Exhaustion due to work overload is a slow killer for most people, totally taking over their everyday life. 2017 data of the Bulgarian Chamber of Commerce show that barely 6% of the companies in this country have their stress-management programs. At the same time the burnout problem is a very serious one, since an increasing number of job leavers have been motivating their decision with this issue – and business registers losses to the tune of EUR 35 – 40 million annually.

Ruslan Radukov decided to leave his previous job and start a life away from the city of Plovdiv after a decade of hard work, 12 hours every day and a bad habit that the man coped quickly with soon after his quitting. Ruslan found salvation no further than 27 km away from there – in the village of Dedovo, where he used to spend the summers as a kid. He says laughing that he knows each lawn and forest and all the mushrooms and herbs in the region. Soon after his relocating to the village for good, the man realized that the best way to get rid of the accumulated negative aspects in his life, was to start helping other people with similar issues. He decided to jump into a new adventure, aimed totally at family leisure time and he knew that it would mean lots of compromises and deprivation.

“The project is fully aimed at families with children. The place is a common hut at the heart of the Rhodope Mountain, but people appreciate it a lot. The kids learn a lot while staying there, acquiring numerous skills and at the same time their parents can take a rest and enjoy observing the potential their kids display. We recreate an everyday life, where children begin doing things as soon as they open their eyes in the morning”, Ruslan Radukov explains.

It might sound a bit shocking at first, but when they come on the spot, the kids realize that almost all of their training will take place outdoors, in the form of various and interesting games. Ruslan shares that the inspiration to come up with new adventures never leaves him thanks to his own three sons. He fully relies on their judgement of their coevals’ needs – in his words kids don’t carry the psychological burden of adults and their view of life and its challenges is often much more realistic and optimistic. They tend to find simple solutions to issues that the grownups see as complicated.

One of those appears to be the lack of skilled manpower that can turn the vacation of the guests into an unforgettable experience. There is only one solution, according to Ruslan – employees must be motivated to return to their employer. He gives his own site as an example: “those employed here used to make the same money as us a couple of years ago. However, today they earn more.” This is so due to the fact that a large share of the revenues is allocated to worthy salaries. According to Ruslan, a growing number of employers will embrace the idea that hard work, respect and attitude shown towards their employees’ efforts are the key to success in buisiness.

English version: Zhivko Stanchev