November 6, 2024 ⏱️ 6 min
By Cristina V.
In today’s rapid changing world, as sustainability becomes an increasingly critical factor for businesses across the globe, companies are being held to higher standards when it comes to environmental, social, and governance (ESG) criteria.
This shift is driven in part by regulatory requirements, such as the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD), which brings sustainability reporting of business operations under more scrutiny.
Overview
NetRom, a Dutch company with all its IT production based in Romania (Craiova and Timișoara), has been proactive in embedding sustainability into our Social and Human policies. The Social and Human departments have a crucial role in ensuring our organization’s compliance with the standards by providing accurate and comprehensive workforce-related data, like employee engagement, diversity, and labor practices.
In what follows we delve into how we have lead sustainability, the latest trends in CSRD from a people perspective and how they are being integrated into NetRom’s workplace culture and day by day operations.
What’s the CSRD all about
The Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD) is a European Union initiative aimed at increasing the transparency, accountability and consistency of sustainability reporting across companies.
It goes beyond financial disclosures, and it is designed for requiring businesses to report on environmental and social impacts, governance, and supply chain practices. The CSRD’s goal is to ensure that stakeholders — including investors, employees, and customers — have access to comprehensive and comparable information regarding a company’s sustainability efforts.
At NetRom, the adoption of CSRD regulations has served as a catalyst for evolving the company’s approach to social responsibility and employee engagement.
The Social and Human policies are now being aligned with these new reporting standards, making sustainability a central part of the corporate strategy rather than an afterthought. By doing so, NetRom demonstrates its commitment to transparency, ethical practices, and long-term value creation ensuring that people are at the center of these strategies.
Sustainability: Core of Social Strategy
At NetRom, the Social and Human department is no longer just about managing employee relations and crafting social events. It’s about fostering a culture that prioritizes sustainability and meaningful social responsibility.
For the future, this involves reshaping policies to support sustainable practices, encouraging employee involvement in sustainability initiatives, and developing programs that promote work-life balance, mental health and well-being and showcasing a commitment to nurturing a diverse, engaged, and well-prepared workforce.
And here are examples of events that contribute to these pillars.
Social Policy for Employee Well-being
In line with the company’s commitment to the CSRD and sustainability, NetRom has enriched its social policies to enhance employee well-being, diversity, and inclusion. Also, we have aimed to promote professional development and encourage teamwork, directly aligning with CSRD standards for fostering a productive, inclusive, and growth-oriented work culture.
Indoor Games Competitions, team fun activities and Games Day are the to go team events that, in terms of CSRD alignment, strengthen team cohesion and employee well-being, build team bonds and workplace morale and enhance social capital within the workplace.
Though setting up these sorts of events quarterly may imply a dedicated team of people to craft personalized events, investments in props for activities, dedicated spaces for their organization and creative ways to attract employees to the game, the impact is immeasurable:
- it fosters camaraderie and relaxation, contributing to employee morale and workplace enjoyment,
- promotes team spirit in a casual, fun setting, supporting employee engagement,
- reinforces team bonds and employee morale, fostering a positive and engaging workplace culture.
Trying a new sport or having the opportunity to re-charge on a sports field after a full day at work should always be at hand for any employee and their physical health. And this is one of the few impactful areas where companies can step up and be a positive influence on employee health.
Also, in order to improve employee well-being and organizational culture, meaningful social activities create a sense of belonging, emphasizing the company’s commitment to a supportive, enjoyable workplace and employee satisfaction.
To stay ahead of the curve, new initiatives may include encouraging mental well-being by providing a creative outlet for employees in the workplace in order to promote stress relief and work-life balance: for example, music instruments in relaxing areas.
Community Engagement and HR Development
Initiatives that encourage employees to volunteer in education-focused community projects can transcend a company’s workforce investment strategy in several meaningful ways.
For more than 13 years, #NetRom4Students programs go beyond simple hiring outcomes: we are creating a lasting, supportive network and promoting systemic change in education.
First of all, through all our partnerships we build social capital and strengthen community ties with local organizations, educational institutions and families. And working on educational projects with stakeholders from the educational field often exposes us to new perspectives and challenges, which can spark innovative ideas.
Throughout programs such as Internships, Practice, Laboratories and Academies companies can invest in the future workforce and community development, contribute to skill-building and knowledge-sharing, support continuous education and industry-relevant skills, prepare participants for advancements in software and AI.
And from the people’s perspective the impact is huge: young professionals build technical expertise, hands-on training and experience, students access the foundational knowledge, preparing them for careers in tech fields and giving them the sense of skilled workforce aligned with industry demands, future developers equip themselves with critical skills in AI and software engineering.
Internally, volunteering for these projects place employees in unique situations where they can learn to manage diverse groups, adapt to different needs and take on new responsibilities. Contributing to social capital and community advancement improves employees’ sense of purpose and satisfaction.
