Lithuania is the world’s happiest country for young people. Here’s what it’s like to work for the country’s leading tech unicorn

It tin beryllium hard to specify happiness, but it’s palpable. The CEO of 1 of Lithuania’s well-known unicorns shed immoderate airy connected his observations arsenic a institution headquartered successful the superior metropolis of Vilnius. 

Nord Security, champion known for its VPN tool, is simply a tech steadfast with a workforce of implicit 1,600 people, comprised of 70% Millennial and astir 20% Gen Z staff.

The vigor of Nord’s workforce is infectious—something Tomas Okmanas, Nord’s CEO and cofounder, witnesses daily. 

“Everyone is, you know, young, happy, hungry, ace talented,” helium told Fortune in an interview. “People privation to beryllium portion of the culture.”

Lithuania didn’t ever person a bully reputation. Following the divided of the Soviet Union, the state had a analyzable journey. It’s grappled with an astronomical suicide rate, peculiarly among the antheral population, owing to socioeconomic factors. 

Still, Lithuania has managed to subordinate its bleak past to contention to the top of the World Happiness rankings this year. Over the years, Lithuania has successfully built a lawsuit for wherefore it’s a large spot for work-life balance: lone 1% of its workforce works agelong days, per the OECD. 

The state has invested successful caller schemes to pull overseas endowment and is processing a sprawling $110 cardinal tech campus. It’s minted immoderate of Europe’s astir promising companies too Nord, specified arsenic Vinted, PVcase, and Surfshark. A burgeoning startup scene, the debased outgo of living, easiness of visas, and Lithuania’s EU rank created the cleanable accidental to pull endowment following Brexit.

What is it astir Lithuania?

Despite surviving overmuch of his beingness successful Lithuania, Okmanas admits the apical spot came arsenic a surprise. 

“While we person grown accustomed to seeing positivity and a bully temper successful our offices, it’s a large feeling to cognize that the remainder of the young radical successful Lithuania are happy, too,” helium said. 

The accelerated gait and hunger of a start-up mounting isn’t mislaid connected Okmanas. While the squad astatine Nord pulls immoderate precocious nights if determination are merchandise launches oregon different urgent things to address, “Would you spot a batch of lights inactive connected successful our offices aft 6 o’clock? I’m not sure, and adjacent past it would beryllium a precocious accidental that radical determination are hanging retired aft work,” helium says. 

One cardinal constituent the Nord cofounder has worked towards since mounting up the institution successful 2012 is uncovering endowment agreed by much than conscionable their passionateness for tech and cybersecurity. Nord’s employees—who Tom characterizes arsenic “geeks”—are chosen with attraction for those who mightiness besides put successful the company’s cultures and friendships. 

Nord employees conscionable extracurricular of work, whether that’s going to concerts, going long-distance biking, oregon connecting with chap car enthusiasts. Since hobbies are successful abundance, Nord conscionable gives radical a mode to link with different radical who stock those. 

But the champion happening astir having a institution afloat of alleged “geeks”? There’s ever an adept connected each topic.

“If, for example, idiosyncratic would rise a question connected 1 of the company’s channels astir immoderate niche tract mower, you could beryllium definite that successful a substance of minutes idiosyncratic would write, ‘yeah, I tin consult you, present [are] 5 spreadsheets connected each disposable models, pros and cons and 10 antithetic providers, I conscionable updated them yesterday,’” Okmanas said.

Nord’s culture, per its CEO, astatine slightest emulates overmuch of what is being said astir Lithuania. If happiness wasn’t a magnet capable for caller talent, the fast-growing startup civilization could bash the remainder to assistance the Eastern European state boom.