On May 29, ErgoWork Society co-organized the 2025 edition of the Romanian Workplace Management Forum in Timișoara, an event initiated and led by the Romanian Association of Facility and Workplace Management (ROFMA), with primary support from Iulius Town Timisoara.
Workplace Management refers to the interaction and coordination of relationships between people, the workspace, processes, organizational culture, and technology.
The human factor term is synonymous with the scientific field of ergonomics, particularly in Anglo-Saxon contexts, especially in the United States. In fact, the international umbrella organization for ergonomics — the International Ergonomics and Human Factors Association (IEA), where Romania is represented by ErgoWork — includes both terms in its formal name. According to the IEA, ergonomics/human factors is the scientific discipline concerned with understanding the interactions between humans and other elements of a system, as well as the profession that applies theory, principles, data, and design methods to optimize human well-being and overall system performance.
Industry 5.0 represents the European Commission’s vision for the future of industrial policy, focused on three pillars: sustainability, human-centricity, and resilience. To shape this vision and define future industrial policies, the European Commission launched the Community of Practice 5.0 (CoP 5.0), in which ErgoWork Society is an active member and leads the most advanced initiative for the formation of a regional 5.0 HUB, in partnership with the Politehnica University of Timișoara, West University of Timișoara, and ADR Vest, along with potential collaborators from Hungary and Serbia.
The organization of the Workplace Forum also served as an opportunity to explore the Romanian business community’s interest in joining the efforts of CoP 5.0 and the Timișoara HUB 5.0.
Thus, in the Leadership Debate panel of the forum, moderated by Oana Haidu, and joined by panelists Ligia Ardelean – Country Manager Atos GDC Romania, Alin Besnea – General Manager OPSWAT Romania, Diana Năstase – HR Director / HR BP EMEA Flex, Alina Gheaţă – Strategy and Execution Director Access Group, and Florin Boc – Dept. Leader ZF R&D Tech Center Romania, we explored several key themes regarding the future of work in relation to digital transformation, AI integration, human–bot / robot collaboration, and automation.
A central point introduced by Oana Haidu was the recent statement by Dario Amodei, co-founder and CEO of Anthropic, about the impact of AI on white-collar careers. According to him, up to 50% of entry-level roles could disappear within five years, unemployment could reach 10–20%, and within months AI could generate 90% of software code.
Reactions to this prediction varied — from skepticism, especially regarding the speed of these changes, to caution regarding technological capabilities — but overall there was recognition of an impending radical social transformation driven by technological progress.
Regarding involvement in the regional HUB dedicated to Industry 5.0, centered in Timișoara, there was openness and interest, both from the prominent business representatives on the panel and from members of the business-oriented audience.
The second panel of the Forum also focused on the concerns and projects led by ErgoWork, represented by the theme “Meaning and Fusion of Work”, addressing outdoor office work and urban nature, the importance of co-working spaces as catalysts for community building and personal well-being, and their relevance in the context of the 15-minute city, biodiversity, and urban nature – outdoor office.
As part of the panel dedicated to practical workplace solutions, we integrated GreenForest initiatives supported by ErgoWork, related to product development and research for office spaces.
Ciprian Oșan, Managing Partner of GreenForest, presented the outcomes of GreenForest’s collaboration with well known architect and product designer Roberto Semprini, culminating in a new human-centered, flexible, and sustainable workspace concept.
Mihai Caraghiaur, who is preparing a research project together with GreenForest and ErgoWork — aimed at creating a transformative workspace through art — shared several ideas and solutions from the field of immersive and synesthetic design. Both presentations also served as a starting point for identifying potential partners for the psychological research component, which forms an essential part of the product development process led by Mihai Caraghiaur.
ErgoWork 