Informal and formal reconciliation strategies of older peoples' working carers: the European carers@work project

Abstract

Faced with a historically unprecedented process of demographic ageing, many European societies implemented pension reforms in recent years to extend working lives. Although aimed at rebalancing public pension systems, this approach has the unintended side effect that it also extends the number of years in which working carers have to juggle the conflicting demands of employment and caregiving. This not only impinges on working carers' well-being and ability to continue providing care but also affects European enterprises' capacity to generate growth which increasingly relies on ageing workforces. The focus of this paper will thus be a cross-national comparison of individual reconciliation strategies and workplace-related company policies aimed at enabling working carers to reconcile both conflicting roles in four different European welfare states: Germany, Italy, Poland, and the United Kingdom.

A Canadian national survey of informal employed caregivers of older adults with and without dementia: Work and employee outcomes

“…In this study, the managers' role was subdivided into two indicators, effective and supportive (Supplemental Appendix 1). In agreement with other studies showing the positive effect of supportive and flexible managers on working CG employees' outcomes (Hoff et al, 2014;Yeandle et al, 2003), our results suggest that the reciprocal relationship between manager and employee, and thoughtfulness about job expectations and results are key to organizational outcomes. Even organizational benefits and total work hours did not show acceptable correlation with work outcomes or the managers' flexibility in this regard.…”

Work restrictions experienced by midlife family care-givers of older people: evidence from six European countries

“…care allowances) compared to Italy, where this financial support is very often used by families to hire (often on an undeclared basis) migrant care workers privately. The transition model of post-communist societies such as Poland (Hoff and Hamblin 2011) resembles to a large extent the Mediterranean pattern, even if characterised by stronger financial constraints. Nevertheless, Polish carers seldom experience work restrictions, given the large availability of informal care due to low employment rates and to the high value attached to intergenerational solidarity in this country, which counterbalances the shortage of public formal services and of dedicated economic resources.…”

“…Care and work obligations may differ from country to country due to different welfare state characteristics: formal and informal care provision, culture, employment rates of women and men, etc . Welfare states representing the most relevant European regimes (Anttonen and Sipilä 1996; Esping-Andersen 1990; Ferrara 1996; Hoff and Hamblin 2011; Kautto 2002; Rostgaard 2002) were included in this study, characterised by significant differences both in terms of care demand–supply and employment rates (Table 1): the Scandinavian social democratic model (Sweden), showing high public investments in elder care, in combination with high employment rates; the liberal (UK) model, implying a broader role for private elder care providers and widespread support to working carers in a context of relatively high employment rates; the German conservative subsidiarity model, allocating primary caring responsibility to families, backed up, however, by a generous long-term care insurance scheme, and with rather high employment rates similarly to the UK; the Mediterranean family-based model (Italy and Greece), with limited public responsibilities for caring, a central role being played by kinship networks, in connection with low employment; and the transition model of post-communist societies such as Poland, resembling in many aspects that of family-based countries, however, with more severe financial constraints.…”

Dementia care-giving and employment: a mixed-studies review on a presumed conflict

“…Legal regulations should protect care-givers of PwD, so they do not fear adverse consequences of career disadvantages due to their care-giving responsibilities. Policies and laws greatly differ among different countries (Arksey and Morée, 2008; Hoff and Hamblin, 2011; Lilly, 2011). In Germany, for example, the regulations on Care-giver Leave and Family Care-giver Leave recently became effective.…”

“…flexible work schedules, reduction of hours to part-time, job sharing, working from home or telecommuting-work), (c) financial assistance and relief ( e.g. subsidised care-giving services), and (d) unpaid and paid leaves (Arksey, 2002; Hoff et al , 2014; Ireson et al , 2016, Ramesh et al , 2017). Care-giver-friendly employers should have in mind that employees aged 40 or more, especially women, could be faced with already existing or future care-giving responsibilities.…”