National Caregiver Day: Canadian organizations need to better support carer-employees in the workplace

• As Canada observes National Caregiver Day (April 2), it’s a special occasion for recognizing and honouring those who provide unpaid care to those in need.
• Read more:
  Stressed and exhausted caregivers need better support

  The majority of employers across Canada do not accommodate carers in the workplace.

• Canadians can make National Caregiver Day count for their organizations by not only celebrating the carer-employees that work there, but by sustaining their continued employment through the creation of carer-friendly supports.

Meeting the needs of carer-employees

• A recent community-university partnership, where McMaster University partnered with Carers Canada, provides solutions for improving the lives of carer-employees.
• The Balancing Work and Care report outlines four pillars to help organizations create more flexible and accommodating workplaces that meet the needs of individuals balancing paid work and unpaid caregiving responsibilities.

Policy: Canada should aim to rank first among the G7 in providing supports for carers. This should include financial programs that provide the means for carer-employees to modify their employment while caregiving.
Culture: Work and life should be meaningfully integrated and normalized so caregiving responsibilities can be equitably accommodated.
Leadership: Employers should involve employees in the creation of carer-friendly and supportive workplaces as part of their core organizational operating procedures.
Motivation: Employers across Canada should have access to independent, applied research to inform their policies and practices for carer-employees.

• Acknowledging and supporting carer-employees not only demonstrates compassion and humanity, but also makes good business sense.
• In Canada, the annual cost of replacing the unpaid work provided by these carer-employees amounts to a staggering $51.5 billion.

Building better workplaces

• To celebrate National Caregiver Day this year, McMaster University is launching a free online course called Creating Caregiver-Friendly Workplaces.
• McMaster’s Gender, Health and Caregiver Friendly Workplaces program is another key source for both research evidence and tools for organizations.

• These resources offer practical ideas for creating carer-friendly workplaces.
• The standard applies to any organization, regardless of size, public or private sector, location or community setting.

Caring for the future

• Currently 349 million people worldwide are estimated to be depending on care, with 101 million of these 60 years of age and older.
• The growing number of carer-employees need to be supported to best balance their caring role with work responsibilities.

Allison Williams receives funding from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research, the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council and the Petro-Canada CareMakers Foundation.