It wears out the body - more than we can handle.

Maannguaq Broberg, social worker.

Why are you a social worker?

- Because I really like helping to develop children. When I realized that I could contribute to their development, I started studying to gain a deeper understanding of child development. It means a lot to me to follow children's development and watch them grow. I am very happy when I am among children - it is as if we give each other energy while we learn and develop together.

How do you experience everyday life?

- The days are different. I always expect to go home with a feeling of having contributed - that is my most important goal. The cooperation among the staff is always good, but of course there are challenges such as staff shortages. This means that we often have to handle several tasks at once, such as cooking, cleaning and doing office work at the same time.

- As a result, we sometimes go home completely exhausted. What we can give the children is limited, and we become very stressed. On average, we have maybe three challenging days a week. The summer period can be especially hard because we are extra busy.

Can you tell us about a day at work that shows how the lack of hands affects you and the children?

- We have experienced only two employees working for 24 children. We gather all the children, help those who need support to eat, and make sure that everyone gets food. It is very stressful. It almost becomes normal to think: “We can handle it”, even though we know that it is neither healthy nor safe to be so pressured.

- We forget about ourselves, and this can have consequences, for example, sick leave due to stress. It's wearing on the body, and we work more than we can handle. Due to the lack of staff, you feel inadequate.

If you could change one thing about your job tomorrow, what would it be?

- The salary. It should be adapted to the reality in which we work. We are placed where the need is greatest – with the youngest children and their development. The salary does not reflect the responsibility and effort we make, especially when everything else in society is also becoming more expensive. We work hard – both at work and in our private lives. Often one person does the work of two or three, without being recognized or compensated. The responsibility we take on goes unnoticed, and the salary remains the same. It feels unfair.

- An economic improvement would make everyday life less stressful. I would also like better opportunities for support, as work is very taxing on the body. For example, access to massage or conversations with a psychologist - that is something that is missing. Often we are only seen when we are overloaded. If we want to buy something for the children, like toys or something else that can make everyday life easier, it often requires a lot of insistence. It is exhausting. At the same time, we also bear the consequences of savings in daycare institutions.