照顧老人與職場成功能否兩全？
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????親愛的安妮：希望您和您的讀者能給我一些建議。我在一家金融服務公司任中層，表現(xiàn)一直很優(yōu)秀——在四年內(nèi)曾被兩次升職，直到最近發(fā)生了一些事情。我的父母都已經(jīng)八十多歲，他們最近搬到了離我更近的一個小鎮(zhèn)上，便于我照看他們。他們居住在一家有輔助看護的養(yǎng)老院，但我還是需要陪他們?nèi)タ瘁t(yī)生，時不時地過去確保他們的食品和藥物充足。 ????但問題在于，我的公司不允許彈性工作制或遠程辦公，對于我每周一兩次迫不得已遲到或早退的情況，老板說了一些很尖銳的話。我的許多同事也在面臨類似的情況，所以請問我們是否有什么選擇，或者享有哪些法定權(quán)利？我們都不希望為了靈活的辦公時間而跳槽。您有什么建議？——S.O.S. ????親愛的S.O.S.：盡管這樣的安慰有些蒼白，但你與同事的情況并非個例，在美國正呈現(xiàn)日益增長的趨勢。為了正確看待你面臨的困境，我們來看一系列統(tǒng)計數(shù)據(jù)：皮尤研究中心（Pew Research）的調(diào)查發(fā)現(xiàn)，約有4,000萬美國人，目前正在幫助照顧至少一位父母的日常生活，其中大多數(shù)人的年齡在40歲至59歲之間。大多數(shù)看護者為女性，男性占45%。此外，美國退休者協(xié)會（AARP）的調(diào)查發(fā)現(xiàn)，大多數(shù)看護者都有工作，其中70%不得不“做一些工作上的調(diào)整”——比如遲到或早退。 ????但許多雇主似乎并未開始關注這一問題。比如：據(jù)人力資源管理協(xié)會（Society for Human Resources Management）2014年的員工福利調(diào)查發(fā)現(xiàn)，為尋找老人看護資源的員工提供轉(zhuǎn)介服務的雇主僅有5%。只有不到1%的雇主會提供老人醫(yī)療咨詢，或是在緊急情況下提供后援看護服務等福利。 ????至于說員工的合法權(quán)利，現(xiàn)在還不夠完善?！都彝メt(yī)療休假法案》（Family Medical Leave Act，F(xiàn)MLA）和類似的州級法律規(guī)定，如果員工為解決家庭問題而不得不無薪休假，雇主應該保留員工的職位。勞動法律師事務所Fisher & Phillips的合伙人史蒂芬?伯恩斯坦表示，在某些情況下，請假的時間“可以是斷斷續(xù)續(xù)的，而不是連續(xù)的，最少可按15分鐘的增量累計。但這并不適用于所有情況?！?/p> ????包括密爾沃基、坦帕、華盛頓特區(qū)和亞特蘭大在內(nèi)的許多城市，均通過了地方性法規(guī)，禁止“家庭責任歧視”。鑒于大多數(shù)看護者是女性，因此公平就業(yè)機會委員會（Equal Opportunity Commission）和法院也認為，某些禁止性別歧視的聯(lián)邦和州級法律，同樣適用于這一問題。 ????但伯恩斯坦認為，在大多數(shù)情況下，盡管老人看護者可能很快就能得到更多法律保護，但這畢竟是一個“正在發(fā)展變化的領域”。他補充道，隨著7,700萬嬰兒潮一代步入老年，“將有越來越多的人一直工作到70多歲，同時還要照顧90多歲的親人。立法者和雇主都必須認識到這一點。” ????毫無疑問，即便只是因為照顧老人的成本高昂這一原因，它也值得雇主關注。例如，美國大都會人壽保險（MetLife）2010年的報告稱，員工照顧老人導致的生產(chǎn)效率下降、缺勤和因看護者不堪重負所產(chǎn)生的更高的醫(yī)療成本，每年為美國公司造成170億至340億美元的損失。 ????那么，除了辭職之外，你和你的同事還能做什么？首先，福利公司Care.com的老人服務副總裁朱迪?加斯特弗萊德表示：“要看到集體的力量?！彼ㄗh你們共同去找公司人力資源部的相關人員，談談靈活辦公時間的問題。 ????她認為：“靈活的辦公時間是首要問題。”沒有人會對你們的要求感到意外?！办`活辦公時間已經(jīng)成為一個全國性話題，所以現(xiàn)在提出這樣的要求比以往要容易得多?！?/p> ????與此同時，你需要將自己的情況如實告訴自己的老板。福利咨詢公司Ceridian LifeWorks的員工與領導力培訓總監(jiān)麗莎?布爾表示：“如今，管理者有太多問題需要處理，如果你不告訴他們，他們不可能了解你正面臨怎樣的困境?！彼硎荆蠖鄶?shù)老板會愿意給有價值的員工提供靈活的辦公時間，而且“即使一點點靈活性，對于緩解壓力也有極大幫助”，或者至少會減少你所聽到的那些“尖銳的話。” ????此外，布爾補充道，你還應該仔細研究一下公司的員工援助計劃（EAP），看看公司是否有可用的老人看護資源。 ????她說道：“除非必須用到它，否則，大多數(shù)人根本不清楚雇主的員工援助計劃包括哪些內(nèi)容?！蹦承﹩T工援助計劃至少能幫員工聯(lián)系提供老人看護信息和支持的政府機構(gòu)和非營利組織，或幫助員工聯(lián)系全美護理聯(lián)盟（National Alliance for Caregiving）或家庭看護者聯(lián)盟（Family Caregiver Alliance）等組織。 ????對現(xiàn)在的你比較有價值的消息是，經(jīng)布爾預測，越來越多的雇主很快將開始為老人看護者提供幫助，因為“這將成為吸引和留住人才的一個有效工具，尤其是非?？粗毓ぷ?生活平衡的千禧一代?！?/p> ????對嬰兒潮一代也是如此。Ceridian LifeWorks為其員工提供靈活的辦公時間，慷慨的員工援助計劃，以及針對老人看護者的其他支持，雖然對于一家福利行業(yè)的公司來說，這并不令人感到意外。布爾要同時照顧一位76歲的老人和14歲的孩子，她說道“如果我找其他工作，肯定也要求有這些福利。所以，我沒有選擇?！?/p> ????反饋：你的公司是否會提供靈活辦公時間或其他老人看護協(xié)助？如果你就是一位看護者，那么，幫助你做好工作的因素都有哪些？歡迎評論。(財富中文網(wǎng)) ????翻譯：劉進龍/汪皓 |
????Dear Annie:I’m hoping you and your readers can offer some suggestions. I’m in middle management at a financial services company and my performance has always been great—I’ve been promoted twice in four years—until recently. My parents, who are in their late 80s, have moved to a town nearby to be closer so that I can help them out. They’re in an assisted-living facility, but I need to go with them to doctors’ appointments, stop by to check on them, and make sure they have groceries and medications. ????The problem is, my company doesn’t allow flexible hours or telecommuting, and my boss has started making pointed remarks about the times when I am unavoidably late or have to leave early, once or twice a week. A few of my colleagues are dealing with similar situations, so we’re wondering if we have any options, or any legal rights. None of us wants to go work somewhere else to get flextime. Your thoughts? —Save Our Sanity ????Dear S.O.S.:Cold comfort though it may be, you and your coworkers are part of a growing national trend. To put your predicament in perspective, a few statistics: about 40 million Americans, most aged 40 to 59, now are helping at least one elderly parent with the tasks of daily living, says a Pew Research study, and, although most caregivers are women, about 45% are men. Moreover, AARP research says most caregivers have jobs, but 70% are obliged to “make workplace adjustments”—coming in late or leaving early, for instance. ????Yet it seems many employers