The year 2022 was not simple for residents in Latvia, to say the least. Many people are on the crossroads between the need for higher wages, so that they are able to cover the growing everyday costs, and the realisation that before the winter season and for the next year’s worth of crisis at least it is best to work a stable job, rather than be left without one.
All of this creates a very high level of stress – 42% of people in Riga are already on the brink of burnout. In regions this sentiment is shared by 32% of residents. One-third of Latvia’s population say that stress has caused their health to decline, according to results of a survey held by Nextra talent agency and Norstat Latvia survey bureau.
Vidzeme is the «calmest» region in Latvia, as only 26% of respondents there said they are on the brink of burnout. «If we look at age groups, we can see a clear correlation: the older the people, the less often they say they are on the brink of burnout. For example, among residents aged under 29 years 49% mentioned high stress levels, whereas among more experienced specialists aged 30 to 39 years 46% said they are on the brink. It is even lower among residents 40 to 49 years – 39%. These are very high indexes, indicating that the established work model will gradually change, because it cannot continue for long. Depression is already a leader among illnesses in developed countries. A study by Microsoft indicates that 40% of workers around the world are seriously considering leaving their job due to burnout,» comments Nextra’s founder and manager Evija Šalte.
According to European Foundation for the Improvement of Living and Working Conditions, burnout has several «components»:
A work environment full of stress, emotion and fatigue;
Conflicts at work;
Lack of support from colleagues;
Physical aspects of the work environment;
Opportunities for autonomy, teamwork and professional growth;
Excessive workload and long work hours;
Management;
Wage and bonus pay.
Echoes from the USSR-era slogan «five years in three years» can still be heard in Latvia’s culture. People often start major projects knowing there isn’t enough resources to afford them. There are also often invitations for people to unite in the name of great goals and put up with problems. However, the fact of the matter is that burning deadlines and overworking often demotivates teams, causing people to lose interest and inspiration.
The expert adds that employers are already experiencing difficulties with employees, especially younger ones. «Of course, it can be explained with the demographic gap between 90s and start of 2000. But it is nothing more than the peak of the iceberg. The difficulties are actually related to ongoing tectonic fluctuations: youngsters don’t want to or are unwilling to work in the 09:00 to 17:00 time frame. Regular overworking, diving head-first into work and prioritising work [over personal life] – they don’t find any of this interesting. They want to have more time for their leisure, education or travel. The next generation are hedonists. They find flexibility in work hours and location very important. Office life is less attractive to them, and employers have to deal with that,» said Šalte.
To resolve the issue of burnout, it is necessary to completely review out society’s attitude towards work. Scandinavian countries can be mentioned as examples – they generally have the lowest burnout levels in Europe.
According to Šalte, the Scandinavian culture is written by matriarchy. Society is very concerned about everything, there are serious measures against depression. People are trusted by their word and incapacity for work is not required when an employee is sick and needs some days off to recover. «Humanity – any one of us can practice it. It does not require money, but it can move mountains. I am convinced that a compliment, small talk and moral support, as well as words of praise can help reduce stress for employees,» says the human resource expert.
Workers in Riga at risk of burnout from work more than in other regions
