This year, the business workplace environment is evolving faster than ever, shaped by economic uncertainty, rapid technological advancement, and shifting employee expectations. Organizations are recognizing that employee sentiment\u2014how workers feel about their jobs, leadership, and company culture\u2014has become a critical driver of performance, retention, and innovation. HR leaders are prioritizing agility, skills development, and employee well-being while leveraging AI-driven analytics to make data-informed decisions. Trends such as hybrid work optimization, diversity and inclusion reinforcement, continuous learning, and personalized employee experiences are defining the year, positioning HR as a strategic partner in building resilient, future-ready organizations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
This year, HR isn\u2019t just handling policies and payroll\u2014it\u2019s shaping the employee experience. AI-powered tools are helping managers spot engagement dip before they become resignations. Learning paths are personalized, hybrid work models are fine-tuned, and diversity and inclusion are being woven into everyday decision-making. The big trend? HR is moving from reactive problem-solver to proactive architect of workplace culture\u2014building environments where people can thrive, adapt, and innovate, no matter what the future brings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
We talked recently to<\/strong> Angelica Barbu, Chief Administration Officer, Distribu\u021bie Oltenia about what defines the workplace in 2025, the company culture and its impact on the work sentiment along with other aspects of HR priorities and ESG initiatives.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n Workplace Sentiment and Culture<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n How would you describe the current mood or sentiment within your workforce?<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n The energy sector has undergone significant changes in the past 5 years, at European and national levels alike. The energy transition, already happening and impacting economies as a whole, brings new queries and challenges to the table. As expected, the energy sector is the first to be addressed and, therefore, an accumulated pressure of uncertainty is naturally building up.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In Distributie Oltenia, part of Evryo Group, we anticipated the need for transformation since late 2021, when we redefined our vision, mission and values to carry us forward. It provided us with the proper context to define clear and measurable goals and with the necessary tools to drive action and accountability in achieving them. That is when our transformation journey began. Since then, we tackled those goals and the challenges that came along using a systematic approach and making sure we remain connected to the larger environment so that our results provide value growth in the organization and its people.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Our culture is now focused on people\u2019s safety, growth and wellbeing, so that results are met in a sustainable way. Rather than allowing the energy transition to be a source of pressure, we chose to address it as an opportunity to rediscover the energy sector, to re-learn it step by step, so that we grasp a deeper understanding of all its potential evolution routes. We took a bold step and formed a team of experts and high potentials to design the energy sector of the future, test ideas in real- world exposure and explore the larger perspective of what it takes to set up the organization for success until 2030. The project, Horizon 30, will provide a valuable input not only to Distributie Oltenia, as an initiator, but to the energy sector, since we share the insights with all the relevant stakeholders in the market.<\/p>\n\n\n\n What are you doing differently in 2025 to maintain or improve employee engagement and morale?<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n At a larger scale and across all industries, employee engagement has met unprecedented lows in the post- pandemic years, as reflected in all relevant independent studies, while returning to the pre-pandemic benchmarks seems rather a distant projection than a quick actionable plan. However, we\u2019ve been keeping an open conversation with our people throughout the transformation process and that served as a guiding light into what serves them to focus, act and grow towards the organization\u2019s vision. Of course, clarity and the sense of purpose counted first, yet shortly followed by flexibility, autonomy and space for exploration, a more holistic approach to personal \u2013 professional balance and the sense of belonging to an inclusive environment, where everyone is seen and heard.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In 2025, we are doing more of what has already proved to work, like growth feedback, up\/reskilling, open dialogue, exploration and piloting, work safety and personal wellbeing, career planning and empathetic leadership. And we are initiating future workforce management so that the new generation of energy specialists finds the organization fit to their needs and aspirations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Among the significantly different approaches we are taking, with a clear positive impact on employee morale and engagement, is the way Horizon 30 is developing. The team is motivated to experiment boldly, learn from setbacks, stay closely attuned to real-world dynamics and technological innovation, and iterate with purpose until meaningful, viable solutions emerge. At the same time, we work to amplify this mindset by bringing the wider organization into sync. Horizon 30 is a topic of employee gatherings and debates, a reason to stimulate new ideas coming from various groups of stakeholders inside the organization and a tangible way for people to design their future work, not just be prepared for it. The goal is to ensure that the curiosity, adaptability and learning spirit of one team can spark momentum across the whole company.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Are you seeing changes in how employees want to experience work \u2014 whether in culture, communication, or leadership style?<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n We see the need of a customized career journey, which we address through several programs and tactics along the overall employee journey. In a chronological order, we introduce ourselves as an organization to 8 graders and their parents starting with their first major life choice, the educational path at the end of gymnasium, by means of Ucenic Electrician, our vocational program started back in 2016. Most of the graduates are already part of our team or the teams of our contractors in the region. The internships with us are the next natural step for youngsters interested in the sector and we provide a diverse business area for interns to build their careers inside the organization. As a new-joiner, in Distributie Oltenia the onboarding is set for success with the support of a mentoring buddy, a more experienced colleague guiding the new joiner throughout the internal culture and practices and providing professional counselling for 3 months after being recruited.