HOW TO BOOST CREATIVITY AND PRODUCTIVITY IN THE ERA OF REMOTE WORKING

The COVID-19 pandemic has changed the way we live and structure our lives from one minute to the next. And even though some categories of people were already used to working from home or from other locations rather than the regular day-to-day office, the situation has proven difficult or challenging for most of us.

By Romanita Oprea

Irina Mateescu, Digitalee

A2012 study found that when faced with a creative task, people were more productive working from home, while other research has suggested that structure kills creativity. But nothing had really prepared us for what was going to happen this year. Earlier, the ability to work from home was believed to be an important contributor to work-life balance, but in the current reality, with everyone staying at home, it has turned into a major factor that disturbs the work-life balance. But what can we do to make sure we can still be creative and productive? Manuela Vasiliu, deputy managing director at United Media Services, believes that when looking at possible tips & tricks to remain creative during this work-from-home pandemic environment, it is important to also have an overview of the situation. “Fortunately, the team’s dynamism helped us to adjust quickly and keep our focus on ongoing projects and campaigns.

Cristian Cucu, Teamogy Romania

Once the team was restored in the work from home formula, we started developing a new routine: we established regular online meetings with the entire organisation or for each department, we had presentations with tips & tricks for how to better organise and separate work from leisure time and space, and so on,” said Vasiliu.

The United Media Services team also found it very important to stay tuned to “outside the organisation” environments, maintain close communication with clients and keep up with developments in their fields. Therefore, they were able to recommend tailored and “on-the-spot” communication solutions.

In Grapefruit’s situation, even though it was difficult in the beginning, teams were able to adapt quickly to the new conditions given the fact that they used to work from home in the past too, albeit not all of them Eglantina Becheru, Philip Morris Romania

at the same time. According to Anca Teletin, chief operations officer at Grapefruit, it’s easier to stay creative when you know you have a plan for any scenario. She had to consider the financial component and optimise costs, finding alternative solutions in order to ensure a healthy cash-flow. They also had to recruit more people because of the increased number of requests for digital services, so she planned everything out to make sure nothing was left uncovered.

In turn, Eglantina Becheru, creative lead/ media, messaging & CE manager at Philip Morris International, says that rather than a state of mind, creativity is a state of being for many individuals and professionals. However, “staying creative during the pandemic started as a must, an opportunity to rethink our business strategies in order to bring relevance to consumers and ended up being a tremendous challenge for many industries

and jobs, including ours.” But it’s exactly the challenge to quickly adapt to the “New Normal” that motivated them in the process, alongside creating new routines with focus on bi-weekly team catch-ups and design thinking exercises, uninterrupted communication (availability for team members), collaboration with experts in trend forecasting, stretching the limits of imagination and knowledge to build different scenarios on weak signals that can later develop into macro-trends. Last but not least, staying in touch with their creative partners in order to keep one eye on the present and the other one on the future.

Irina Mateescu, managing partner at Digitalee, noted that working from home didn’t start with the COVID-19 pandemic. It was already a trend. We were all envious of digital nomads or other types of professionals that could work from anywhere in the world while providing evidence on social media about their out-of-office lifestyles.

What the COVID-19 pandemic did to our way of working was that it disrupted communication and slowed down the effervescent lifestyle built around offices. “We kept in touch with each client and team member because we did not want to completely replace human interaction with technology,” said Mateescu.

KEEPING ENERGY AND PRODUCTIVITY LEVELS UP What keeps up the energy and productivity levels inside Eglantina Becheru’s team is the openness to pilot new ideas, constant empowerment, and resource allocation based skills while making sure that no team member is overloaded. Moreover, (re)ensuring the clarity of the desired outcome during the process, as well as the satisfaction of seeing concrete results after each initiative or project phase also contribute to the overall productivity level.

On this matter, Anca Teletin believes that that productivity also comes from the way one structures and organises his or her work. To make sure that the staff’s work-life balance remained in place, their project meetings were strictly based on objectives, without any small talk or changing the subject.

