Increasingly, family caregivers are juggling multiple competing roles, including paid employment, raising families of their own as well as providing care to parents, spouses or older family members.
In many countries, COVID-19 has disproportionally affected workers who provide care for a family member or friend. The pandemic has meant a bigger care load for these workers with increased carer strain and blurring of boundaries between care and work, now that many are working from home. Fewer community and health supports are available during lockdowns and in many cases, these carers have also had to take on new responsibilities such as home schooling. The result has been increased stress and many of these valuable workers have had to reduce their work hours, turn down opportunities and for some, they have had to leave their employment to handle their caring roles. Plus, many working carers choose to not self-identify, concerned about potential stigma associated with this role in their workplaces.
However, there may be a silver lining to this pandemic. In the past, many employers were resistant to flexible work arrangements, including work from home policies and leaves for emergency caregiving. But faced with lockdowns and other restrictions, many organizations have quickly pivoted to supporting work from home programs, where possible. Additionally, employers may be more supportive of the challenges facing their workers who are also carers. This presents a unique opportunity for organizations to consider implementing carer-friendly policies and programs.
For organizations who embrace a carer-inclusive work culture, there are many benefits, including:
- increased productivity and less absenteeism;
- a more engaged workforce;
- better retention of employees, and
- competitive advantage.
COVID-19 is changing the relationship between employers and employees in many ways and for those organizations and employees who recognize the challenges faced by those balancing work and care, standards can help organizations implement carer-friendly programs. ISO/DIS 23889, Guidelines for Carer-inclusive organizations provides a framework and process for the development of supportive policies and actions to build working carers’ resilience and ability to cope in these demanding times. While each workplace is different and organizations will need to tailor their programs to fit the needs of their workforce and industry, the standard provides guiding principles and practical solutions. Plus, many of these supports can now be provided online. The draft standard also highlights the gendered aspect of caregiving and provides guidance on how organizations can address this issue and take steps to ensure that policies promote gender equality in the workplace.
References:
- Allison Williams, Professor McMaster University and convenor, ISO TC 314, WG3, COVID-19’s silver lining? Creating a caregiver-friendly work culture, https://theconversation.com/covid-19s-silver-lining-creating-a-caregiver-friendly-work-culture-145096
- Picture created by Jcomp at www.freepik.com.