Back-to-school season is an exciting time for parents. But for Canadians in the sandwich generation, who care both for their children and elderly relatives, this time of year can be downright daunting.
The stress experienced by members of this generation has a direct impact on their employers—and this trend will become even more pronounced as Canadian society ages. The good news, however, is that employers are not helpless.
According to a 2012 Canadian academic study called Balancing Work, Childcare and Eldercare, 25% to 35% of respondents balance work, caregiving and/or childcare. And 60% of those in the caregiver group belong to the sandwich generation.
The study, which polled about 25,000 Canadian employees, showed that work/life conflict had a negative impact on employee performance. A large number of survey respondents reported that work/life issues caused them to be absent more often (25%), reduce their work productivity (22%), make greater use of work benefits (21%) and reduce their work hours (19%).
The report also revealed that 77% of respondents missed work in the six-month period before the study. Of those, one in three missed work due to childcare issues and one in 10 due to eldercare. Those absent due to childcare missed 7.8 days a year, while those absent due to eldercare issues missed 9.6 days a year.
Two-thirds of all survey respondents worked a fixed nine-to-five schedule. Flexible schedules were available only to 14%, while compressed workweeks to 15%. Informal telecommuting was available to 15%, while only less than 1% of respondents were able to formally telecommute.
So what can employers do?
They can become more flexible, which would mitigate the impact of caregiving, according to Linda Duxbury of Carleton University’s Sprott School of Business, co-author of the report.
Specifically, the study recommends introducing flexible work arrangements. A number of HR experts note that moving away from a model that puts emphasis on being present to a model that focuses on meeting performance objectives is the way forward.
The study also recommends that employers should expand their employee assistance programs to include specialized resources such as eldercare referral services and counseling.
Additionally, the study says, companies should introduce policies that address the needs of caregivers.
Organizations should also educate their entire workforce, especially management, about work-life issues and they should offer training about managing the emotional aspects of caregiving. Last but not least, employers should introduce a la carte style flexible benefits.
Linda Duxbury will speak at our Benefits & Pension Summit in Vancouver on Sept. 17. Register by Sept. 5 to take advantage of our early-bird pricing!