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Once onboarded, every employee is eligible for training and development, based on their career objectives and potential, as well as for any internal wellbeing and volunteering program fit to their preference and interests. While we constantly monitor high potentials in the organization, we keep our horizon open to every individual asserting their ambition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n We also see a higher focus on flexibility, whether it is in the work conditions or how we approach new challenges. And we respond to this as well with open dialogue and space for exploration. While our hybrid way of working increases flexibility, it also empowers employees to be accountable for their results and teams to find their own best way of coming together to meet the goals.<\/p>\n\n\n\n HR priorities after midyear<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Looking at 2025, after the first half year, what do you see as the most pressing HR priorities for your organization?<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n It is important we keep the pace in implementing our upskilling initiatives, but also the spirit we started the year with. The team in Horizon 30 is continuously developing not only exploration routes, but also itself. We work with its members to upskill their leadership and teamwork capabilities so that the future organization can rely on them to take the transformation further in one of the most innovative learning programs based on co-creation and creative design.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In 2025, Distributie Oltenia hosted the most important professional competition of the industry, The Electrician\u2019s Trophy. The event is more than a competition, but an opportunity to come together as a sector, share know-how and align to best practices. Having also won the Trophy turned into a major factor of satisfaction and motivation for us, which is a resource we aim to lock in and use further in achieving our business targets.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Providing a customized employee experience remains a focus point and we address it in a larger spectrum, considering the employee persona as a whole. This is why we embed wellbeing features into our internal programs, such as digital safety awareness, physical safety programs and financial safety learning.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Of course, a genuine Oltenian<\/em> needs a good challenge to have a good reason to celebrate, and this is our 13th<\/sup> edition of Maratonul Olteniei in a nutshell. This year, we labeled the competition as a \u201cstatement of optimism\u201d and we already have more than 150 internal competitors and volunteers enrolled, plus a good share of participants from our contractors partnering up with us traditionally to support the event.<\/p>\n\n\n\n By those and other initiatives, we aim to create the space for growth, connection, inclusion and leadership readiness in our people, in direct alignment with our vision, mission and values. <\/p>\n\n\n\n What changes in the workforce or business environment do you anticipate in the next 12\u201318 months<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n In terms of workforce, the energy sector, by its nature, has a significantly steadier pace than other industries. Acquiring proper expertise is a medium-to-long term endeavor, which to us means to plan and to keep a close eye on a variety of social and economic factors impacting the workforce. We took it as a responsibility to act upon providing a new generation of professionals, for both us and our regional partners, back in 2016, when we initiated a 7-county educational program to attract and skill the electricians of the future. Ucenic Electrician<\/em> is now entering its 10th year of existence, covers the entire operational area of Distributie Oltenia and has grown in both complexity and quality so that it can deliver professionals ready to onboard and perform inside the organization.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Tackling the natural ageing, but also the need of proper skilling in the field, we initiated for new joiners a series of training and mentoring modules accompanying the onboarding stage, which also serves the purpose of locking in the acquired know-how from our seniors. On a more specific level, we are prepared to address local workforce differences by using relocation, job rotation, re-skilling and, wherever appropriate, digitalization.<\/p>\n\n\n\n What will define a successful HR function by the end of this year?<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Transformation does not happen without people and HR is at the table with the top management, to ensure we lead it deliberately and sustainably. In a nutshell, our goal is to ensure our people are not just prepared for the change but are actively shaping it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A successful HR function, by the end of this year, will be defined by its ability to accelerate our cultural transformation, while ensuring the workforce is fully engaged, equipped and aligned with the demands of the energy transition. We aim to foster a culture that embraces accountability, collaboration and innovation, empowering teams to lead change at every level \u2013 from the field to the boardroom. Success will mean that our people not only understand the \u201cwhy\u201d behind the transition but feel part of delivering it. Ultimately, HR success will be seen in how confidently and cohesively our people move with and help shape our transformation journey. <\/p>\n\n\n\n ESG and HR\u2019s Role<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n How involved is HR in shaping or supporting your organization\u2019s ESG goals?<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n HR plays a strategic role in embedding ESG into the fabric of our culture. We developed and enforced a DEI policy addressing inclusive hiring, equitable pay structures, inclusive work environment practices and behaviors and we work continuously to develop the leadership and foster employee engagement. All that with the primary goal to ensure that our workforce is more than just aligned with our ESG ambitions, but it is empowered to drive them. On ESG, HR works as a cultural architect, ensuring that ESG is more than a topic to comply with, but a value to be lived across all organizational levels.<\/p>\n\n\n\n What specific ESG-related initiatives are your team leading or contributing to this year?<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n From an ESG perspective, 2025 is a year to focus on reducing the gap between generations and creating more purpose driven work relations, that would further fuel up the engine of cultural transformation. For more than 2 years now, we have introduced ESG targets in the strategic performance indicators and reviews across the entire organization, therefore we will continue to educate and empower our people to acquire green skills and use them in all activities, inside and outside the company. Our network of sustainability ambassadors remains active at all levels, while we encourage a sustainable mindset in the decision-making process regardless of the nature of the activity.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" This year, the business workplace environment is evolving faster than ever, shaped by economic uncertainty, rapid technological advancement, and shifting employee expectations. 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