Combining Work and Eldercare: a study of employees in two City Councils who provide informal care for older people

By Judith Davey and Sally Keeling

This research project involved the workforce of two city councils - Wellington and Christchurch - with a combined workforce of 3809 men and women in a variety of occupations

Key findings:

In most cases, carers find their employers sympathetic and willing to be flexible. But some managers or workmates do not appreciate their situation

The predominant method of juggling work and eldercare is the use of occasional phone calls from work, followed by annual leave. Other methods were time in lieu, flexitime and sick or domestic leave.

The nature of the care is unpredictable, with two thirds of the carers having had to deal with at least one crisis in the previous 6 months.

Many people in the study found it helpful just being involved in the study and discovering they were not alone in the workplace

Some strategies for managing work and eldercare arose through the study, but they tended to be community and family based rather than work based.

New Zealand Department of Labour Future of Work Project