HR Info
How Caregiving Duties Interrupt the Workday

LifeCare recently polled its clients' employees to learn how caregiving duties impact the workday of those providing care to children and older loved ones. Here are the results of the poll:

If you care for a child or older loved one, what is the one adjustment you make to your work schedule most often?

	Make phone calls/arrangements during the work day — 24%
	Leave work early — 22%
	Take the day off — 16%
	Arrive at work late — 14%
	Ask spouse to adjust his/her schedule — 5%
	Other — 19%

(The responses making up the “other” category each represented one percent or less and included changing from full-time work to part-time work, changing work shifts, waking up earlier and leaving work at lunch.)

“Obviously, people who care for children and older adults are going to need to make adjustments to their work schedules from time to time,” said LifeCare CEO, Peter G. Burki. “But employers can reduce their absenteeism and productivity losses by providing employees with support tools such as resource and referral services and backup care programs.”

Burki cites a 2004 study by Cornell University in which the majority of employers reported that child care services alone had a markedly positive impact on employee absenteeism—reducing missed workdays by as much as 20% to 30%. The same study also stated that a child care program can reduce turnover by as much as 60%.

“One of the services that a growing number of employers are consulting LifeCare about is our Backup Care Connection program. It helps employees make backup care arrangements in advance so that when a crisis does arise or regular care arrangements fall through employees aren't forced to arrive late, leave early or take the day off,” said Burki. The Backup Care Connection program offers solutions for both child and elder care, provides direct placement in a facility or with an in-home caregiver, and features a nationwide network of nearly 2,000 certified child care facilities and 75,000 credentialed in-home caregivers.