Until recently, day care for children and personal illness have been the major recognized reasons employees need to take excessive time off from work. But what about elder care? Here comes that word again, the sandwich generation, where adults are not only caring for their young children, but their aging parents as well. Being pulled in many different directions affects employees health and well-being, which has a negative impact on productivity, motivation, and health care costs to an organization. Additionally, employees who provide elder care contribute to work interruptions, and unpaid leave. Experts estimate 60% of Americans providing care for someone 50 or older are employed.
Federal law mandates a leave to care for an ill family member, known as the Family Medical Leave Act, and employers are now looking at elder care benefits as a retention tool, in preparation for economic recovery and the accompanying employee turnover expected over the next few years. Many companies have employee assistance programs, which now include more elder care friendly options, such as help with legal and financial issues related to elder care, medical decision support, and even geriatric care management assistance.
Other retention strategies that encompass elder care are those more commonly thought of for child care, but make the transition easily. These strategies include flexible scheduling, paid personal leave days, telecommuting, and job sharing. So, if you find yourself struggling to balance work and elder care, suggest some of these options to your employer, and stress the benefits to the business they will bring. If your employer values retention and high employee morale, these options should be strongly considered.