Driving Sustainable Practices from Within
A key aspect of sustainability at NetRom is employee engagement. The company believes that involving employees in the design and implementation of social and environmental responsibilities initiatives is crucial for success.
NetRom has established employee-led working groups tasked with developing new ideas for improving the company’s social and environmental impact.
Either we are talking about ecological awareness, forest conservation and low-impact practices or supporting educational initiatives, diversity and charitable causes our programs not only enhance the company’s environmental impact but also foster a sense of purpose among employees, aligning personal values with corporate goals.
Enjoyable team activities like tree planting, or weekly after-hours Bike Tours, Back2School and charity betting CSRs, running events that support charitable initiatives, engage employees while positively impacting the community, empower employees to drive change but also help to build a workplace culture where sustainability is an integral part of everyday life.
Future Trends
What’s Next for CSRD and Sustainability in Social and Human Policy?
As regulations evolve and stakeholder expectations rise, companies like NetRom are continuously adapting and will likely increase focus on circular economy principles, social impact investing and stronger partnerships with local communities to drive sustainable development.
In order to build a responsible, transparent, and forward-looking business, NetRom plans to further integrate sustainability into its Social and Human strategies by exploring initiatives such as carbon offset programs for business travel, expanding mental health and well-being support, and incorporating sustainability criteria into performance evaluations.
These efforts will ensure that sustainability remains a core component of the company’s growth strategy, fostering a resilient business that is prepared for the challenges and opportunities of the future.
Conclusion
As a conclusion we think that it is every business’s role not just to follow the latest guidelines, but to actively shape the future of sustainable business practices in Romania and beyond.
Îndemnul nostru
Efortul pus în programele pentru studenți completează teoria din facultate cu practica care “ne omoară”. Profitați de ocazie, participând la cât mai multe evenimente!
În cei 3 ani am lucrat la proiecte diverse ce au contribuit decisiv la evoluția mea profesională. Am colaborat strâns cu echipe remarcabile, a căror dedicare și sprijin au fost fundamentale în buna dezvoltare a lucrurilor. Cu fiecare proiect, am învățat nu doar aspecte tehnice, ci și abilități esențiale de comunicare și colaborare, reflectate în experiența mea privind interacțiunile cu clienți și modul în care o echipă eficientă operează. Aceasta este cultura companiei, de la ritmul uneori alert al zilei de lucru și practicile Agile, până la momentele relaxante de socializare cu colegii în pauzele de cafea și activități recreative precum darts și ping pong.
Am făcut cunoștință cu echipa NetRom prin intermediul programelor Internship și NetRom Software Academy, in care am descoperit că noțiunile învățate acasă au totuși aplicabilitate, chiar în cadrul unor aplicații reale. Acele experentie m-au convins să aplic pentru un job.
Mentorii foarte deschiși și colegii cu experiență care mi-au răspuns prompt la toate neclaritățile au transformat provocările în task-uri rezolvate cu succes împreună. Făcând parte din #teamnetrom mi-am depășit frica de a greși și am evoluat într-un mod echilibrat pentru mine.
Am aflat de programele NetRom de la o prezentare organizată în facultate de companie. Am decis să mă înscriu la Summer Camp din dorința de a înțelege ce anume ar presupune o cariera în IT. În urma acestui stagiu de practică, am reușit să dezvolt propria aplicație cu ajutorul mentorilor care mi-au oferit informații teoretice, dar mai ales practice, pe care nu aș fi putut sa le găsesc într-un tutorial aleatoriu de pe internet. Modul meu de abordare a aplicaților s-a schimbat odată ce am înțeles în ce constă mai exact procesul, ce presupune un mediu real de lucru și importanța muncii în echipă.
NetRom Software Testing Academy a fost punctul de plecare pentru o carieră pentru mine. Pe parcursul sesiunilor am avut oportunitatea să cunosc bazele necesare pentru asigurarea calității unui produs, urmate de o zi în companie unde am văzut teoria pusă în practică.
Recomand tuturor celor care își doresc o carieră în QA să ia în considerare această academie, fiind destinată atât celor din domeniu, dar nu numai.
Am descoperit NetRom prin intermediul unui program de internship și am fost impresionată încă de la început de mediul de lucru plăcut, de susținerea și angajamentul colegilor. A fost o oportunitate deosebită de a lucra într-o echipă de proiect, cu roluri specifice, și de a înțelege mai bine cultura companiei. Întreaga perioadă s-a dovedit o experiență valoroasă, atât din punct de vedere al cunoștințelor acumulate, cât și prin prisma relațiilor dezvoltate. În momentul în care mi s-a propus să continui ca angajat permanent, a fost o decizie ușor de luat, bucuroasă fiind să pot aplica cele învățate, dar și să adaug cunoștințe noi în fiecare zi.
