A Generation in Transition

The Romanian workforce is undergoing a profound transformation. Our latest study, Romanians@Work 2025, offers a revealing snapshot of a generation in transition – one that is fundamentally redefining its psychological contract with employers. What employees value at work is shifting: psychological safety, authentic leadership, and honest career conversations now take priority. In this new paradigm, meaning and emotional balance have become the new professional currencies. Organizational culture today often matters more than compensation. Romanian employees are sending a clear message that they will no longer accept being treated merely as “resources” – they demand to be seen and respected as human beings with aspirations and emotions.

This shift emerged from our quantitative, exploratory survey of 566 professionals across Romania, concentrated in urban, dynamic industries with a high component of intellectual work. The findings paint a vivid picture of a workforce craving purpose and respect. Sense and stability now outweigh pure financial gain in the hierarchy of needs at work. Employees are looking for workplaces where they feel safe to express themselves, led by managers who show authenticity and empathy, and where conversations about growth and wellbeing are not taboo, but routine. In many ways, Romanian employees are resetting the terms of engagement: “Give us meaning, give us respect, and we will give you our best.”

From 2022 to 2025: Shifting Priorities in Career Conversations

It’s instructive to compare the current landscape with that of just a few years ago. In 2022, a previous CareerShift study found that career conversations were dominated by a desire for remote work and a general lack of courage to make bold moves. By 2025, the central issues are a crisis of clarity in career direction, heightened emotional stress, and an acute need for empathetic leadership. The desire to make a change remains high – about 80% of Romanian employees in 2025 say they would like to change their job. However, there’s a new twist: although 62% still want a change, they don’t have a plan for it, and another 19.8% feel completely stuck in their careers. In other words, the will for change is present, but the way is unclear. The ambition is hitting a wall of ambiguity.

This stuck-in-place phenomenon indicates that a lack of planning and guidance – not a lack of motivation – is what’s holding people back. Employees are craving direction: frameworks, mentors, or systems that can help translate their urge for change into concrete action. Unfortunately, many aren’t finding that support. The result is a growing frustration that can simmer under the surface. Lack of honest dialogue and recognition from employers has become a major source of professional frustration. Too many Romanian workers feel their aspirations and concerns are met with silence. It’s no wonder that when dialogue and feedback are absent, employees disengage. They may not all resign outright; some become “quiet quitters” – doing the minimum as they lose faith that anyone at work truly cares. Our study found that lack of real meaning in one’s role is cited by 35.2% of respondents as the primary reason they’d leave a job. When work feels pointless and conversations go nowhere, detachment sets in.

The Call for Empathetic Leadership and Psychological Safety

All this amounts to a powerful opportunity – and warning – for Romanian leadership. Leadership in Romania now has an extraordinary chance: to bring meaning and belonging back to the center of work. This means transforming a team from just a group of task-doers into a genuine community, and reframing a day’s “tasks” into a larger contribution to a meaningful mission. It requires moving away from old-style command-and-control management toward something much more personal: leadership rooted in empathy, development, and trust. In fact, transitioning from traditional, control-based management to human-centered leadership is no longer optional – it’s a strategic necessity.

Why is this so critical? Our 2025 study exposes that many Romanian organizations still avoid the tough conversations – whether it’s giving honest feedback, talking about career progression, or simply recognizing good work. Such silence is costly. It leaves employees feeling undervalued and alienated, and they eventually leave in search of a workplace where they are heard. Respect isn’t just a courtesy; it’s a competitive advantage in retaining talent. Gallup’s findings also underline that lack of emotional connection and sparse feedback from managers are among the top drivers of voluntary departures in today’s workforce.

The encouraging news is that solutions are in plain sight. Clear career pathing programs, mentorship opportunities, and leadership development initiatives signal to employees that the company is invested in their growth. These have quickly moved from HR afterthoughts to must-haves for any organization that wants to remain competitive. Companies that proactively build an infrastructure for authentic communication – feedback loops, coaching, and transparent promotion paths – will win the “talent auction” of the next years. 

A Workforce Under Strain – Stress and Disconnection on the Rise

The emotional climate in Romanian workplaces has also changed significantly from a few years ago. Unfortunately, it’s for the worse in terms of stress. In 2022, only about 32% described themselves as very stressed at work – now that proportion has shot up to 52.8%. Whereas a few years back, one might have described stress as an occasional flare-up (“I’m really stressed this month, but it should calm down soon”), by 2025 people describe it more like a constant background noise. This normalization of high stress is alarming. It’s a recipe for burnout, health issues, and job-related mistakes. 

