Looking back at 2021 we now understand how much learning we had and finally see the growth. Repeated changes, happening more intensely as a reaction to an abrupt 2020, challenged our capacity to adapt, both as employees and employers. What did we do? What we always do – learn and develop from this transition. So our conclusion on 2021 stands clear : Those who understand that change is the only certainty will most likely thrive.
Let us walk you through our year to better understand how we reached this conclusion.
Business software solutions
Business must go on and we did continued to make business in 2021 because, for us, forward is the only way to go.
Thus, our core business focus in 2021 was to help our clients and partners respond to an increased digitalization need, generated by the pandemic challenges for companies and institutions in the relation with their employees and customers.
Most popular digital solutions are by far:
- the custom portals we developed for both the private and public sectors, streamlining the consumer-provider relation while supporting thousands of users simultaneously and ensuring data security
- TeamSpace – Collaborative Team Workspace Platform to safely connect teams and documents at the office or remote
- The belief in the digitalization of the Romanian companies and institutions is an objective we share with our partners from Spectro:o. That is why we reinforced our technological partnership and expanded Spectro:o Digital Signage solution to other industries beside retail: manufacturing, hospitals and hospitality. Thus, we aim at helping them enhance their businesses with in-trend visual communication, responding to present-day consumer behavior.
2021 highlighted the idea that technology offers countless development opportunities when you drive towards digitalization with the right provider by your side.
Innovation continues to be in our narrative
We say YES every time we have the chance to partake in research and development initiatives that are meant to , make it a better place to live and work in.
- In our Research&Innovation Center, the last two years were also about Europe’s largest project for the digitalisation and automation of industries, in which Ropardo contributed with its system integration expertise. For this, we put at work Smart factory Romania – a non-profit organization in Sibiu, creating the optimum frame for research and innovation and facilitating the collaboration between private companies and institutions with the purpose of identifying, launching and implementing Industry 4.0 projects in Romania.
- The first solution was delivered to the manufacturing industry – the Digital Twin – is the new technology to be taken into consideration by enterprises that want to stand out in various industries and enjoy a future-proof competitive edge based on the difference it makes throughout the entire product life cycle from design and development to implementation and production.
- In 2021 we successfully delivered Nestore – the healthy aging companion, one of the EU research projects Ropardo participated in.
Ropardo’s online communication
Not only we helped our clients function better online, we did something for our own organization and team as well. Increasing our online visibility was a key interest for us in 2021 to stay connected to our community.
- That’s why our website went from more to less, because less is more is not just another buzzword, is a trend on its way to become normality. Aimed at a straightforward user journey, we recreated our website into a more friendly visitor experience. We are happy to have a new version of the website created for visitors to navigate easier through our services, company culture or career opportunities.
- If you visited our brand-new Careers section, you might be interested in one of our openings on jobs.ropardo.ro. We also encourage everyone not to wait until an opening is published. You can surprise us anytime with a fitted CV and we’ll find just the perfect chair for you at our table.
- Our Inspiring Tech blog discloses technical know-how, coding stories, innovative solutions, team activities.
- Our social media communication platforms gathered more people that share common interests and values with us: software development beyond borders, community growth through education and development initiatives, concern for a balanced work environment and employee-oriented policies and practices, active partaking in EU research and innovation projects.
Stronger employer messages
… or the strength to showcase yourself as an example
Part of our visibility as a brand was the Pandemic Challenge campaign. It was targeted at showcasing our experience with the pandemic times as a team, as employees and employer. We believe in exchanging ideas and experiences and continuously learning from them.
We tackled subjects such as: remote work as a post-pandemic normality or HR strategies to navigate the pandemic with an intact and fully productive team. We made an open invitation to stop seeing humans as simple resources and instead start reshaping our thinking and recreate organization cultures around stretching human potential through self-discovery ad true concern for well-being. At the same time we talked about how hard times can turn to possibility including for juniors.
You can find the full materials right here on the blog ➡ Pandemic Challenge in IT.
‘People come first’ challenged to go digital
Around our belief that People come first a whole company culture has been built in years with the determination to make our workplaces a friendly environment where people feel seen and valued based on an open-door policy. Once the pandemic installed, ‘People come first’ was challenge in the sense that we had to shut physical doors and open digital doors for our teams to stay intact. This meant taking online as many team activities as possible: from project management and training to on-boarding and daily interactions.
We believe we got out of 2021 stronger and with new abilities to manage a fully remote team, keep the team intact, ensure a healthy life and work style, and personal – professional balance. The endorsement goes both to the employees and the company management.
Continuous learning is in our DNA
Attending professional development trainings continued in 2021. Throughout the year we checked various trainings from technical to communication and project management. Our trainings were also great occasions to interact and change the vibe.
Good-to-have-back team reunions
If the pandemic really challenged something to the bone, that was the team events. We compensated with more digital interactions and care for the team well being in small Skype reunions whose objective was: Hi! How are you? How you been doing? Small reunions to celebrate small victories like our fresh graduates in 2021 and workshops.
After skipping a few team buildings, we really enjoyed our first summer outdoor getaway with the extended team.
CSR initiatives – still an endeavor we believe in to change our communities for the better
Because we like IT here in Sibiu from where we do software beyond borders / worldwide, CSR programs for the educational and social development of our community were activities that we engaged in voluntarily, and with great responsibility. Moreover, every year we contribute with our tech know how in the bachelor’s degrees of three students.
Infoliceanul | Sibiu International Marathon | Hospice Donation | Asociatia WeHelp – donation in books | Sibiu Web Meetup | Bachelor’s Degree Technical Coordinators
For all Ropardo CSR activities, unmeasurable gratitude goes to the extended team, you are great for your involvement.
Our conclusion on 2021
Our conclusion is that 2021 remains a year with valuable initiatives, some of them new, refreshing and engaging, others were transformed versions of traditional initiatives that have always defined us as an organization such as doing software beyond borders. In the pandemic we reinvented this and went beyond borders as in the territorial meaning of the phrase but also crossed the physical-digital border.