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By Sarah B. Hood

 

Canadian workplaces are starting to address the costs of caregiver burnout

Canadians are facing an increasingly heavy burden in caring for others due to long-term illness, disability or aging. About 35 per cent of our workforce is now providing care to a family member or friend – not counting normal child-rearing duties or care for temporary illnesses or injuries.

 

On January 20, 2015, about 150 Human Resources Professionals Association (HRPA) conference registrants attended an expert panel discussion and workshop on caregiver-friendly workplaces to hear seven unique perspectives on this pressing topic and contribute to a breakout session on applying caregiver-friendly workplace models within their own organization.

 

The panel, moderated by Moderator Kathryn A. Butler Malette, CHRL, former chief human resources officer for the House of Commons, included a broad spectrum of participants.

 

Dr. Donna Lero, a professor at the University of Guelph’s Centre for Families, Work & Well-Being, pointed out that Canadians over the age of 45 saw a 20 per cent increase in caregiving between 2007 and 2012. However, “A growing body of research indicates that there are benefits to employers that do address this issue.”

 

Marcella Daye, a senior policy analyst with the Canadian Human Rights Commission, discussed the legal implications: most Human Rights Codes prohibit discrimination on the basis of family status.“If an employer has a rule that prevents accommodation, that could be a legal problem.”

 

Dr. Jack Watters, vice president of external medical affairs at Pfizer Inc., described the pharmaceutical company’s programs, including one that enables e-visits so employees can be virtually present with relatives at doctors’ appointments, and GetOld.com, which offers resources and encourages dialogue. “It just makes sense morally, ethically, culturally, economically.”

 

“You have to look at this an employer and say, ‘How can we help?’” said Stephen Shea, managing partner, Talent at Ernst & Young. Shea chaired an Employer Panel for Caregivers convened by the Forum of Federal/Provincial/Territorial Ministers Responsible for Seniors, which has just released When Work and Caregiving Collide – How Employers Can Support their Employees Who Are Caregivers, a report highlighting best workplace practices. “I would encourage everybody to think about how to increase the awareness in their own organizations.”

 

Caterina Sanders, vice president of Habanero Consulting Group, says her firm prizes flexibility and employs the self-determination theory of human motivation. “Hire the right people, because then you can step back and let people find good common-sense solutions.”

 

University of Toronto Professor of Psychiatry Dr. Joel Sadavoy is Pencer Chair and Head of Geriatric Psychiatry at Mount Sinai Hospital’s Reitman Centre for Alzheimer’s Support and Training, which carries out research and trains caregivers to change their own behaviour to reduce stress through the Working CARERS Program, delivered nationally through EAP provider Ceridian.

 

BMO joined the Working CARERS Program, which is “led by trained professionals who provide training, but also emotional support,” said Natalie Scott, managing director, Global Benefits & Recognition for BMO.“We’ve spent a lot of time really breaking down the stigma of what it means to ask for help. We can’t leave it up to the managers alone.”

 

A digest of this panel will be published at a later date.

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