Employee Caregivers — Striking a Balance Between Work and Family

The Imminent Elder Care Crisis
It should come as no surprise that elder care issues will take center stage as a major employee issue in the new millennium. Currently nearly 25% of all U.S. households are involved in family caregiving to elderly relatives and the numbers are expected to climb significantly over the next decade (National Alliance for Caregiving). In North Carolina alone, it is estimated that the population of one million residents aged 60 and older will likely double in size between 1990 and 2010. By 2025, North Carolina is expected to rank 8th among states in the number of individuals age 65 and older (Division of Aging, NCDHHS).

Impact on Employers
With the overwhelming demands of both caregiving and employment for a growing population of employees, it is easy to understand how the workplace is influenced by these trends. Elder care in the workplace costs U.S. industries between $11 and $29 billion per year due to lost productivity. Most employers do not offer elder care programs and employees have difficulty locating referral services and finding assistance for older family members. This significant strain on employees’ time leads to increased absenteeism and employee preoccupation with these concerns while on the job. These factors may adversely affect employee performance, as well as the productivity of the employer. Employers need to take notice of the potential losses and expense that elder care may have on their bottom line or risk significant consequences as elder care needs continue to grow.

Impact on Employees
Historically, women have been responsible for providing most of the care for an elderly family member. Family caregiving, typically provided by a daughter or daughter-in-law, involves assistance with everyday activities from providing personal care to managing a household. Often this informal caregiving helps delay or avoid the institutional placement of the older person or the need for paid caregiving services. The Metlife Study of Employer Costs for Working Caregivers reports that 64% of these caregivers are employed thereby creating a juggling act between conflicting work and caregiving responsibilities.

The impact of caregiving obligations on work life is far reaching for a majority of today’s caregivers as they often underestimate the time required for the caregiving duties. Many employees begin by providing a small amount of care, gradually increasing the level of responsibility until it begins to conflict with work and other personal needs. Many employees find that caring for adults is equal to or more stressful than providing childcare because elder care issues are more likely to manifest as sudden crises, overwhelming the employee.

It is typical for an employee caregiver to make work adjustments to accommodate additional caregiving duties. These might include using work time to make personal phone calls, arriving late or leaving early from work, taking time off during the day, or making up work during evening or weekend hours. Other changes may include increased use of sick or vacation time, decreased work hours, a formal leave of absence, change to part-time status, terminating employment, finding a new job, or opting for early retirement.

Caregiving may also cause missed opportunities for training or career advancement for the employee. It is difficult for employee caregivers to take full advantage of job promotions, job transfers, relocation, or keep abreast of current job skills. These missed career opportunities often impact employees’ earning potential, retirement savings, and available income. These factors, compounded by the out-of-pocket expenses incurred for caregiving, may result in financial stress for these employees.

Employees who have to manage elder care across long distances experience additional stress. The National Council on the Aging estimates that 3.3 million baby boomers are providing long-distance care, a figure that is expected to more than double over the next 15 years.

Recommendations to Employers
The business community can make a difference in the lives of employee caregivers by taking a proactive approach to meet the emerging needs of the employees’ aging families. Several strategies businesses should consider include:
• Conducting an employee needs assessment to gauge the need and interest in assistance with elder care concerns.
• Providing seminars and educational opportunities for employees to learn about available elder care resources in the community.
• Adopting family-friendly work policies to respect and accommodate the caregiving needs of employees without sacrificing the demands of the job. Examples include incorporating flexible work arrangements such as flextime, compressed work weeks, flexplace, telecommuting, or job-sharing.
• Investing in elder care benefits that help employees with information, counseling, and referral to community resources.
• Implementing an Employee Assistance Program to provide confidential help, information and referral for employees whose personal concerns affect their job performance. An EAP can also assist in integrating elder care services into an existing program.
• Researching the option of providing long-term care insurance to assist employees with the costs of services for family members with prolonged physical illness, disability, or mental disorders.
• For more information on elder care resources in your area, contact Eldercare Locator at 800-677-1116, your local United Way, or visit the Agency on Aging website at www.aoa.dhhs.gov.

The time has come for businesses and employers to address the many challenges facing today’s employee caregivers and to support their worthy contribution to our society. The value and reward of assisting employees to make the best quality caregiving choices for aging family members will dramatically affect the quality of life for our elders as well as benefit the productivity of business and industry.

Family Service of the Piedmont's Employee Assistance Program is facilitated by Steve Terranova. He can be reached at (336) 387-6161 or (336) 889-6161, extension 2231 or at eap@familyservice-piedmont.org.