Survey finds few Latvians prepared to handle workplace crises

A survey reported by LSM found that only 17% of Latvia’s residents would know how to act in a crisis at work, while people across the Nordic and Baltic countries continue to live with a false sense of security.

Most respondents in the countries surveyed, with the exception of Lithuania, had never taken part in civil protection or crisis management exercises. Some 60% of people in Lithuania had participated in such training, compared with 40% in Latvia and 24% in Finland.

Jānis Vanags, a board member of CIREN, a Nordic resilience organisation, said the survey also highlighted the relatively limited activity of companies in Latvia. Where plans exist, they are often discussed only in theory, he said.

“Unfortunately, organisations, companies, municipalities and large capital companies are still far behind what they could do to draw up their crisis plans and business continuity plans,” Vanags said.

Sweden had the strongest result, with more than half of companies having prepared crisis plans or, at least, residents having heard about them. Latvia and Poland were in the weakest position, he said.

The issue was also discussed at a CIREN summit on Thursday.

Representatives of Jūrmalas ūdens, a company, said the organisation was learning from experience, like residents. After the city was surrounded two years ago, the company began forming a Zemessardze unit and working on employees’ roles in different crises, including how to help the city and use available equipment.

The summit emphasised the importance of updating crisis scenarios and practising them. Zemessardze commander Aivars Krjukovs said that by drawing up such a plan, the head of a company or another institution could show that they cared about their employees.

“By their personal example, they show: I care about you. I care about the organisation, company, school or home,” Krjukovs said, adding that discussing these issues in municipal services on a daily basis would improve preparedness.