In recent years, United Media has had a focus on expanding its digital services and capacities through a separate division – United Interactive. Therefore, working in digital made it a bit easier and also opened up opportunities faster. Many of the agency’s clients moved their attention and a bigger share of their resources to online communication, while those who were digitally based increased investments. More pitches were also on the line and they could capitalise on their experience to expand their portfolio.

Irina Mateescu had had the experience of working from home for about 4 years (be

tween 2013 - 2017) and she believes that one’s productivity level decreases after one or two years. “In my opinion, working from home is not creating a work culture. It is definitely a good shift for a wide range of freelancers. When productivity starts to decrease, you can switch projects among the team. Keeping a good level of energy is up to every person, so I do not know if we can talk about patterns,” said Mateescu.

Meanwhile, companies and agencies are using special tools to help them be more efficient and productive and improve their workflow. In Philip Morris’s case, rather than it being about tools, it is more about a philosophy: “people centricity.” “Coaching plays an essential role for this and it is a two- wayroad, as it nurtures not only the development of the team I’m working with, but also my self-development. We follow same ‘people centricity’ philosophy in all the projects we develop by defining concrete empathy maps and applying design thinking solutions to every brand experience. In the end, brands are made by people for people,” said Eglantina Becheru.

One of those tools is Teamogy, which can now be found in Romania too. Teamogy is a tool that helps every business – both the management and executive teams – to work together without the help of any other tool/ application. You can chat, assign tasks, brain

storm, manage tasks, budgets, timesheets, invoicing, reporting, and so on. One can even say that this tool is another member of the team. “Teamogy is great, especially during this period. Even if part of your team works remotely, all you need is a web browser and internet connection to make it work. You can get a great overview of your entire company’s operations on-demand and in real time, including job management, important documents, time tracking and management, and financial results. That will minimise and lighten the administrative load. You can eliminate the chaos, as all your business data is connected and integrated into one homogeneous system. It is simple and intuitive for daily tasks and management, as well as cost-effective and better value for money,” explained Cristi Cucu, country manager at Teamogy Romania.

Great expectations for Romania

Romania has secured an EU funds package of around EUR 80 billion for the next decade – a huge amount that could ensure the modernization of the Eastern European nation and boost its convergence with western economies.

By Sorin Melenciuc

grading infrastructure – mainly motorways, railroads, energy, and healthcare. However, spending this money could prove difficult due to a lack of project management expertise in Romania’s public sector and lack of coordination between its public institutions. HIGH-INCOME STATUS This pandemic-related package comes at a moment when Romania has been officially recognised as part of the “high income” world this year, as its gross national income (GNI) per capita in 2019 was slightly over the threshold set by the Word Bank for this status.

According to the latest thresholds determined in July 2020 by the World Bank, low-income economies (a politically correct name for “the third world”) are defined as those with a GNI per capita, calculated using the World Bank Atlas method, of USD 1,035 or less in 2019, lower middle-income economies – between USD 1,036 and USD 4,045, upper middle-income economies – between USD 4,046 and USD 12,535, and high-income economies – USD 12,536 or more. In 2019, Romania’s GNI per capita calculated using the WB method reached USD 12,630, therefore it could be classified as an “upper middle-income economy” for the first time in history. This achievement comes 13 years after another major threshold: the upgrade from “lower-middle income” status to “upper-middle income” economy. In 2019, following an economic growth rate of 4.1 percent, Romania’s gross domestic product (GDP) reached a level of RON 1.06 trillion the equivalent of EUR 223.3 billion (around EUR 11,500 per capita) or USD 250.1 billion (USD 12,919 per capita), according to World Bank

In 2019 Romania was the 24th economy in terms of GDP per capita at purchasing power parity standard

The Romanian government has already announced that much of the amount would be spent on building or up

official data. HISTORIC PUSH This means that the EUR 80 billion package could turn into an historic push for Romania, as the total amount is the equivalent of 36 percent of the current GDP. The sum is also on par with the current stock of foreign direct investment (FDI) in Romania, of EUR 83 billion in June 2020, according to central bank data. The bulk of FDI stock was invested during the last 13 years, since Romania joined the European Union. This fast increase in FDI stock is also the main driver of the rapid economic development that Romania experienced during the last decade – and for its new status of “high-income economy.”

