The labor conditions of Kaunas public servants in 1918-1940

There was plenty of dilettantism in the process of creating the foundations of a state during the first years of statehood. This was at least partly compensated for by the enthusiasm of society and by the long working hours of public servants who sacrificed their personal lives. As the state grew, its institutions were consistently strengthened and the working conditions of civil servants gradually improved. One of the biggest difficulties was the very high concentration of employees in offices. Two or three civil servants would share one desk in a small office, resulting in low efficiency. This high concentration of civil servants in small spaces caused other problems. Small rooms with inadequate sanitary regulations created favorable conditions for diseases, especially tuberculosis. Smoking in the workplace was not forbidden until the middle of the 1930s and, in some institutions, even later. These problems were eventually solved; for example, 10 square metres of work space were allocated for each employee at the Ministry of Finance. The working day for civil servants was set at 6 hours, and they worked six days a week. Even though there were no regulation of lunch break for rest and further works activation at the institutions, there was a tradition of “tea time” (about at 12 p.m.)Viešojo administravimo katedraVytauto Didžiojo universiteta