Proposed Solutions to Eldercare Benefits.
One of the proposed solutions to the lack of Eldercare benefits in the workforce is the ideal of flexible work hours, family illness days, and leave time for employees with caregiver responsibilities. Furthermore, telecommuting has now been recognized as a flextime option that many employees are interested in. .
In addition to the issues of time, employers can offer "cafeteria style" benefits which allow employees to select supplemental dependant care coverage to reimburse costs for in-home-care or adult day care. Benefits should also cover therapeutic counseling for the employee to help them deal with the stresses of care giving. .
These solutions are needed because research conducted in the 1990's found that working caregivers could cost employers money as a result of lost work time, lower productivity, and replacement costs for workers who leave the workplace to provide care. A 1991 estimate put these costs at $2,500 per worker involved in care giving! In addition, a 1997 analysis suggested that the cost of employee care giving on a national basis was between $11.4 billion and $29 billion per year (Metropolitan Life Insurance Company, 1997). .
Finally eldercare benefits would allow employees a balance between working and care giving. For example, many employees come to work late or leave early because of the demands of care giving. Many employees use personal or sick days for eldercare reasons and may take unpaid leaves of absence. Furthermore, employed caregivers are less likely to re-locate, do work-related travel, refuse overtime, and accept new assignments. .
For the above reasons, it's obvious that the workforce has a responsibility to incorporate eldercare benefits into each employees benefits packages.