Historically, Romania has never been the beneficiary of such an important cash-push during such a short period of time, and the next decade, despite the current pandemic, could become a rapid-development one for the eastern European nation. In fact, Romania still lags behind most other EU member states in many areas, from poor infrastructure to weak public administration.

Romanian transport infrastructure is among the least developed in the European

Union. The motorway network currently consists of around 850 kilometers and still looks like a puzzle with many missing pieces. All experts agree that the EU funds promised to Romania during the next decade could materialise into a major modernization of the country’s road, railway, urban, and rural infrastructure. But all of these together could contribute to a much higher goal: modernizing and developing an entire country.

POLITICAL OPPORTUNITY This EU-funds bonanza has become a major driver of the local political battle this year, as the country prepares for two new rounds of elections – local and parliamentary. The current Liberal government has already announced a EUR 100 billion plan called “We rebuild Romania” based on huge investments in motorways, railroads, subway, energy, and urban or rural development projects.

“The National Road Infrastructure Management Company, through our economic recovery and investment programme, will have to manage extremely large projects. We are committed to building almost 3,000 kilometres of motorways, express roads, all of which are major investments,” Romanian PM Ludovic Orban recently said.

The plan also includes EUR 18 billion for railroads and major investments in new hospitals and upgrades to current healthcare facilities, two new units at Romania’s sole nuclear powerplant, new gas pipelines, and major investment in airports and ports. “The value of the investments programmed in the National Energy System for the 2020-2025 period is estimated at EUR 12.48 billion, from energy production to smart transmission networks and natural gas and electricity distribution,” the official government plan states.

But the plan has a higher, longer-term objective – achieving almost complete convergence with western nations over the next decade. “The objective of the new model of economic development promoted by the government is achieving convergence with European economies, and for the Gross Domestic Product per capita at purchasing power parity standard to reach 87 percent of the EU27 average by 2025,” the plan indicates.

In 2019, Romania, the 6th country in the EU by the population size, was the 24th economy in terms of GDP per capita at purchasing power parity standard, with 69 percent of the EU27 average, compared to 52 percent in 2010 – an outstanding achievement. This ambitious plan will consolidate Romania’s status as a high-income economy and will make the country a prime candidate for OECD membership.

POOR MANAGEMENT RISK However, the plan faces huge obstacles, and many are related to public management. In fact, experts indicate that one of the main reasons for the slow advancement of major motorway projects in Romania has been the poor management of state-owned road company CNAIR and the Transport Ministry. During the last couple of years, the management of all major state-owned infrastructure companies has been changed several times. Despite the scant progress, the promises keep on coming. In 2018, former CNAIR manager Narcis Neaga promised that Romania would have 1,000 km of motorway by 2020. This promise now certainly looks unrealistic.

The independent NGO Pro Infrastructura (API) estimates that only around 25 km of new motorways will be opened this year – two sections of A3 motorway started in 2004 to connect Bucharest with the Hungarian border near Oradea.

If the new 25 km of new motorway do get completed, the total network will reach 875 km at the end of this year. The NGO, which monitors infrastructure projects in Romania, has repeatedly criticised the government’s administrators of motorway projects. Currently, only a few sections of this motorway are completed and the whole project is to be completed by 2027 in a best-case scenario. But this is not an exception, but rather a rule that indicates the very poor outcome of major infrastructure projects due to bad management, corruption or inadequate planning.

This year, three major tenders for infrastructure projects were cancelled due to lack of binding offers, and experts says that no company was willing to submit an offer

because technical projects or feasibility studies were very weak and real costs were actually unknown. In one case (Targu Mures ring road), the whole project was so poorly managed that no construction company took it seriously.

