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Sick Kids Add to Workplace Anxiety
Even in a strong economy, long-term care for a seriously ill or disabled loved one adds an increased burden on the mental and physical health of an employee, according to a recent study. In the current recessionary climate, that stress for such an employee is compounded by fears about job stability and the potential for layoffs, particularly when an employee is dependent on employer-provided health benefits. And as anxiety mounts on the worker, the employer may lose a productive employee to increased absenteeism or presenteeism, as he or she is too stressed to perform the job adequately. The study was conducted by the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, based in Madison, Wis. Funded by the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, researchers examined data of nearly 19,000 working parents nationally, from 1996 to 2005. Of those surveyed, 15.6 percent have children who are affected by conditions such as autism, diabetes and asthma, as well as temporary conditions such as a broken leg. The results of the study were recently published in the journal Academic Pediatrics. Whitney P. Witt, the author of the article and the lead researcher, says she and her staff were surprised at "the magnitude of the effects on parents' health and mental health," as they handled stress associated with caring for a sick child. "Those caring for children with ongoing limitations were more than three times as likely to report having recently missed time at work, than parents of children without limitations," she says. Among the parents who were employed full time, parents of children with activity limitations had a significantly higher mean number of lost workdays than did parents of children without limitations (0.60 versus 0.29 days, respectively), according to the study. The study also found the parents of children with activity limitations had the highest frequency of reporting their physical or mental-health status as fair or poor, 17.1 percent and 11.8 percent, respectively, compared to parents of children with no limitations, 7.0 percent and 3.8 percent, respectively. In addition, Witt says, employers that aren't sensitive to providing time off for such parents can also be affected by an underperforming employee. "I think it's an important [issue] for employers, because if [parents] are worrying about their children and the care of their children while they're at work because they're not able to take time off, then that's something that I think employers really need to take a good look at, because they may not be getting the best out of their employees," she says. Witt says the study didn't assess whether employees were reluctant to take time off because of fears that doing so would affect their employment, though she says she suspects that is the case with some employees. She adds that the current economy adds further stress, particularly for those employees who may feel reluctant to take needed time to care for loved ones. Karen McLeese, vice president of employee benefit regulatory affairs for CBIZ, a national supplier of business services headquartered in Cleveland, says she frequently counsels employers about the need to comply with FMLA and other paid-time-off regulations. Beyond necessary compliance, however, she also advises employers to consider the quality of an employee's work as a benefit of taking paid time off, she says. "I like to have a discussion with them about doing the right thing, and I mean that very broadly," McLeese says. "I don't mean that employers want to do the wrong thing, but there is a rationale sometimes why it's a good idea not to be resistant to people taking the leave they need. "At the end of the day, it may benefit them, because they retain good, quality people," she says. While some employers offer "no more, no less" than total compliance with FMLA and other time-off regulations, other organizations try to accommodate employees' needs by offering generous paid-time-off benefits or flexible-work arrangements, she says. The FMLA isn't the only solution for employees who need to take time to care for a loved one, Witt says. Alternative benefits, such as back-up care or respite care, which can provide in-home support, are provided by some employers, and can help relieve stressed out parents, she says. Flex-time arrangements or telecommuting can also help to balance productivity with caring for a sick or disabled family member. But, even when these programs are in place, employees have to know they can take the time, says Witt. "What this study shows us is that people are not necessarily able to take advantage of [time-off programs], for whatever reason," she says. "It may be because they don't have paid time off and so they can't afford to do it, or they may risk losing their benefits altogether, which for these families, is extremely important." Kathleen McLeod Caminiti, a partner in the Murray Hill, N.J., law office of Fisher & Phillips, says employers should also make sure to communicate the benefits of the company's paid-time-off programs. "For the employee's situation, they want to know where they stand, what time do they have [and] how to manage their time, especially when you have two parents who potentially have an FMLA bucket of time, to be able to work with that and factor in their care-giving responsibilities," she says. That knowledge, alone, can help to reassure anxious parents, she says. While she says she hasn't noticed an increase in flexible-work arrangements, such as reduced time options, telecommuting or job sharing, Caminiti says such programs are mutually beneficial to both the employer and the employee. "If [parents] are up at nights, staring at the ceiling because their child has a chronic illness or a significant learning disability and they're spending time and money on those issues, to also worry that they're going to lose their jobs or [that they're] somehow a second-class citizen in the workplace is an added stress that's not beneficial to anyone," she says.
August 5, 2009 Copyright 2009© LRP Publications |
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