Create a future-ready workplace or brace yourself for the fallout, says McMaster’s Allison Williams
This article was produced in partnership with McMaster University, Faculty of Science
By 2040, nearly one in four Canadians will be over 65, and with public resources stretched and private care often unaffordable, the responsibility for elder care increasingly falls to family members.
These spouses, children, siblings, nieces, nephews, friends and neighbors comprise the majority of Canada’s workforce. Known as carer-employees (CEs), Dr. Williams says Canadian employers need to be made aware of this important demographic given that they are often the most well trained and experienced workforce.
“The workplace has no option but to accommodate CEs and decisionmakers need to move now if they’re going to be prepared and stay competitive,” Williams, professor at McMaster University, warns. “The numbers around our growing aging and dependent population say it all.”
The statistics are stark.
The price of supporting the health of Canadians in their twilight years is steep for government and policymakers — for a person over 65, it costs the public an average of $12,000 per year for health care needs versus $2,000 per year for someone under that benchmark — but the cost of ignoring the care of this significant demographic shift is even steeper for organizations.
With concern around recruitment and retention being perennial issues across industries, many employers are eager to do what they can to keep their people onboard and happy. Turnover costs spike due to the approximately six percent of CEs who leave the workforce completely, with others dropping to part-time or casual status to offset their unpaid care work when their organization doesn’t step in.
“There are real consequences to not paying attention to this issue — people will punch out one way or another,” Williams says. “Employers need to pay attention. If they don’t, they’ll lose their workforce.”
There are signs of CEs disengaging from work, such as presenteeism — physically present but disconnected, or outright absenteeism, resulting in lower productivity. CEs are also at risk for stress, burnout, mental health issues, and even physical ailments, putting a strain on other resources — such as disability leave and health care benefits.
By creating a carer-friendly workplace (CFWP), Williams explains, organizations can minimize the impact of the CE fall-out. While CFWPs look different from company to company, the idea is to provide some mix of support services, paid or unpaid leave, and flexible work options.
Williams has spearheaded extensive research on the topic including two international scoping reviews, “Availability of caregiver-friendly workplace policies” (CFWPs), that provides the first international synthesis of available policies, as well as a follow-up study.
In the latter, Williams and her co-authors discovered that an increasingly popular option is for employers to “offer an envelope of funds” for employees to use on what they need most, whether it be daycare for a parent with Alzheimer’s, or physiotherapy services for a dependent’s fall prevention program.
“This kind of approach gets at work-life balance issue while providing all employees with the agency to meet their needs in whatever way works best for them,” Williams notes.
But none of these accommodations serve their purpose if they don’t rest on a company culture that’s genuinely inclusive of CEs, Williams explains. In many organizations, caregiving is seen as a private issue — even though one-third of working Canadians are CEs. Changing company culture is where HR can move the needle.
“If a workplace is going to become carer-friendly, it must be cognizant of that fact that culture change is a big component of making it all work, but it won’t happen overnight,” Williams explains, adding that education and training across all levels of the workplace is critical. This includes how to recognize a CE, as there’s a deep lack of self-identification due to CEs’ concern about being stigmatized.
But it doesn’t have to be complicated or require an immediate investment of resources; one of the most simple and impactful moves an employer can make is to just start the conversation, she says. For example, identifying a champion CE, ideally at a senior executive level, who can serve as a role model; “They should be vocal, make it public that they’re balancing unpaid care, and thereby raise awareness of the issue,” Williams advises. “That trickles down through the workplace hierarchy, or across a horizontal workplace.”
Though Williams sees carer-friendly workplaces as an ethical imperative for organizations across the board, there are many business advantages for adopting carer-friendly workplace practices. One rests on enhanced equity, diversity, and inclusion (EDI).
“Each of us has responsibilities outside of work and, while oftentimes parenting is included in EDI initiatives, unpaid carers of adult dependents are forgotten,” Williams explains, adding that although EDI is losing steam under the current government administration stateside, she is hopeful that its foundation will continue to be built in Canada.
“People recognize we’re stronger as a result of EDI, and research tells us that diverse organizations are more productive and successful. The literature also shows that the greater the number of intersectional axes of diversity a person identifies with across an EDI framework — sex, age, visible minority, unpaid adult caregiver, etc. — the more vulnerable they are to negative outcomes that stem from the burden of caregiving. Employers can’t afford to forget about CEs when considering EDI initiatives.”
When organizations deploy inclusive CFWP accommodations, the bottom line is workers are more likely to show up at work and get the job done. They’ll be motivated to go above and beyond to complete tasks, and they’ll have stronger, more trusting relationships with supervisors and managers — all of which are key to driving that critical culture change piece.
Increased employee loyalty, productivity and improved job satisfaction, together with reduced turnover, absenteeism, and presenteeism are compelling — but it’s the numbers that really make the case for those at the helm of organizations. With that lens, the business case for supporting carer-employees is an easy one.
According to a cost implications intervention study conducted by the American Association of Retired Persons (AARP), for every dollar invested in flex time, companies can expect a return on investment ranging from $1.70 - $4.34. Additionally, an intervention study conducted by McMaster University found that a carer-friendly workplace intervention resulted in a significant reduction of employees’ adverse health outcomes, negative work outcomes, and proved to be cost-effective.
There are some organizations that have set the gold standard for CFWPs, and a lot can be learned from them. There is no shortage of trailblazers, including GSK’s global minimum standard of up to four weeks paid leave for care of a family member, to Vancity, featured in a recent webinar by McMaster University Continuing Education.
The Canadian Hospice Palliative Care Association also provides a Canadian Compassionate Companies (CCC) certification, with some of the top companies in Canada being Ross, Canuck Place, Cadence, Covenant Health, Fidelity, and The North Simcoe Muskoka Hospice Palliative Care Network. Further, Pallium has also rolled out a Compassionate Workplaces Campaign to guide employers.
In addition, the 4C Strategy partnered with the Canadian Centre for Caregiving Excellence’s Supporting Caregivers in the Workplace Roundtable Report, which includes insight and best practice sharing from CE-inclusive organizations.
Undoubtedly, HR professionals have a lot on their plates. They’re still grappling with COVID-19-related issues as well as coping with the mental health epidemic, for example. Canada has fallen behind other countries, such as the UK and Australia, in accommodating CEs and, given the need to improve our productivity and competitiveness, we can’t afford to fall further behind. The time to move on best accommodating CEs is now.
Williams’ own work lights the way. She was pivotal in partnering with the Canadian Standards Association in the creation of the voluntary CSA B701-17 (R2021), Carer-inclusive and accommodating organizations, which “serves as a formula for how any workplace, irrespective of size or sector, can create a CFWP,” she notes. Further, the accompanying Handbook offers real-world case studies and actionable advice.
Williams also partnered with McMaster Continuing Education to offer a free online course, based on the Standard and Handbook, complimentarily available through 2029. The incentive there is to gain a micro-credential to keep up with professional development hours. These roadmaps, along with McMaster’s other extensive resources, are there for the taking.
“It’s time to engage,” Williams sums up. “Commit to reviewing the Standard, reading the Handbook, completing the course, and creating a workplace that’s built for the future — or else brace yourself for the fallout.”
