Employer Support

Balancing the demands of caregiving and work can be stressful and challenging.  For most, this balancing act leads to diminished success at home and at work, leading to depression, disengagement, and reduced work performance.  Employers note that “working caregivers” have a direct negative impact on the company’s bottom line.

“I have had 2 employees ask for time off in the past month to take care of their parents.” - Employer

In the MetLife Caregiving Cost Study: Productivity Losses to U.S. Businesses (July 2006)  the following key findings were discovered:

• The estimated cost to employers with full-time employees with intense caregiving responsibilities is $17.1 billion.
• The average cost per employee for those with intense caregiving responsibilities is $2,441
• The estimated cost to employers for all full-time employed caregivers is $33.6 billion
• The average cost per employee for all full- time, employed caregivers is $2,110

In February 2008, © LifeCare and The National Alliance of Caregiving and Center for Productive Aging, Townson University in a study: Corporate Eldercare Programs: Their Impact, Effectiveness and the Implications for Employers, noted the following key findings:

• 70% of caregiving employees reported taking time off work to fulfill their caregiving responsibilities.
• Employees that did not anticipate being called upon to care reported higher levels of burden.
• Caregiving employees often reported that they waited to use workplace eldercare programs until they “needed them” (crisis, emergency)
• Even for those who did not use the employer program, all caregiving employees felt grateful that their employer offered a program
• Those employees using a Geriatric Care Management program were more focused on work and were less likely to self-report deterioration in health.

In 2004, Harvard Business School Publishing wrote the following:

“Researchers say that presenteeism—the problem of workers’ being on the job but, because of illness or other medical conditions, not fully functioning—can cut individual productivity by one-third or more. In fact, presenteeism appears to be a much costlier problem than its productivity-reducing counterpart, absenteeism. And, unlike absenteeism, presenteeism isn’t always apparent.”

However, those that used an Elder Care Program experienced dramatic changes in their ability to manage work and caregiving.  In fact:

• Presenteeism improved overtime for user of the Geriatric Care Management Program.
• Users of this program were less likely to report deterioration in their health over time.
• Users of this program were less likely to report negative impacts on their work performance.

Erickson Resource Group has the solution.  We offer a variety of services for the employee and the employer.

1. Yearly licensing for all toolkits so your employees can access the information they need immediately without wasting time searching for resources.  See Toolkits for more details.

2. In-person training and webcasts for employees and employers:

• What is caregiving?
  This module outlines the demographics of working caregivers, defines their roles, and presents a basic overview of the challenges of caregiving.
• What do my Aging Parent’s Need:
  This module (part 1 and part 2) examines the practical, physical, legal, social, financial, emotional, spiritual and end of life needs of the aging population.
• How do I approach my parents?:
  This module identifies potential areas of family collaboration and offers communication tools to initiate and facilitate difficult family discussions.
• End of Life Care:
  This modules considers pre-planning choices presented at the end of life and explores responses to grief and saying goodbye.
• Balancing Work and Life:
  This modules reviews the physical, emotional, psychological, social and spiritual reactions to stress and offers techniques that foster a balance of work and life demands.
• Managing Working Caregivers:
  This modules outlines the unique needs of working caregivers and presents techniques to address work-life issues to cultivate employee satisfaction and meet business objectives.

3. EAP consulation:

ERG can work with your existing EAP program to integrate our services into your current benefits programs.

4. Executive package:

This package is offered to identified critical employees.  These employees are given personal access to a Geriatric Care Manager and/or social worker who will provide phone, email or in-person assistance, including individualized evaluation of employee needs and assistance with resource access.

Contact Erickson Resource Group to learn more about how your employees can balance their work and caregiving responsibilities by using our toolkits, seminars, and more*

*All pricing based on per employee cost and will be determined after contacting Erickson Resource Group.  Travel and accommodations not included.