Work/life balance: challenges and solutions - 2003 Research Quarterly

HR Magazine, June, 2003 by Nancy R. Lockwood

Eldercare

One of the most significant trends in work/life balance is the increasing focus on eldercare. Researchers point out that work/life professionals anticipate eldercare will become a major issue in the coming years. According to census data, 13% of Americans are age 65 or older, and by 2030, 20% of Americans (about 70 million) will be over age 65. The population age 85 and older is the fastest-growing segment of the older population, growing by 274% over the past 25 years. (24) In addition, the Labor Project for Working Families states that 40% of people caring for elders also have childcare responsibilities. (25) These trends have led to the baby boomer generation being known as the "sandwich generation."

A growing number of companies offer work/life programs addressing eldercare. According to the SHRM[R] 2003 Benefits Survey, while not as mainstream as childcare programs, some organizations offer various forms of eldercare. Eldercare programs include eldercare referral service (20% of respondents), emergency eldercare (3% of respondents), subsidy of eldercare cost (2% of respondents), and paid eldercare (1% of respondents). The 2001. study by Hewitt Associates points out that some employers offer dependent care programs that include help with childcare expenses and assistance with eldercare.

Employee Assistance Programs can play an important role in an organization's eldercare program. Some of the lesser-known benefits of an EAP are referrals to community programs and contacts regarding eldercare issues. Human resource professionals could significantly increase EAP usage by learning more about EAP eldercare support and communicating this to employees. Through these actions, HR professionals can emphasize the importance of EAPs to management and at the same time leverage EAP benefits to employees.

Work/Life Balance in the Relief World

In the "relief world," comprised of organizations with employees and volunteers that provide service and care to communities in need locally and worldwide, the demands of an aging population in the coming decade are increasing the current strong competition for qualified individuals upon which relief organizations depend. "Not only will there be fewer young, keen and free-to-travel individuals who will want to be convinced that agencies are caring, 'best-practice' employers, but more skills and experience will be possessed by older staff likely to have families and other commitments and thus different priorities for their work/life balance." (28) Therefore, organizations that provide relief services may experience increasing difficulty staffing and retaining employees due to the pull of family commitments at home.

Furthermore, the challenges of work/life balance will no doubt impact recruitment, retention and willingness to serve in hardship locations. In view of these factors, voluntary organizations and aid agencies whose missions and services are critical in many parts of the world may well have an even greater need for work/life programs to attract and retain staff.