照顧老人與職場(chǎng)成功能否兩全？
|
????親愛(ài)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(wù)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(gè)小鎮(zhèn)上，便于我照看他們。他們居住在一家有輔助看護(hù)的養(yǎng)老院，但我還是需要陪他們?nèi)タ瘁t(yī)生，時(shí)不時(shí)地過(guò)去確保他們的食品和藥物充足。 ????但問(wèn)題在于，我的公司不允許彈性工作制或遠(yuǎn)程辦公，對(duì)于我每周一兩次迫不得已遲到或早退的情況，老板說(shuō)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(qǐng)問(wèn)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(shí)間而跳槽。您有什么建議？——S.O.S. ????親愛(ài)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(gè)例，在美國(guó)正呈現(xiàn)日益增長(zhǎng)的趨勢(shì)。為了正確看待你面臨的困境，我們來(lái)看一系列統(tǒng)計(jì)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(wàn)美國(guó)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(hù)者為女性，男性占45%。此外，美國(guó)退休者協(xié)會(huì)（AARP）的調(diào)查發(fā)現(xiàn)，大多數(shù)看護(hù)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(kāi)始關(guān)注這一問(wèn)題。比如：據(jù)人力資源管理協(xié)會(huì)（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(hù)資源的員工提供轉(zhuǎn)介服務(wù)的雇主僅有5%。只有不到1%的雇主會(huì)提供老人醫(yī)療咨詢，或是在緊急情況下提供后援看護(hù)服務(wù)等福利。 ????至于說(shuō)員工的合法權(quán)利，現(xiàn)在還不夠完善。《家庭醫(yī)療休假法案》（Family Medical Leave Act，F(xiàn)MLA）和類似的州級(jí)法律規(guī)定，如果員工為解決家庭問(wèn)題而不得不無(wú)薪休假，雇主應(yīng)該保留員工的職位。勞動(dòng)法律師事務(wù)所Fisher & Phillips的合伙人史蒂芬?伯恩斯坦表示，在某些情況下，請(qǐng)假的時(shí)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(jì)。但這并不適用于所有情況。” ????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(guò)了地方性法規(guī)，禁止“家庭責(zé)任歧視”。鑒于大多數(shù)看護(hù)者是女性，因此公平就業(yè)機(jī)會(huì)委員會(huì)（Equal Opportunity Commission）和法院也認(rèn)為，某些禁止性別歧視的聯(lián)邦和州級(jí)法律，同樣適用于這一問(wèn)題。 ????但伯恩斯坦認(rèn)為，在大多數(shù)情況下，盡管老人看護(hù)者可能很快就能得到更多法律保護(hù)，但這畢竟是一個(gè)“正在發(fā)展變化的領(lǐng)域”。他補(bǔ)充道，隨著7,700萬(wàn)嬰兒潮一代步入老年，“將有越來(lái)越多的人一直工作到70多歲，同時(shí)還要照顧90多歲的親人。立法者和雇主都必須認(rèn)識(shí)到這一點(diǎn)。” ????毫無(wú)疑問(wèn)，即便只是因?yàn)檎疹櫪先说某杀靖甙哼@一原因，它也值得雇主關(guān)注。例如，美國(guó)大都會(huì)人壽保險(xiǎn)（MetLife）2010年的報(bào)告稱，員工照顧老人導(dǎo)致的生產(chǎn)效率下降、缺勤和因看護(hù)者不堪重負(fù)所產(chǎn)生的更高的醫(yī)療成本，每年為美國(guó)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(wù)副總裁朱迪?加斯特弗萊德表示：“要看到集體的力量。”她建議你們共同去找公司人力資源部的相關(guān)人員，談?wù)勳`活辦公時(shí)間的問(wèn)題。 ????她認(rèn)為：“靈活的辦公時(shí)間是首要問(wèn)題。”沒(méi)有人會(huì)對(duì)你們的要求感到意外。“靈活辦公時(shí)間已經(jīng)成為一個(gè)全國(guó)性話題，所以現(xiàn)在提出這樣的要求比以往要容易得多。” ????與此同時(shí)，你需要將自己的情況如實(shí)告訴自己的老板。福利咨詢公司Ceridian LifeWorks的員工與領(lǐng)導(dǎo)力培訓(xùn)總監(jiān)麗莎?布爾表示：“如今，管理者有太多問(wèn)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。”她表示，大多數(shù)老板會(huì)愿意給有價(jià)值的員工提供靈活的辦公時(shí)間，而且“即使一點(diǎn)點(diǎn)靈活性，對(duì)于緩解壓力也有極大幫助”，或者至少會(huì)減少你所聽(tīng)到的那些“尖銳的話。” ????此外，布爾補(bǔ)充道，你還應(yīng)該仔細(xì)研究一下公司的員工援助計(jì)劃（EAP），看看公司是否有可用的老人看護(hù)資源。 ????她說(shuō)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(jì)劃包括哪些內(nèi)容。”某些員工援助計(jì)劃至少能幫員工聯(lián)系提供老人看護(hù)信息和支持的政府機(jī)構(gòu)和非營(yíng)利組織，或幫助員工聯(lián)系全美護(hù)理聯(lián)盟（National Alliance for Caregiving）或家庭看護(hù)者聯(lián)盟（Family Caregiver Alliance）等組織。 ????對(duì)現(xiàn)在的你比較有價(jià)值的消息是，經(jīng)布爾預(yù)測(cè)，越來(lái)越多的雇主很快將開(kāi)始為老人看護(hù)者提供幫助，因?yàn)椤斑@將成為吸引和留住人才的一個(gè)有效工具，尤其是非常看重工作-生活平衡的千禧一代。” ????對(duì)嬰兒潮一代也是如此。Ceridian LifeWorks為其員工提供靈活的辦公時(shí)間，慷慨的員工援助計(jì)劃，以及針對(duì)老人看護(hù)者的其他支持，雖然對(duì)于一家福利行業(yè)的公司來(lái)說(shuō)，這并不令人感到意外。布爾要同時(shí)照顧一位76歲的老人和14歲的孩子，她說(shuō)道“如果我找其他工作，肯定也要求有這些福利。所以，我沒(méi)有選擇。” ????反饋：你的公司是否會(huì)提供靈活辦公時(shí)間或其他老人看護(hù)協(xié)助？如果你就是一位看護(hù)者，那么，幫助你做好工作的因素都有哪些？歡迎評(píng)論。(財(cái)富中文網(wǎng)) ????翻譯：劉進(jìn)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. |
最新文章