News
Employee loyalty is no longer a given
2026/05/22
Employee loyalty can no longer be taken for granted. After years of growth, employee engagement has once again started to decline. Data from the international research and consulting company Gallup show a drop from 23% in 2022 and 2023 to 21% in 2024 and 20% in 2025. Only one in five employees is truly engaged in their work. For organizations, an employment contract, salary and promises of stability are no longer enough. If people do not see meaning in their work, do not trust leadership and cannot understand their future within the organization, loyalty becomes fragile. As a result, employee retention is increasingly becoming the responsibility of individual managers rather than merely an HR policy issue.
Motherhood does not reduce a woman's ability. But too often, it reduces her income.
2026/05/19
It usually happens step by step: time away from work, missed salary increases, delayed career moves, lower pension contributions, less visibility, fewer projects, changed expectations, or a more cautious role after returning to work. This is what economists call an opportunity cost: what a person gives up when choosing one path instead of another. In the case of motherhood, the term must be used carefully. A child, family life and care cannot be reduced to money. But the idea helps us see something that is often hidden: motherhood can carry a real economic cost, and that cost still falls mainly on women. In international research, this is called the motherhood penalty. It does not mean that motherhood itself is a penalty. It means that labour markets, family benefit systems, employer expectations and the unequal division of care often turn motherhood into a long-term income and career disadvantage.
Structured Estonians, hardworking Latvians and bold Lithuanians – how work cultures differ across the Baltics
2026/03/10
The Baltic region is often perceived as a single entity. For many foreign investors, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania tend to blend into one whole. However, when working with people and organizations across all three countries, it becomes clear that behind this shared perception lie three rather distinct work cultures, experiences and approaches to problem-solving. We are united by similar values – education, stability and the desire to receive fair compensation – yet the ways in which we seek to achieve these goals can differ.
Beyond Compliance: How the EU Pay Transparency Directive Can Transform Employee Engagement
2026/03/09
The European Union's Pay Transparency Directive, which member states must transpose into national law by June 2026, has sparked considerable discussion among HR professionals and business leaders. While much of the conversation has centred on compliance requirements, reporting obligations, pay gap assessments, and potential penalties, there's a far more compelling story beneath the regulatory surface. This directive presents organizations with a unique opportunity to address what research consistently shows is one of the most powerful drivers of employee satisfaction: transparency in compensation systems.
The Gender Pay Gap in Latvia: A Real Problem or a Misunderstood Statistic?
2026/03/06
Each year, as International Women’s Day approaches, the question of women’s and men’s opportunities in the labour market resurfaces—particularly the issue of equal pay. This year is especially significant, as the EU Pay Transparency Directive will come into force in Latvia in June (the Ministry of Welfare is currently preparing national legislation to implement the directive). The directive aims to strengthen mechanisms that ensure equal pay for men and women for the same work or work of equal value. As a result, these principles will no longer be merely a subject of discussion in Latvia - they will become a concrete obligation.