How do Informal Caregivers of Seniors’ Tasks Lead to Presenteeism and Absenteeism Behaviors? A Canadian Quantitative Study

Abstract

This study extends our knowledge on the role of informal caregivers of seniors and the impact of this role on presenteeism and absenteeism at work. Based on the conservation of resources theory, this article seeks to gain insights into the mechanisms and antecedents of presenteeism and absenteeism among employees who are also informal caregivers of seniors. Specifically, this article argues that family–work conflict and emotional exhaustion mediate the relationship between the informal caregiver’s role, presenteeism, and absenteeism. Quantitative data (questionnaire) from this cross-sectional study were collected from 915 informal caregivers of seniors from 8 Canadian organizations. Structural equation modelling (SEM) was undertaken using IBM SPSS AMOS 28.0 to test all hypotheses. Informal caregivers of seniors who need to coordinate and organize healthcare are at a higher risk of experiencing family–work conflict. Family–work conflict experienced by informal caregivers subsequently leads to emotional exhaustion, presenteeism, and absenteeism. Because informal caregiving of seniors is likely to increase in coming years for many workers, organizations must be aware of the possible consequences of this role on work productivity. This study shows that not all tasks of informal caregivers of older adults lead to presenteeism and absenteeism through family–work conflict and emotional exhaustion. This study is innovative because, to our knowledge, no study of informal caregivers of older adults has examined the effect of different tasks in this role on presenteeism and absenteeism.

Double-duty caregivers enduring COVID-19 pandemic to endemic: “It’s just wearing me down”

“…The qualitative data consistently highlighted the overarching theme of navigation difficulties within health and community systems. Family caregivers often find themselves becoming the de facto navigators in these systems [ 10 , 11 , 49 , 50 ]. Before the pandemic (2017), Taylor and Quesnel-Vallée estimated that family caregivers spend a significant portion of their time (15 to 50%) on the structural burden of care, which involves assessing and understanding needs, advocating for care, accessing services, and coordinating various aspects [ 37 ].…”

“…The research on caregiver-friendly workplace policies is also relevant to health care systems [ 103 , 104 ]. Since 2013, the landscape family caregivers navigate is increasingly challenging, marked by prolonged and demanding care trajectories because of advancements in medicine, longer lifespans, and cost-cutting measures that shift care responsibilities onto families [ 4 , 50 , 58 ]. These caregivers now shoulder not only personal care and extended activities of daily living, but also medical and nursing duties traditionally done by regulated health professionals.…”

“…Increased caregiving hours raise the risk of work-family or family-work conflicts, where the demands or time requirements of work and family responsibilities clash [ 46 , 47 ] and may contribute to stress and poor mental health [ 48 , 49 ]. A recent study involving Canadian employees from various industries (automotive, manufacturing, insurance, research and development, health and social services, municipal government), highlighted that the number of hours spent organizing and coordinating healthcare tasks, rather than other family care tasks like housework, was associated with increased family-work conflict [ 50 ]. Employed family caregivers who dedicate over 20 hours per week to caregiving are 1.9 times more likely to experience poor work-life balance and twice as likely to leave their jobs compared to those providing less than 10 hours of care per week [ 45 ].…”