“We anticipated the main reasons for this failure: the highly underestimated price assessed by CNAIR for the completion of works; the very bad technical documentation made available by CNAIR for the tender; the huge risks arising from the many unknowns of the documentation placed by CNAIR under the responsibility of the builder; the mind-blowing answers provided by CNAIR to questions asked by interested builders,” Pro Infrastructura representatives said.

Experts say that the government must restructure most public agencies and companies if it is really committed to speeding up infrastructure projects and achieving at least a major part of its plan.

The music must go on: George Enescu International Competition goes online

The 2020 George Enescu International Competition, scheduled to take place between August 29 and September 20, is still going ahead, albeit in a new format with two distinct phases. The first two rounds of the Competition will be held online in September according to the initial calendar, whereas the Semifinals and Finals of all sections have been rescheduled for May 2021, at the Romanian Athenaeum in Bucharest. May we all live in interesting times.

Photo: Andrei Gindac

The grand opening of Enescu Competition with an empty Athenaeum

“As the COVID-19 crisis is claiming lives and wreaking havoc on the global society and economy, it’s difficult for us to see how the pandemic grinds the arts and culture, although in normal times we nourish our spirit with their beauty,” states the official website of the Enescu Competition.

PANDEMIC HITS GLOBALLY According to the information provided by the Enescu Competition, the Americans for the Arts organisation estimates a direct financial loss of more than USD 9.1 billion for the arts as of July 13, with an addition of more than USD 10.4 billion in event-related spending by arts audiences at local businesses. In the EU, Eurostat estimates that by the end of the year, more than 7.3 million jobs in the creative and cultural sectors will have been affected, raising the issue of preserving “at all costs” Europe’s artistic and cultural values. In Romania, the subject of the existential threat that art and artists are facing today has not generated any concerted reaction or cohesion.

PRESERVING ENESCU’S LEGACY After 1989, the Enescu Festival transformed from a propaganda tool created by the Communist Party in 1958, into one of the most appreciated events of its genre in the world. Internationally, the Festival is listed in the top 3, and the Enescu Competition is in the top 5. By Oana Vasiliu

MUSIC DOES NOT STOP FOR FEAR OR LONELINESS. MUSIC BRINGS US CLOSER WHEN LIFE KEEPS US APART, CREATING BRIDGES OF SOLIDARITY IMMUNE TO GEOGRAPHY, SPACE OR TIME. THIS IS WHY NOW, WHEN THE PANDEMIC THREATENS THE ENESCU COMPETITION AND FESTIVAL, WE ARE MOVING FORWARD WHOLEHEARTEDLY. ‘MUSIC STARTS FROM THE HEART AND SPEAKS TO THE HEART’, AS GEORGE ENESCU SAID.

The transformation did not come easily; there is a tumultuous history. “For Romanians – artists, musicians, or the general public – George Enescu’s legacy and everything that the Festival and Competition bearing his name represent today in the world are an identity landmark, a restoration of dignity, a defining emotion. The George Enescu International Festival and Competition, the artists, the organisers, the people behind the scenes, the

A concert in times of pandemic

Photo: Andrei Gindac

George Enescu Philharmonic Orchestra, conducted by Josep Caballé Domenech, performing two pieces in world premiere

Photo: Alex Damian

An audience of over 3,000 persons watched online the concert

press, and the public who makes it possible every time have been met in the past with fear, censorship and prohibitions, social disorder, financial scarcity or the prospect of dissolution,” the organisers note.

THE 2020 PHASE OF THE ENESCU COMPETITION The general public will have access to the Opening Gala and the first two rounds exclusively online and for free, while spectators who have purchased tickets and season subscriptions will get their money back.

All participants will be safe at home. For each of the first two rounds of the Competition, the participants will send video recordings of their performances to the Organizing Committee according to the initially chosen repertoire, and the jury members will analyse the first two rounds of the Competition from home as well. All the recordings sent by competitors will be available to the general public on the Enescu Competition’s website – www.festivalenescu.ro.

205 candidates from 39 countries registered to participate in the 2020 Enescu Competition, of which, following the preselection, 272 competitors from 41 countries remained. The complete lists of artists entering the Competition in the three sections can be found on www.festivalenescu.ro, in the Results section.

