Teambuilding in Craiova

As you may know, the name NetRom is derived from the abbreviations of Netherlands and Romania. These are the two countries from which we conduct our business. In the Netherlands, we have offices in Arnhem and Utrecht, and in Romania, in Craiova and Timisoara. There is quite a difference in size between the locations. While in the Netherlands we are a small team of about 18 employees working hard, in Romania we have already surpassed 500 colleagues.

In the Netherlands, our primary activities are sales and marketing, supplemented by some finance. Most contacts with potential clients and suppliers start in the Netherlands, but to truly get to know NetRom, a visit to one of our locations across the border is almost unavoidable. Especially to Craiova, of course, where our campus is located. Although our Utrecht office is no less than 2,000 km away from the campus in Craiova, we still form one united whole. And how can you make a strategic long-term decision about your future outsourcing partner without experiencing firsthand how things work there?

In my opinion, potential clients would do well to visit Craiova at least once. It is also intended that Dutch colleagues regularly visit their colleagues in Romania. After all: how can you truly embrace the NetRom identity if you haven’t seen and experienced with your own eyes the other half of our organization in Romania and a part of that country?

Recently, we combined business with pleasure by organizing a teambuilding weekend to Craiova and Bucharest with almost the entire Dutch team. For some Dutch colleagues, it was already their tenth or eleventh time, while others went for the first time. It is always interesting to see how the expectations of first-time visitors compare to reality. This was no different for our own Dutch NetRom colleagues.

Although they know the organization well, most of their expectations were far exceeded. The hospitality and strong social bonds among Romanian colleagues, for example. But also the way of working together, the organization of work processes, and the many facilities that truly, according to our company philosophy, relieve, involve, and prioritize the employee. From the office setups (organized by project team and decorated with sports team flags, cat pictures, meme printouts) and the canteen with personalized lunch menus, to sports fields, balconies, rooftop terraces, and the game room. I found it beautiful that people said what they already knew about NetRom in Romania was truly palpable in the culture.

A few anecdotes from our colleagues that I’d like to share and that support this image:

A colleague who has visited multiple times:

“What struck me was the whole social aspect. The care for the city and the surroundings by our people is still admirable. All the contributions we make to the community and the appreciation this receives is heartwarming.”

And two colleagues visiting our campus and Romania for the first time:

“How the team is together there and what a day would look like was always a real mystery to me. I assumed it was a close team, but after the tour, I realized it really is a kind of family and a second home. I really enjoyed seeing that the modern campus and the attitude of the people there exceeded my expectations positively.”

“The professionalism combined with genuine involvement completely exceeded my expectations. It is a well-oiled machine in terms of organizing the team, processes, working methods, social activities, and more. There are events, a complete training program in collaboration with the university, internal trainings, and development programs. At the same time, there is a lot of attention for building internal and local relationships. And all that in a hyper-modern environment where the team is involved in further development, truly impressive.”

Our teambuilding weekend was, in my opinion, a resounding success. All the new and renewed impressions have inspired us to highlight other and new elements of the organization. The connection between the Netherlands and Romania has been strengthened, and mutual understanding has improved. This, once again, proves my personal conviction that people who work intensively (online) together should simply take the time to meet in person and spend time together. The camaraderie and mutual trust that arise from this are crucial. Because trust is the foundation of good cooperation.

Therefore, I would like to close this blog with a simple question to the reader: have you already visited Craiova? Not yet? Do it! Experience shows that you will be in for a pleasant surprise.