Project co-financed by the European Social Fund through the Sectoral Operational Program Human Resources Development 2007-2013, under the number SOPHRD/41/3.3/G/17900.

Implementation period: May 2009 - July 2010

Eligible value of the project: 1.194.490 RON

Target group: HR professionals, general management of organizations, representatives of public institutions, trade unions, employers and representative NGO’s for the Romanian HR field.

The overall objective of the project was to improve the organization and functioning of the human resources field in Romania. This goal was achieved by strengthening the collaboration among leading actors in the field (HR professionals, general management, public institutions / social dialogue partners), through conferences, working groups, the online resources center and the best practices manual proposed for this project.

In the spirit of the project, improving the organization and functioning of such a complex area was based on the collaboration and partnership among key stakeholders. In this respect, the project aimed at initiating an innovative form of social partnership with the HR profession, to which were invited to take part institutions from the government sector, trade unions and employers associations, professional associations and representative NGO’s. Its purpose was to examine the major issues of HR policies, legislation and other specific regulations. Also, for an integrated approach, the project pursued a better collaboration both between HR specialists and between HR specialists and the general management. All the stakeholders mentioned above received the newest, the best and the most practical resources in the field, through the online resources center and the best practices manual developed in this project.

Considering the above mentioned, the specific objectives of the project were:

• To set up a working group formed of representatives of the social partners, which analyzed and reviewed the relevant aspects of the HR field and submitted their improvement proposals;
• To improve the cooperation between HR specialists and the business representatives, by inviting them to take part in conferences and the strategic partnership survey proposed in this project;
• To create an online resources center and a best practices manual that facilitate the access of professionals, of decision makers and also of the general public, to the latest materials and information.

On the long term, the project will contribute to the sustainable development of the human resources field and consequently to the improvement of work environment in organizations, by increasing the cohesion between social dialogue partners, by reviewing the specific regulations and reaching a common vision of the involved parties on the importance of the HR field, but also through continuous improvement of knowledge and capacity of the HR professionals, due to the free access to structured information and latest publications and materials.

Expected Results

A better collaboration between the stakeholders of the HR field: government institutions (Ministry of Labor, Family and Social Welfare, the Labor Inspectorate, the National Council for Adult Vocational Training, the National House of Pensions and Other Social Insurance Rights, the National Institute of Administration), trade unions, employers’ associations, professional associations and NGO’s. All these institutions, along with others that were identified during this project, were involved in activities and discussions within working groups, attended the conference of strategic partnership with the business environment, and benefited from the online resources center, which includes links to the websites of these institutions. This creates the foundation for a long term partnership, for the benefit of these institutions and their employees, the human resources field and society in general;

Proposals for updating the Code of Occupations in Romania that now allow the official recognition and classification of jobs that exist in various industries, but lack from the current COR (at present, our experts estimate their number at 100-200 for every industry);

Proposals for revising and updating the Labor Code and other laws related to the specific area;

An online resources center designed, developed and constantly updated, which includes the latest materials and information for professionals, institutions and general public interested in HR. This center provides free electronic access to an unique collection of publications, legislation, information and advice on various matters within the field of human resources. The center benefits both from materials internally developed by renowned members of the association, and from external resources from Romanian and international databases. The latter represents about 80% of all materials and publications on the website. Last but not least, the activity and services provided by the relevant institutions, including our partners in this project, is accessible through direct links to their websites in a visible area of the site. Thus, any person interested in HR and labor relations can easily access all necessary information, through a complete virtual library or by following a link to any of the specialized institutions. By the end of the project, we registered an average number of 5,000 visitors per month. After the project’s completion, the resources center was further developed through the applicant's own funds.

A best practices manual for the HR specialists – it provided our target group examples of current practices and models to be followed in order to improve human resources management skills.

A better visibility of the HR field – the project benefits from an excellent mass-media promotion. For each event we have sent press releases and published well documented articles in business or HR publications. This had a positive impact on the level of awareness and recognition of the HR importance in every organization.

Target group

This project was based on the concept of partnership as an effective way of involving various stakeholders in finding solutions and formulating proposals that would eventually lead to improving the functioning of the HR field in Romania, in a moment when, due to the increased instability of the labor market and employment climate, these challenges can be overcome only through cooperation between HR professionals, business leaders, public institutions and other stakeholders. In terms of this project, this was a necessary first step in the implementation of policies and programs designed to develop the human capital in our country.

This project aimed primarily to create a partnership for social dialogue, bringing together central authorities, professional associations, trade unions and other stakeholders, which, within working groups organized by the applicant, could analyze and review various aspects regarding the organization and functioning of the HR filed and make proposals for improvement.

Second, the project intended to establish a strategic partnership between the HR professionals and the business environment, represented by top managers of the leading companies in Romania. The main objective of this innovative partnership was the understanding and acceptance by both parties of the importance of human capital investments in companies in order to ensure their performance, adaptability and flexibility.

Given the above mentioned, the project’s target group consisted of the following categories of direct beneficiaries:

• more than 300 members of the applicant's professional association, i.e. human resources professionals from various economic fields and industries in Romania;
• staff members of social partners - employees designated by each institution participated in the working groups meetings and other events organized by the applicant, exchanged experience and information, had the opportunity to use the documents and materials developed in the project, such as the HR best practices manual, the strategic partnership study, various reports, information and communication materials and had the possibility to access the online resources center. All this incresed the institutional capacity of the social partners, leading to high quality services for the community and the general public.
• staff members of civil society organizations - at least 2 representative NGOs were supported by means of this project and at least 4 of their employees participated at various events and had access to all resources produced within this project;
• staff members of sectoral committees - at least 2 employees of CNFPA benefited from this project;
• staff members of chambers of commerce and industry - at least 10 representatives of the Foreign Investors Council and the American Chamber of Commerce benefited from the events and results of this project;
• decision makers from the HR field - the project provided them with a set of reports and proposals to amend the legislative and regulatory framework, which can be used to improve the operating conditions of this filed;
• over 100 top managers of the leading companies in Romania, atented the conference and the strategic partnership study developed in the project;
• the general public interested in human resources.

Collateral beneficiaries, but not the least important for this project, were Romanian employees, who benefited from improved labor legislation, worked in companies with competent human resources specialists and managers opened to investments in their professional development and motivation.