and contribution to the organization’s growth, even during the pandemic.

“Over the years, events such as team buildings or the Christmas party were moments our colleagues used to look forward to, as they helped us to strengthen relationships based on trust and get to know each other better. In addition to this, it was a pleasant challenge to find more and more creative solutions, so that each participant had memorable experiences. This year, we tried to move events online and planned various gestures of appreciation for our teams’ dedication. The Christmas period remains a special one, although we are far from each other, we wanted to celebrate it together online.

As far as our way of working is concerned, our activity has been exclusively remote since March, and we constantly encouraged our colleagues to send us suggestions and ideas for improving the way of working and share with us their difficulties, so that we can find solutions together and help them feel safe.

In the medium term, our priority is aligning the company’s objectives with those of the employees, we are still interested in cultivating the involvement of our colleagues, we focus on collaboration and maintaining a united internal community where each person feels appreciated and motivated “, said Karina Tătui, HR manager EXE Software.

Recruitment has remained a priority in 2020, with administrative HR processes adapted to the new reality and all selection stages are now taking place in the online environment. This way, the company EXE Software has surpassed the record number of 100 employees.