You are not alone.  Many Canadians are juggling the demands of work and family caregiving responsibilities.  Whether it is caring for elderly parents or young children, the increased stress and anxiety can lead to a situation where neither the caregiver role nor the employee role is being performed well. The stress and anxiety can also affect your health.   

You are wise to recognize the need for open communication with your manager.  The following tips and strategies can help you with your discussion.

Be Prepared:

• Decide ahead of time what result you want from this meeting. 
• Look at the situation from your employer’s point of view.
• Research the policies and practices your employer has in place such as flexible work hours, telecommuting and job sharing. 
• Seek out examples in your workplace where these policies have been applied successfully.
• Be ready to outline a clear plan, how it will impact the workplace and how that impact can be addressed. 

Propose a solution that will get you more flexibility and less stress.  At the same time give your employer the confidence that this solution will benefit the organization through better productivity and/or attendance.

Be Clear:

• Explain your current situation.
• Let your manager know that you want to give your best efforts to your work.
• Ask for what you want in a respectful way and be open to discussing your options.

Once your manager knows the situation that you are in and how you are feeling about it, (s)he can support you. 

Listen: 

• Hear what your manager has to say. 

Most managers want their employees to succeed.  (S)he may recommend some resources that can help you with stress and time management or work/life balance, such as an Employee Assistance Plan. 

Build Trust:  You may have already established trust if you have worked for your organization for some time and the overall quality of your work and attendance have been good.  If you are new to the company you could:

• Offer to submit weekly accounts of your time to show that you are being productive even if you are working odd hours, or working from home. 
• Schedule weekly meetings with your manager to discuss how your work is going under the new arrangement.

You might have to accept closer monitoring than usual until your manager is comfortable that you are still getting your work done under the new arrangement.

Organizations need a healthy and productive workforce to be successful.  Allowing employees flexibility to manage their home and work lives creates a win/win situation.  Working with your manager to find a solution is an important step to achieving balance in your dual roles and in caring for your health.

You can find more information on work life balance on Caregiver Connect under Caring and Working.

Resources:      

Canadian Mental Health Association, Work/Life Balance

Shepell-FGI, Wellness Articles

Belcourt, Monica, Bohlander, George, Snell, Scott, Sherman, Arthur. Managing Human Resources, 3^rd Canadian Edition. Scarborough, ON: Nelson Thomson Learning, 2002.

McShane, Steven L., Canadian Organizational Behaviour. 6^th Edition. Toronto, ON:  McGraw-Hill Ryerson, 2006.

Written by:

Heather McLintock-Trites

National Manager, Pension and Benefits

VON Canada