Work and care - an overview

The proportion of older and elderly people in our society is constantly increasing due to demographic change. As a result, the proportion of people in need of care is also increasing - whether due to old age, illness or an accident. This in turn means that more and more people are looking after their relatives in need of care:

1.86 million of the 2.63 million people in need of care in Germany as defined by the Long-Term Care Insurance Act are cared for at home, according to care statistics from the Federal Statistical Office (as of December 2013). This corresponds to a share of 71%, of which 1.25 million are cared for exclusively by relatives. A comparison with the figures from previous years shows a clear upward trend in absolute figures.

Family carers are exposed to a particular double burden if they are employed. In this case, caring for relatives is also becoming an issue for companies - and increasingly so due to demographic trends.

Relevance for companies

Caring for a family member is always a special, usually very stressful obligation for the carer, which often does not bring many pleasant moments and perspectives. Carers are often "torn between two worlds" and organize two lives in parallel with great effort - that of the relative and their own with work, private life and often additional parenting responsibilities.

If the employer recognizes this multiple burden and supports the employees concerned, this often has a very positive effect on their professional motivation, loyalty and commitment.

However, HR managers should bear in mind that employees are generally not as happy to talk openly about an impending or actual care situation as they are about positive changes, such as parenthood. Due to their more direct structures, small and medium-sized companies often have more insight into the life situation and therefore have the opportunity to act early and together with the affected employees in order to deal with the care situation.

What can employers do?

With a care-sensitive HR policy, companies can take some of the burden of care away from employees who provide care. Support services that are tailored to the needs of caring employees are an effective tool for maintaining their health, performance and therefore long-term employability. Measures such as flexible working models or services for family caregivers make it easier to reconcile care and work and help to retain employees in the company.

On the following pages you will find information on the concept of a care-sensitive personnel policy, support options for employees who provide care, leave of absence regulations, legal and tax aspects as well as opportunities for relief through advice and placement services.