Getting Your Employees Attention Back to Work

It is 9:00 am on a Monday morning. Do you know where your employees' attention is? Is it on work?

Picture this. You are at work. The phone rings. It is your aging father's neighbor calling to say that Dad is walking around outside in his pajamas and seems confused. You have a full day of meetings and deadlines. Your heart sinks as you try to figure out how to care for your dad and keep your job.

The phone rings again. This time it is the school nurse saying that your asthmatic child is having trouble breathing.

According to the American Productivity Audit, one-third of respondents said dependent health concerns were a top reason employees were not able to focus on their job while at work.

What you may not know is that the situations above can just as likely happen to a working woman as to a working man. However if a woman gets the troubling phone call, she is more likely to talk about it at work while the man will not (2003 National Alliance for Caregiving national survey).

Millions of working adults - men and women - are juggling the competing demands of caring for a chronically ill or disabled parent, raising a family, and managing a career.

Working caregivers sacrifice leisure time, and often suffer stress-related illnesses. Negative effects on working caregivers include time lost from work, lower productivity, quitting a job to provide care, lost career opportunities and lower future earnings. Eventually, some 16 percent quit their jobs to provide care full-time. Work disruptions due to employee caregiving responsibilities result in productivity losses of $1,142 per year per employee. According to the Washington Post, researchers estimate that the cost of informal caregiving in terms of lost productivity to U.S. businesses is $29 billion annually.

Caregiving Takes Work-Life Toll

A recent MetLife study dubbed "Juggling Act" revealed some of the productivity-killing adjustments that caregivers choose to make to their work schedules:

  • 84% make phone calls

  • 69% arrive late or leave early

  • 67% take time off during the workday

  • 29% make up work at another time

In addition, a national survey conducted by the National Alliance for Caregiving in 1997 found that two in ten working caregivers turned down the opportunity to work on special projects; almost as many avoided work-related travel. Forty percent of the survey respondents said that caregiving affected their ability to advance in their jobs.

What Employers Can Do

Here are seven measures you can take to reduce employee stress, increase productivity and decrease lost work time due to employee caregiving responsibilities.

  • Offer "cafeteria style" employee benefits which allow employees to select supplemental dependent care coverage to reimburse costs for in-home care or adult day care. Benefits also should cover therapeutic counseling for employees to help cope with the stresses of caregiving.

  • Provide information on helpful Internet sites or resource centers.

  • Organize in-house caregiver support groups or coordinate with local community groups or hospitals so that employees can attend an outside support group.

  • One of the most critical benefits for an employee with caregiving responsibilities is time. Flexible work hours, family illness days, and leave time are key. Data from the Bureau of National Affairs (1993) found that flexible scheduling improved job performance, decreased lateness and employee turnover, and increased job satisfaction.

  • Companies with 50 or more employees must comply with the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA), which allows for up to 12 weeks of unpaid leave to care for a seriously ill parent, spouse or child, while protecting job security. Smaller firms can use the FMLA guidelines to provide support for individual employees.

  • Hold a company "caregiver fair" or a series of lunchtime seminars on issues such as health care planning before a crisis hits or coping skills for caregivers.

  • Offer private long-term care insurance coverage for employees, their spouses, and dependents.

    Employers have a stake in designing responsive and effective programs to support their caregiving employees. Research has demonstrated that the cost to employers of lost productivity and other factors related to caregiving employees' difficulty in balancing work and family is high. Taking action immediately starts to increase productivity, lessen direct and indirect financial costs, and enhance employer/employee work/life relationship ? which directly impacts on employee morale, satisfaction and retention.

    About The Author

    Michael Christian is the President of Patient Advocate Solutions (PAS). PAS provides healthcare navigation and insurance resolution for consumers, employers and healthcare providers. Contact him at (732) 564-9800 or www.pas-now.com

    In The News:

    • pen paper and inkwell


    cat break through


    Outsourcing Quiz: Cheap Vs. Good

    Someone can say, 'Why do you oppose this?' So I'd... Read More

    How to Enhance Quality in Your Business

    Every business must strive to provide quality products and services... Read More

    Collaboration: 3 Keys to Keeping Your Documents from Getting Lost in the Shuffle

    Often, collaborating documents in a team or in a business... Read More

    Innovation Management ? Eliciting Dominant Ideas

    Creativity can be defined as problem identification and idea generation... Read More

    First Things First -- Process BEFORE Technology

    Here's a brief story I encountered while leaving Newark International... Read More

    Operating on Perpetual Overload?

    Check Out Your E-HabitsAnother week has ended. And, despite moving... Read More

    3 Simple Things the Best Managers Do - And You Can Too!

    If it's so simple, why don't managers all over the... Read More

    Know Your Client - The First Rule of Business Coaching

    Whilst the very best coaches have undertaken independently accredited training... Read More

    Computer Consulting 101 Hiring Tips (Part 1 of 2)

    Does your business need the services of a computer consulting... Read More

    Performance Management Made Easy

    Performance Management is a process that both employer and employee... Read More

    Running Successful Meetings - The Key Steps To Getting It Right

    We all complain about meetings which are a waste of... Read More

    Being a Great Boss

    Are you one of those bosses that people just love... Read More

    Popular Business Misconceptions Cost You Money!

    Faulty information costs you money! Which of these popular business... Read More

    Innovation Management ? how does the user benefit?

    Creativity can be defined as problem identification and idea generation... Read More

    Passion for Profits

    Business owners and managers are busier than ever. As their... Read More

    Seven Cs to Avoid Procedure Writing Errors

    You do your best to make sure your organization is... Read More

    Preparing a Budget

    Ok, you say, I know I need a budget, but... Read More

    You Cant Not Communicate

    Most of us would like to be better communicators. As... Read More

    Burger on a Bun Decision Making

    When approaching any decision, it's important for individuals to maintain... Read More

    To Outsource or Not to Outsource

    In these days of restricted head count and tight budgets,... Read More

    Four Employee Behaviors That Can Kill Your Business

    I found it important to clarify for employees what "deal-breaker"... Read More

    Executive Performance -- Whos to Blame for Incompetent Managers?

    A recent article in the Wall Street Journal raised the... Read More

    The Leaders Fallacy May Be Howard Deans Undoing

    Howard Dean's tenure as chairman of the Democratic National Committee... Read More

    How to Deal With Salespeople

    If you are an executive, you may sometimes feel like... Read More

    Reprimanding Marginal Employees

    THE MARGINAL PERFORMER: Every manager must, from time to time,... Read More

    What Makes a Good Appraisal Interview?

    WHAT MAKES A GOOD APPRAISAL INTERVIEW?Here is a tip for... Read More

    Effective Email Communication

    Email, when used properly, can generate additional direct sales and... Read More

    Teaching Large Companies To Think Like The Little Guys

    Q: I am an executive at a large company and... Read More

    Its All In The Systems

    Have you ever noticed french fries taste the same at... Read More

    Write Winning Proposals For Venture Capitalists

    You need to secure money for your project. You visit... Read More

    Mantra for Managers

    What do organizations look for in a prospective employee with... Read More

    Does Your Management Style Remind People Of Something They Read In Dilbert?

    With thanks to Jeff Foxworthy, the comedian who does the... Read More

    What Cross-cultural Training Can Do for You

    International business is more complex than ever before. Success in... Read More