The 2020 Enescu Competition will start according to the programme on August 29, with the Gala Concert originally announced, which will be streamed live, free of charge, on www.festivalenescu.ro. The opening will be held under the wand of conductor Josep Caballé Domenech, with a programme consisting of Alexandru Stefan Murariu – Concerto for Clarinet and Orchestra (Winner of the First Prize in 2018 George Enescu International Competition, Composition Section) and soloist Aurelian Băcan, following Dan Dediu – Brahmsodia, Triple Concerto for Violin, Cello, Piano and Orchestra – world premiere performance (Winner of the 1991 George Enescu International Competition, Safety first

Composition Section) with soloists Gyehee Kim – Violin, Winner of the 2016 George Enescu International Competition; Valentin Radutiu – Cello, Second Prize Winner in the 2011 George Enescu International Competition; Viktoria Vassilenko – Piano, Winner of the 2016 George Enescu International Competition and Brahms – Symphony No. 1 in C minor, Op. 68.

The Semifinals and Finals of the 2020 Enescu Competition will take place from May 13 to 23, 2021, in Bucharest, at the Romanian Athenaeum, with the participation of the George Enescu Philharmonic Orchestra and the conductors who were originally announced: Nicolas Alstaedt – Cello, Wilson Hermanto – Violin, John Axelrod – Piano. The concerts from the Competition’s Final Round will be part of the George Enescu Philharmonic’s 2021 Season. The recitals given by members of the jury and the winners of the 2018 Competition will be organised within the special session of the Semifinals and Finals in May 2021.

Romania’s first Art Nouveau Museum opens in Oradea

While many cultural initiatives have been put on hold by the coronavirus crisis, some are just blooming right now. Romania’s first Art Nouveau Museum has opened in Oradea, after a major facelift, following an EU investment. What’s behind the doors?

The museum’s tour starts from the first floor By Oana Vasiliu

Kitchen from “La Belle Epoque” T he Darvas-La Roche House in Oradea, a symbolic building of the northwestern Romanian city, is now home to the first Art Nouveau Museum in the country. Since 2012, the city of Oradea has been included in the European Art Nouveau network, along with other cities with such heritage buildings such as Vienna, Budapest, and Barcelona.

The museum is a sub-section of the Oradea City Museum and it includes permanent exhibitions dedicated to “La Belle Epoque” interiors from Oradea – recreating the city’s bourgeois life with original objects such as furniture, decorations, documents, temporary exhibitions, and video mapping projections. The entire building is organised around local artist workshops, conference rooms, theatre and event spaces.

Each visit starts with the first floor of the museum, where visitors are taken back to the early 20th century. The entrance hall, dressing room, living room, gentlemen’s lounge, ladies’ lounge, maid’s room, kitchen, pantry, and the bathroom all look the way they did back in the day. At this point, access to the bedroom is restricted, but visitors can still see the white painted maple wood furniture, inherited from the last owner.

The Darvas-La Roche House was built between 1909 and 1912 by the brothers László and József Vágó. The building reopened its doors after an extensive restoration project, using European funds, which started in January 2018. The new Art Nouveau Museum is open for the public from Tuesday to Sunday.

Spectacular accommodation in Romania for a perfect gateway

With international travel restrictions still in place, vacation-goers need to focus on local tourism offers. Although Romania is not necessarily recognised as a top tourism destination, some private initiatives have managed to challenge this label. Where to, then?

By Oana Vasiliu

DISCOVER PRINCE CHARLES’S HIDDEN SPOTS IN TRANSYLVANIA While Viscri village has become a well-known destination for any tourist who wants to enjoy a bit of Transylvanian hospitality, Prince Charles and Count Kalnoky’s guesthouse in the remote village of Zalanpatak will offer you a real journey back to a couple hundred years ago, with no Wi-Fi, radio or television to entertain yourself; just nature. Prices start from EUR 100 per night. ON THE WATER Bungalows near water or even on the water are also a big hit in Romania. Zaga Zaga Resort near Tecuci is almost sold out for the summer, but you can check out other options such as the Egreta Complex on the Danube river, a unique project in Europe. Prices start from EUR 60/night.