In Romania, despite many companies bringing people back to the office at least part-time, the sense of human connection at work is faltering. We found that teams often feel isolated and siloed, even if they sit under the same roof a few days a week. In 2022, feelings of isolation were mostly associated with the pandemic-driven work-from-home period. People thought that once we return to offices or embrace hybrid schedules, the camaraderie would naturally rebound. But by 2025, it’s clear that physical presence alone doesn’t guarantee emotional presence. Building real connections requires intention and cultural effort – things like team trust, inclusion, open communication – whether you’re in-office, remote, or hybrid.

Our CareerShift HUB findings suggest that companies that avoid honest dialogue, transparency, and clear recognition and growth mechanisms will keep losing valuable people. In the long run, neglecting these human elements doesn’t just cause turnover – it erodes trust in leadership and drains away the collective commitment of those who remain. An overstressed, disengaged workforce might still get the job done today, but it won’t innovate, won’t go the extra mile, and won’t stay when a better offer appears.

The AI Era: Anxiety and Opportunity

The world of work isn’t just changing due to cultural shifts – technology, especially AI, has burst onto the scene as a double-edged force. In our 2022 study, topics like AI barely featured in employees’ top concerns. Back then, the hot issues were work-life balance, remote work norms, and perhaps job stability. Fast forward to 2025, and AI (Artificial Intelligence) is front and center in workplace discussions. But it’s interesting: AI in our findings isn’t viewed simply as a scary “job-stealing robot”, nor as an uncomplicated miracle. Instead, AI has become a symbol of the gap between how fast the world is changing and how slowly many organizations are adapting internally.

We discovered a polarization of attitudes toward AI at work. On one side, there’s real enthusiasm – a segment of workers are excited about AI tools, seeing them as a way to automate drudgery and boost creativity. On the other side, there’s palpable fear and anxiety – people worry that they can’t keep up with new AI tools, or that they’ll be replaced if they don’t master them overnight. Both emotions are valid, and often they exist within the same organization, even the same person: curiosity and anxiety intertwined. This double-edged feeling means one thing: the success of AI integration into the workplace will depend fundamentally on leadership and learning. The technology itself may be plug-and-play, but helping humans embrace it is a leadership challenge.

In short, the conversation around AI needs to be humanized. It’s not about deploying a tool and expecting everyone to “just adapt.” It’s about leaders guiding their teams through change – listening to concerns, celebrating early adopters, and normalizing the idea that continuous learning is now a core part of everyone’s job.

Five Directions for Transformation

The Romanians@Work 2025 study points to five strategic directions that organizations should focus on to thrive in this new era:

1. Build a Culture of Career Dialogue
2. Train Empathetic Leaders and Facilitate Clarity
3. Design an Organizational Wellbeing Architecture
4. Integrate Technology Responsibly
5. Ensure Transparency and Predictability in Development

Organizations that orient themselves around these five directions will not only find it easier to attract and retain talent, but will also unlock higher performance. 

The companies that prosper over the next decade will be those that understand an essential truth: economic success cannot be separated from human well-being. Profit and people are not at odds; in fact, they fuel each other. 

A Call to Action – Putting People at the Center of Work

The Romanians@Work 2025 study has revealed a reality that many of us have sensed intuitively, but few have dared to say aloud: the Romanian job market is undergoing a profound, structural transformation. The rules of the game are being rewritten. If organizations refuse to acknowledge and adapt to this new reality, they will lose the talents that matter most. 

We conducted this study not just to publish numbers, but to propose a path forward. Our team at CareerShiftHUB is committed to guiding individuals regain agency and helping companies create the kind of culture where career dialogue is continuous, leadership is compassionate, and every individual’s growth matters. At CareerShift HUB, we bring organizational transformation and individual growth together through concrete programs — from Career Onboarding, Talent Development, and Outplacement for companies, to Career Booster, Coaching Certification, and 1:1 Coaching for professionals — all designed to build careers with meaning and leadership with empathy.

To every employee reading this: know that you have the right to ask for clarity, for feedback, and for development opportunities. Do not settle for silence as a survival strategy.

To every manager: recognize the power you hold. You are the first line of this transformation. Be the manager that makes a positive difference.

And to the CEOs and organizational leaders: the findings of this study should ring out like an alarm bell in the night. Yes, some of the data may be uncomfortable – it might reveal shortcomings in your culture or policies. But within that alarm is a huge opportunity. You now have in your hands a clear picture of what your current and future employees will be looking for. Use it. It’s time to reexamine your company’s approach to talent and culture. Are you truly creating an environment where people can thrive, or just survive?

The heart of business success in 2025 and beyond is human. Let’s act like it.

Sincerely,
Mihai Zânt
Career Strategist & Co-Founder, CareerShift HUB

The complete Romanians@Work 2025 study is available at www.careershifthub.com/romanians-work-2025/ . 

For individual and customized organizational programs mihai@careershift.ro