Two weeks ago at the Reward and Engage conference, two local surveys caught my attention.
- Undelucram.ro revealed that after salary, the second biggest reason Romanians change jobs is the search for a flexible schedule and the option to work remotely.
- eJobs.ro showed that in 2025, only 4% of jobs posted were remote. This is the lowest share in recent years.
Now, put this next to CIPD’s 2025 report referring to the UK Market, „Flexible and hibrid working practices in 2025” , and the picture gets sharper.
Hybrid work is credited with strong positives:
- Talent attraction and retention
- Wider recruitment candidate pool
- Employee financial wellbeing
- Environmental impact
But the negatives are just as real:
- Managers struggling to lead distributed teams
- Employees feeling less connected to the organization’s purpose
- A slight dip in organisational culture
And here’s the kicker: while hybrid clearly boosts attraction and retention, 65% of UK employers now mandate a minimum number of office days (most often three), and 14% plan to increase that number further. In Romania, the tension is even sharper: employees want flexibility, but the market is offering less of it.
The Bigger Picture
Flexibility isn’t a perk. It’s a test for organizational maturity. Employees are asking for autonomy and balance, while many companies respond with more control and more office mandates. That’s not fixing culture, it’s masking deeper issues.
Hybrid work works when it’s designed around collaboration, clarity, and equity, not just attendance. The challenge isn’t the model itself, but whether managers are equipped to lead differently and whether organisations can keep people connected to a shared purpose.
Here are four questions I would invite any organization to ask:
- How are we helping managers build the skills to lead hybrid teams on outcomes, not presence?
- What rituals or practices do our managers use to keep employees connected to the organization’s mission, wherever they work?
- How do our managers ensure flexibility is accessible across roles, not just reserved for senior or office-based staff?
- What actions do we have in place as an organization to support middle-management in making hybrid work truly work?
