Romania has become one of the most attractive regions in Central and Eastern Europe for IT outsourcing in recent years. For example, analytics show that there are about 202,000 ICT professionals in the country. More than 80% of IT companies in Romania serve customers from Western Europe or the United States. In addition, companies in Romania are actively developing team extension services and providing access to specialized skills outside the country. It is in this context that new work formats (remote, hybrid, global teams) are gaining particular importance.
How The Post-Pandemic Era Changed The Game
The pandemic has been a catalyst for radical changes in the way Romanian IT companies work. In Romania, from the very beginning, more than 80% of companies believe that they were well or very well prepared for the transition to remote work. According to research, almost 69% of employees assessed the experience of remote work during COVID-19 as positive.
However, when it comes to the future, it is clear that remote work alone is no longer the dominant model: a hybrid model is emerging, as well as more global teams that work without clear boundaries.
Hybrid model
A survey in Romania found that 95% of companies planned to use a hybrid model after the pandemic. The article notes: “hybrid work is a reality that will not disappear.” This means: the office remains, but its role is changing. For an IT company, this means that part of the team can work from home or from another city, and for part — to be present in the office for collaboration and interactions “live”.
Remote and borderless work
At the same time, the concept of a “borderless” team is gaining strength: when employees, contractors or even consultants can work from anywhere in the world, and geography is no longer a limitation. In Romania, figures are emerging that indicate that while the number of new fully remote jobs has decreased (to less than 5% of total job postings), the demand for such roles is growing: the share of applications for remote work is 13.7%. This means that even as companies return to the office or hybrid, employees are increasingly looking for the opportunity to be not tied to a location.
Challenges and Benefits for the Romanian IT Sector
Benefits
- A wider talent pool: when a company is not limited to those who can be present in the office, it can attract specialists from other cities in Romania or even abroad. This is especially important for an industry facing a shortage of engineers.
- Increased work flexibility: a hybrid or remote model allows employees to better balance their life and work, reduces commuting time, and improves satisfaction. Studies in the UK, for example, confirm that hybrid work increases satisfaction, reduces burnout, and increases productivity.
- Competitive advantage in the global market: Romanian IT companies, among which N-iX is indeed represented, positioning itself as an international player with mature teams, can effectively serve customers in different countries and scale resources quickly.
Challenges
- Coordination and communication: in a remote or partially remote model, it is more difficult to organize spontaneous interaction, “corridor conversations”, and the transfer of informal knowledge. This is especially important in the software sector. Studies show that there is no universal hybrid model, so success depends on the culture, the team, and the project.
- Maintaining company culture: when part of the team works remotely, it becomes important to form common values, maintain communication between remote members, and develop trust.
- Global competition for talent: if companies in Romania compete not only with other Romanian employers, but globally, it is necessary to have attractive conditions, international standards, and a strong remote infrastructure.
- Legal and tax aspects: when the team works from other countries or cities, issues of contracts, taxation, and labor law become more complex. In addition, the infrastructure (fast internet, equipment) must be at the proper level.
- Balance between individual and team productivity: some employees talk about “Zoom fatigue”, less informal contact, more difficulty feeling team unity.
New work formats: What exactly is changing
Hybrid model as the “new normal”
For the Romanian IT industry, hybrid means that an employee can be in the office for several days a week and work remotely for several hours. This allows combining the advantages of both formats: live communication and flexibility. The reports indicate that Romanian companies already recognize hybrids as a long-term format.
Companies should develop internal rules: when and how employees come to the office, how they communicate remotely, what tools are used, how interactions are supported.
Remote work
Although the number of new fully remote vacancies in Romania decreased to ~4.3% in 2024, the demand for them remains significant. In the IT/telecom/services sector, this form remains a flexible option for talented employees. The important factors here are: self-discipline, reliable infrastructure, communication systems, trust between managers and employees.
Borderless teams
This is perhaps the most interesting format for Romanian IT. Companies can create teams where geography does not limit: an engineer from Romania or another country, a manager from Western Europe, a client from the USA — everything works as one team. For example, the company N-iX has global offices, international clients, which allows for the integration of such models.
A borderless team is not just remote work, it is also a cultural network, often different time zones, different ways of communication, different approaches to work. The success of such a format requires:
- clearly establishing core hours;
- a system of asynchronous work (so that the time difference does not block);
- a culture of openness and documentation (because you can no longer talk “in the corridor”).
Such teams allow for rapid scalability, attracting top talents from different locations, but at the same time require investments in management, communication, and culture.
Conclusion
The Romanian IT sector is at a turning point: it has all the prerequisites to be a global player in the era of remote, hybrid and borderless teams. By using flexible formats, companies can attract talent, scale faster, and work with customers from different countries. At the same time, it is necessary to take into account the challenges: communication, culture, management, standards.
Examples of companies such as N-iX, which operate internationally and use team expansion, show how new work formats can be integrated into the business model.
For employees, this means more freedom of choice, the ability to work from home or from another city, choosing companies that offer flexibility. For employers, this is a chance to create competitive advantages, but also a responsibility to support a new work culture.
