A public opinion survey[1] reveals that one in four (26%) Latvian residents are dissatisfied with their workplace, the same number are satisfied, while the remaining 48% experience mixed feelings.
“This is a serious issue for companies,” notes Sanita Bērziņa, CEO of Venipak Latvia. “Passive and dissatisfied employees who don’t discuss improvements with management spread a negative atmosphere within the team and often perform their tasks just to tick a box. This affects both service quality and business development.”
The study[2] supports this viewpoint: 35% of employees in Latvia are so-called “detractors.” They would not recommend their employer and are likely to speak negatively about them, which discourages potential candidates from joining the company. “This is a very toxic trend. It results in people staying in a ‘bad’ workplace for some reason, yet expressing negative opinions about their employer to the outside world. The issue many employers raise about struggling to attract new, talented, and motivated staff is directly tied to this kind of culture.”
At the same time, 4 out of 10 (39%) take a passive stance — they don’t recommend their employer, but neither do they speak poorly of them. Meanwhile, one in five (21%) fall into the promoter group — they speak positively about their current employer.
“It is very important to build a company culture where employees are not afraid to express their opinions, suggest changes, and point out shortcomings. Equally important is the modernization of both work processes and the physical spaces where employees spend the majority of their day. In Latvia, companies sometimes tend to just ‘coast along’ without making any changes for years. That can reduce employee satisfaction,” says Bērziņa.
Rimass Žukovs, who has worked as a courier at Venipak since 2011, emphasizes that one of the main reasons he hasn’t changed jobs for so long is the friendly atmosphere within the team and open leadership: “If it’s necessary to change the delivery schedule because it’s not possible to deliver all the parcels on time, or in any other situation — colleagues are always reachable. I really appreciate that we’re never left alone with a problem. Plus, positive relationships and team spirit are important to me — everyone always smiles, is helpful, and everything that’s promised in terms of workload and timely pay has been delivered 100% for 14 years.” Žukovs adds that honesty and trustworthiness from an employer are especially important in the delivery industry: “In addition to human attitude, it’s vital that the salary is paid on time and exactly as agreed. Not every company pays fairly for the work done — and that’s one of the reasons I’ve stayed in the same place for so long.”
“It’s important for employees to feel supported by the team. A word of praise or something motivating is also necessary,” stresses Bērziņa. It is noteworthy that currently, the majority of Latvia’s population feels underappreciated: 31% to a large extent and 42% to some extent — a total of 73%. While this is a broad concept that also encompasses personal life, employers definitely have a role to play in improving the professional environment.
“Overall, these are concerning trends. Too many people — three-quarters — are not satisfied with their work and would not recommend their workplace. This indicates that the professional environment in Latvia is not particularly healthy, and in the long run, employees feel stressed and demoralized,” comments the CEO of Venipak Latvia, emphasizing the need to foster an open internal culture and work on improving employee satisfaction.
In total, 29% of Latvian residents say they feel happy (to a large extent), 43% to some extent, while 27% feel happy to a lesser extent or not at all.
[1] Norstat (2025) Know your people. Latvia Q1 2025.
[2] Ibid.