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employees. In fact, according to the Home
Instead survey, 91 per cent of female caregivers
report having had to take action to
accommodate being an employee and a
caregiver. The most common actions include
taking paid time off, switching
from full time to part time, avoiding certain
responsibilities and turning down
promotions. All of the hours spent caregiving
– combined with the sacrifices
made in the workplace – can leave daughters
in the workplace with undue strain
and stress in their lives.
“Caring for a senior loved one touches
almost every aspect of a caregiver’s
life, including their work. When employers
have a greater understanding of their
employee’s caregiving responsibilities,
commitments and obligations, they are
better equipped to provide the appropriate
workplace supports so employees can
effectively manage family and work,” said
Spinks.
To help educate working family
caregivers on how to work with their employers
to address some of the challenges
they face, DaughtersintheWorkplace.ca
includes conversation starters and health
tips for caregiving employees, as well as
communication tips for employers and
signs caregiving employees need support.
Additionally, the website includes an interactive
quiz in which caregivers can
equip themselves with the knowledge of
the protected family leave rights that may
be available to them.
“Our hope is that by highlighting the
struggles that family caregivers experience,
and providing them with possible
solutions and tips they can implement
in their home and work lives, we can
help ensure they are happy and healthy
in their work lives while also being able
to provide their loved ones with the care
they need,” said Dolan.
While women make up two-thirds of
family caregivers, the solutions to addressing
caregiving challenges in the
workplace are gender-neutral. Family
caregivers and employers can view
program resources and tips at
www.DaughtersintheWorkplace.ca.
WORKING HARD OR HARDLY
WORKING?
If you’ve ever felt like there’s not enough
time in the workweek, your cell phone
and list of errands may be to blame.
Canadian professionals surveyed by
staffing firm OfficeTeam said they squander
an average of 43 minutes per day, or the
equivalent of more than three and a half
hours a week, using their mobile device for
non-work activities in the office. In contrast,
senior managers estimate their staff
members spend 32 minutes each day on
their cell phones during business hours.
Workers also admitted to clocking 40
minutes a day on personal tasks. All in
all, the average employee could be wasting
nearly seven hours per workweek on activities
unrelated to the job.
“While managers recognize that staff
will periodically need to check in on their
life outside of work, employees should
try to limit distractions from personal
texts, emails or errands,” said Koula
Vasilopoulos, a district president for
OfficeTeam. “To stay focused and productive,
turn off the ringer of your mobile
devices while working and instead use
your breaks or lunch hour to catch up on
personal matters.”
UNIFOR ADVOCATES FOR
CHANGES TO BILL 148
“The current low-wage, part-time and
contract-to-contract job market has led
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HRPROFESSIONALNOW.CA ❚ AUGUST 2017 ❚ 13
