Digitization, "an unknown" for many civil servants

Digitization represents a challenge for public institutions. Most of them do not have a digital infrastructure to make both the work of employees and the relationship with taxpayers more efficient, and 50% of civil servants do not know what and how many online services the institution they belong to offers, even though they work at their current workplace for over ten years, shows a study carried out by the APSAP Training Center. According to the cited source, eight out of ten public sector employees did not have the opportunity to work remotely or work at home in the last two years, due to the lack of an adequate digital infrastructure (communication system, reporting system, monitoring system of the activity etc.). Specialized research reveals that women employed in the public sector, unlike men, increase their income from other independent activities outside the workplace, while 20% of respondents are not familiar with the digital services offered by the institution where they work . Also, almost half of those who do not know the number of digital services offered by the institution they belong to (475 people) have more than ten years of experience at their current workplace, and 15% do not know if their employer is present on online social media platforms (Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn). Regarding the degree of satisfaction of the respondents, although the digital infrastructure is deficient in public institutions, 80% of all those surveyed stated that they are satisfied with their current workplace. According to the study:

"In the framework of research carried out at the European level, Romania often occupies the last positions in terms of the degree of digitization and the opportunities to work remotely or work at home. However, Romania adopted Law No. 81 as early as March 30, 2018 regarding the regulation of remote work, where in art. 2, letter a, telework is defined as the form of work organization through which the employee, on a regular basis, fulfills the duties specific to the position, occupation or profession he holds , in a place other than the workplace organized by the employer, at least one day a month, using information and communication technology". According to data provided by Eurostat in 2020, since the pandemic period, Finland has been and remains a European leader in facilitating remote work, and in this context over 25% of employees in this country have opted for this form of work. In contrast, Romania ranked last in this ranking, with 2.5% of employees working in this way. In March 2024, the APSAP Training Center organized a series of free training sessions, accessible online, intended for staff from the Romanian public administration, with the aim of updating their knowledge and keeping them up to date with the new legislative regulations in 11 relevant fields. The APSAP study was carried out on a sample of 5,166 people, employed at public institutions, who completed a questionnaire consisting of 29 questions, based on some significant conclusions.