Reconciliation of care and work

Reconciling family and career - most people think of childcare, parental leave and parental allowance, and the question of what flexible solutions companies find to support (young) families. But our society is getting older and older. That's why reconciliation has long extended to caring for relatives.

The issue of reconciling care and work is becoming a major challenge for more and more employees, and one that even small and medium-sized companies have to adjust to. In some respects, caring for relatives is very different from caring for younger children: While pregnancy lasts nine months and everyone involved has time to adjust to the new stage of life, a nursing case can occur abruptly and puts pressure on relatives.

The degree of stress caused by caring for relatives can vary greatly and often intensifies with increasing duration. In addition, there is a big difference between accompanying a small child as it grows up and caring for a seriously ill father until death. This life situation is often not openly addressed by employees. This is where smaller and medium-sized companies have an advantage: Because of the often shorter communication channels and more direct structures, supervisors and HR managers may be more aware of employees' life situations and be able to approach them.

1.2 million people in North Rhine-Westphalia were considered to be in need of long-term care at the end of 2021, or 6.6% of the state's total population. 86% of them were cared for at home. The number of people in need of care in 2021 was 23.5% higher than in 2019; at that time, 965,000 people, or 5.4% of NRW residents, were in need of care.

These figures make it clear: The issue of reconciling care and work is central to a family-friendly and life-phase-oriented HR policy. Caring colleagues are in a difficult and stressful situation that can lead to absenteeism and increased sick leave. In the interest of all parties involved - whether employers, colleagues or the affected persons themselves - the care of relatives belongs in the portfolio of compatibility measures.