Alfa Software: betting on a “two-way match”

Alfa Software’s HR strategy is to recruit people that care about the company, product, customers, and other team members. Cristian Gabriel Pavel, the CEO of Alfa Software, highlights the core principles of the company’s HR policy and how they have contributed to its performance over time.

How would you describe your HR policy?

As the pandemic has affected the way companies work, we have also had to adapt to new conditions. Because of the nature of what we do, we can work from home and our working hours are flexible. We don’t count hours, we measure performance, and what’s most important for us is that employees complete their projects on time. But we do meet in our offices in Cluj-Napoca and Zalau once a week, and we have meetings with the whole team in different locations every three months. There are also on-site client meetings, whenever necessary.

We have a very clearly defined bonus plan, which is based on certain individual and team goals and performance thresholds, but incentives and rewards are also personalised to the needs of each employee. In terms of holiday benefits, we take into account seniority, not performance.

We offer our employees private health insurance and gym memberships, and we only use payroll cards. Because we’re a software company that understands how our products can streamline everyday work, we’ve also implemented our ERP solutions internally, so that all workflows are digitalized and our employees are more relaxed knowing that everything can be solved with just a few clicks.

What were the main initiatives the company dedicated to its employees last year?

Last year we started preparing the first draft of an ESOP (Employees Stock Option Plan), which means giving certain employees shares in the company based on their outstanding performance. We received professional advice and analysis from a specialised company, and we are currently still discussing the implementation of this system internally. The whole process takes time, but we are confident that we will complete it this year so that exceptional employees can be rewarded with the option to own a part of the company. Furthermore, last year, as Alfa Software celebrated its 25th anniversary, the most committed employees received recognition in front of all our colleagues, partners, and customers.

What is your strategy in terms of attracting and retaining talent in your company?

One of the values of Alfa Software is that there has to be a “two way matching HR process,” meaning that the employees should “fit” the company just as much as the company “fits” them. So, while technical skills are important, we actually aim for a combination of skills. We want the people we work with to also have business and soft skills: they should know how to communicate and practice empathy. And we think these aspects are relevant because, as Alfa Software has been on the software market for over 25 years, we have employees with more than 15 years of experience in developing our ERP system.

I too started out at Alfa Soft, the company from which Alfa Software was spun off, as an intern. I stayed, worked hard, took on several different jobs, growing in each of them. The decision-making process at Alfa Software is usually a debate based on available information and alternative resolutions. Each of our colleagues can express any idea if they think it can positively influence the company or product.