AROBS: Turning employees into trusted partners

The involvement of every member of the AROBS team in the company's performance is an element that differentiates it on the market. Voicu Oprean, the CEO and founder of AROBS Transilvania Software, says that this approach enables the company to attract talents with deep expertise in the IT field.

By Anda Sebesi

How would you describe your HR policy?

At AROBS, we’ve created a culture that emphasises employee and customer success, innovation, and responsibility. Our people are of the utmost importance, so we want to ensure that employees and collaborators feel valued and connected to our culture. In fact, since our listing on the Bucharest Stock Exchange, AROBS has publicly stated that one of its main strategic objectives is to implement an employee motivation plan. We aim to increase opportunities for professional development, increase integration and communication between colleagues, and motivate them to contribute to the company's growth. To do that, we focus on creating an environment of trust and stability, caring for our colleagues, creating work autonomy, and stimulating learning and innovation. We want to preserve our position as an employer of choice on the Romanian IT market.

What were the main initiatives the company dedicated to its employees last year?

We continuously invest in recognising our colleagues' contributions to the company's success and aim to remain very active on this front. We are one of the few companies publicly listed on the Bucharest Stock Exchange with an Employee Stock Option Plan (ESOP).

The first stage of the ESOP programme was implemented in November 2021, when we allocated free option rights to approximately 300 employees within the AROBS group. These option rights were converted into shares in November 2022. Also, in 2022, we launched the SOP 2 programme, which included colleagues from several companies within the group. We’re now preparing for the third phase of the programme. Other significant initiatives from 2022 were related to supporting environmental causes with the involvement of our team. For example, we participated in two forestation campaigns along with our friends from CERT Transilvania. We also held an internal competition called "Fight for Your Green Cause," in which employees could win sponsorship for a green NGO of their choice. In 2022, we also wanted to have more initiatives that supported the wellbeing of our employees. One of my favorite projects in this area is called "Talks about life," a series of internal events in which we discuss mental health, work-life balance, and life outside of work.

What is your strategy for attracting and retaining talent?

Our strategy consists of a mix of internal and external initiatives that aim to position AROBS as a desirable employer for potential candidates. Additionally, the process of turning our employees into partners increases both retention rate and motivation. We have carried out several acquisitions in the past few years, and the number of employees, collaborators and, of course, projects have grown exponentially. However, what makes us stand out is the fact that we acquired several international companies, which is quite atypical for a Romanian company. Our growth and the fact that we’ve remained a company with 100 percent Romanian capital are some of our most significant value markers on the recruitment market. We also constantly look for ways to help our colleagues grow professionally. We provide them with access to learning programmes and resources and facilitate transitions between different roles and departments, and offer mentorship and leadership programmes for top-performing employees.