Last week’s blog on the eldercare as the Silent Productiviey Killer in the workplace inspired me to do more research on why employees do not use Corporate Eldercare Benefits.

As I Googled “corporate eldercare programs”, I noticed that most of the articles out there reference the same sources for their data.  This tells me that there is not a lot of research going on in the area of Corporate Eldercare Programs. I found the following sources quoted again and again.

• New York Business Group on Health
• MetLife Mature Market Institute 
• National Alliance for Caregiving

The research from these organizations validates the work done by the others, but I wonder if we are just scratching the surface.

Employees do not use Eldercare Benefits for the following reasons:

1. Many employees do not understand what eldercare is and what benefits are available.
2. Family caregiving responsibilities are seen as “personal and private”.
3. People do not label themselves as “caregivers”.
4. Employees attempt to handle their eldercare issues themselves, often underestimating the time and financial burdens of care.
5. Many employees deny the burden of caregiving and consequently do not realize they need help until they are overwhelmed.
6. Eldercare may be covered as a benefit in the initial hiring kit, but the employee may not need help until later, long after awareness of the benefit has passed.
7. Many employees think they do not qualify for the services.
8. Some internet-based Employee Assistance Programs (EAP) seem too  complicated.
9. There is a stigma associated with caregiving, linked to fears of punishment and ageism.
10. Many employees have difficulty getting supervisors to understand the problems they face.
11. Caregiving responsibilities disrupt work.  Presenteeism (being unable to perform optimally in the office) and Absenteeism (not showing up for work) are reported by many caregivers.  They use personal and vacation days for caregiving needs rather than to get a break from their jobs.  They use work hours for caregiving tasks such as making appointments, transportation, caring for the homebound, making telephone calls, and planning, often because the tasks can only be performed during those times.
12. Companies send conflicting messages.  Eldercare benefits may be funded, but the inflexibility of work hours makes it impossible for employees to take advantage of the services.
13. If organizational and personal priorities are not balanced the benefits simply are not used.

While many businesses offer benefits without understanding the additional support required, there are a number of companies that are learning to market their eldercare programs while making changes that build the employee-employer bond through greater flexibility.

… more on better solutions in a future blog.

Copyright TheNewElder 2012