Cecily O'Connor
RedwoodAge.com

As more boomers care for elderly relatives, many employers are helping out by adding caregiving benefits. 

The extra help is often essential during the holidays when "sandwich generation" boomers - those who care for children and older family members - are wrestling with and caregiver vacations and school closures.

Even the "best laid plans can breakdown from time to time" as family members age and school schedules change, said Dave Lissy, chief executive officer of Bright Horizons, a provider of employer-sponsored child and back-up care. 

"Back-up helps employees to manage the responsibilities of caring for loved ones and helps employers to limit losses in productivity and disruptions in the work routine," Lissy said. 

In recognition of employees' tight scheduling, many companies are relying on back-up benefit services.

Through Bright Horizons, employees can get help for children or elders through a network of licensed care centers, as well as in-home care. A similar program through Work Options Group provides employees referrals to care professionals.  

Resources that make caregiving less stressful are a welcome benefit. The support has a direct impact on how engaged workers are in their jobs, and how they feel about their employer, according to Bright Horizons, which recently surveyed employees about their back-up care experiences. About 77 percent said they are more productive when back-up care is available. That same percentage also is more likely to continue working for their employer. 

Greater Emphasis on Eldercare
About 39 percent of employers currently offer information about eldercare services to employees, compared to 23 percent 10 years ago, according to the Families and Work Institute. Some also provide paid or unpaid time off for employees to provide elder care without jeopardizing their jobs, as well as reimbursement for elder care costs when employees work late or travel. The perks, however, tend to be offered more at large companies and nonprofits, the institute found.

Elder care leave is not specifically required by the federal Family and Medical Leave Act, although “family leave for seriously ill family members” is, according to the Families and Work Institute.

"This high prevalence of elder care leave is perhaps indicative of the fact that decision makers in organizations are typically older and more likely to experience elder care issues than those not in decision-making positions and thus may be more sensitive to providing help to others who have similar needs," the institute said in its 2008 national study of employers.

Dell, ING, Microsoft and Unilever are among companies that provide back-up care options, based on employee testimonials on the Work Options Group website. Bright Horizon clients that offer both child and eldercare benefits include: CBS, EMC and GlaxoSmithkline. 

Rising Need
Meanwhile, an expected rise in sandwich generation caregivers could force more companies to help their workers ease the burden. One in eight Americans between the ages of 40 and 60 is considered part of the sandwich generation, according to the US Census Bureau. Those figures are expected to grow significantly as boomers age.

About 70 percent of the survey respondents who reported having caregiving responsibilities for an adult/elder and for a child were between 31 and 45 years old and one third were with their employer for more than 10 years, placing them in a subsection of the workforce critical to employers because of the knowledge and leadership they bring.

Adults who have used back-up care within the past six months saved an average 10 days of work. The care also enabled about 86 percent to work on a day they otherwise wouldn't have made it into the office.