haven’t caught on. Consider: a scant 5% offers a referral service to employees looking for eldercare resources, according to the 2014 Employee Benefits Survey from the Society for Human Resources Management. Fewer than 1% offers benefits like geriatric counseling or backup eldercare services for emergencies. ????As for your legal rights, they’re a bit sketchy. The Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA) and its state counterparts say employers have to keep your job open for you if you take an unpaid leave of absence to deal with family issues. In some instances, the time off “can be intermittent, rather than continual, and in increments as small as 15 minutes,” says Steven Bernstein, a partner at employment law firm Fisher & Phillips. “But that doesn’t apply in every situation.” ????A few cities, including Milwaukee, Tampa, Washington D.C., and Atlanta, have passed local statutes prohibiting “family responsibility discrimination.” Since most caregivers are female, the Equal Opportunity Commission and the courts have also found that some federal and state laws against sex bias apply in these matters. ????But for the most part, although caregivers may soon gain more legal protection, this is still “an evolving area,” Bernstein says, adding that, as 77 million Baby Boomers head into old age, “more people are working into their 70s and taking care of relatives in their 90s. It’s something lawmakers, and employers, will have to start recognizing.” ????No doubt, if only because eldercare problems are expensive. A 2010 report from MetLife says, for instance, that caregiving costs U.S. businesses from $17 billion to $34 billion annually in lost productivity, absenteeism, and higher medical expenses for stressed-out caregivers. ????So, what can you and your coworkers do now, short of quitting? First, says Jody Gastfriend, vice president of senior services at benefits firm Care.com, “There is power in numbers.” She suggests you go as a group to speak with someone in your company’s HR department about the need for flextime. ????“Flexible hours are the No. 1 issue here,” she notes, adding that no one is likely to be surprised by your request. “Flextime has become a national conversation, so it’s easier to bring up than it used to be.” ????At the same time, you need to lay your cards on the table with your boss. “Managers now have so many things to contend with, they can’t know what you’re dealing with unless you tell them,” says Lisa Bull, director of employee and leadership learning at benefits consultants Ceridian LifeWorks. She says most bosses are willing to work out flexible hours with a valued employee and that “even a little bit of flexibility can go a long way” in taking some of the pressure off, or at least cutting down on the “pointed remarks” you’ve been receiving. ????You should also take a close look at your company’s Employee Assistance Program (EAP), Bull adds, to see if there are available eldercare resources. ????“Most people don’t even know the range of what their employer’s EAP provides, until they need to use it,” she notes. Some EAPs will at least connect you with local government agencies and nonprofits that offer eldercare information and support, or with organizations like the National Alliance for Caregiving or the Family Caregiver Alliance. ????For what it’s worth to you now, Bull predicts that more employers will start to offer help with eldercare before too long, because “it’s becoming a huge tool for attracting and retaining talent, especially among Millennials, who put a high priority on work-life balance.” ????So do Boomers. Not surprisingly for a company in the benefits business, Ceridian LifeWorks offers its employees flextime, a generous EAP, and other support for caregivers. And since Bull is taking care of both a 76-year-old parent and a 14-year-old child, she says, “If I were looking for a job somewhere else, I’d look for those same benefits. I’d have no choice.” ????Talkback:Does your company offer flextime or other eldercare assistance? If you’re a caregiver, what helps you get your job done? Leave a comment below. |
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