MANORS AND CASTLES Daniel Castle (Talisoara village, Covasna county) dates back from the beginning of the 17th century, built by Mihály Daniel, deputy captain of Three Chairs (later Covasna county). Each room is different, where century-old wooden elements are combined with traditional style in a modern way. Prices start at EUR 120/night. Polizu Manor (Iasi) is also an option: a luxury domain built in the 19th century, lying on top of the picturesque hills of Moldova. Prices for one night start from EUR 100. OUTDOOR 5-STAR EXPERIENCE Glamping resorts are the perfect new trend for those who want to experience luxury tent accommodation. Check out Ursa Mica Glamping Resort or Sunrise Glamping Resort. Wegloo is also a new entry, with igloo accommodation available in Azuga.

INFINITY POOLS WITH SPECTACULAR VIEWS Cabana Barlogu (Somesu Rece, Cluj county) is has an infinity pool with a breathtaking view over the mountains, but the home can only be booked entirely for EUR 750/night, while Pensiunea Ecaterina (Berzasca, Caras Severin county) brings you an infinity pool near the Danube river. Prices here start from EUR 60/

night. THE WONDERS ON DANUBE RIVER Egreta complex is situated on the shores of Danube, in Caras Severin county, and the view is really breathtaking. Accommodation is in individual guesthouses suspended on pillars above the Danube, a long pontoon being their connection with the Romanian bank of the river. Each bungalow is composed of bedroom, living room, television, AC, terrace and private bathroom with shower. Free WiFi access is available throughout.

Cultural calendar

By Oana Vasiliu

Gradina Urbana Every day

If you’re looking for live events, stand-up comedy, music, and DJ sets, the recently opened Gradina Urbana is the place to be. The event schedule can be found on their Facebook page, and the location also offers food and drinks.

ialoc Fest August 31- Sept 30, at over 100 restaurants in Bucharest & Brasov

Over 100 restaurants are joining ialoc Fest, and they will all feature discount offers or special menus for those who want to go out to eat. The festival is aimed at helping out the restaurant industry, which has been severely hit by the pandemic, and to bring in new customers for a meal. All discounts and offers are available on ialocfest.ro.

Astra Film Festival Sept 4-14, Sibiu The 27th edition of the Astra Film Festival will feature six world premieres, nine national premieres, a film that’s eligible for a 2021 Oscar nomination, meetings with directors, and special events. What’s more, visitors of the ASTRA Museum, the largest open-air museum in Romania, will for the first time get the opportunity to watch films from boats floating on the lake, from Saturday to Monday, as part of the festival.

Pelicula Film Festival September 9-16, Cinema Elvire Popesco

This year, the Pelicula Film Festival will be streamed online, but will also take place offline, with events happening in the openair cinema evenings at Cinema Elvire Popesco. There will be 5 films screened for the first time in Romania from September 9-13. The opening film will be Los Dias de la Ballena, the debut feature film of Colombian director Catalina Arroyave Restrepo. A story full of the colours of graffiti on the streets of Medellin, which talks about the young people’s desire to change the world. There will also be some surprises during the festival.

Art Safari September 11-18, several locations The Art Safari series continues this September, welcoming art lovers to several spaces: the Museum Pavilion invites the public to rediscover the work of Gheorghe Petrascu, one of the biggest masters of Romanian painting, the Central Pavilion (Bucharest School) brings contemporary art from the ’90s and onwards, the International Pavillion premieres the rebellious art of anonymous feminist group Guerrilla Girls, while the Sabin Balasa exhibition celebrates a contemporary painter who is famous for his shades of blue and fairy tale-like characters. Meanwhile, Art Safari Kids and the Children’s Pavilion will host artworks made by the little ones during lockdown, the Guest Country section is dedicated to Israel and represented by contemporary artist Gili Avissar, and the Night Tours visiting experience includes a guided tour of the exhibitions, live performances, and music.