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OBJECTIVES: Many employees combine their work with informal care responsibilities for family and friends, potentially impacting their well-being and sustained employability. This study aimed to investigate the effectiveness of a workplace participatory approach (PA) intervention in supporting working caregivers to prevent and solve problems related to balancing work, private life, and informal care tasks. METHODS: We conducted a two-armed randomized controlled trial (ISRCTN15363783) in which working caregivers either received the PA (N=57), under guidance of an occupational professional serving as process facilitator, or usual care (N=59). We recruited 125 working caregivers from four Dutch organizations. Questionnaire-based measurements were assessed at baseline, 4, and 7 months. The primary outcome was work–life imbalance. Secondary outcomes were perceived social support from supervisors and colleagues, role overload, distress and perceived burden of combining work and informal care. Intervention effects were analyzed using intention-to-treat analysis and linear mixed models. RESULTS: The PA was not effective in reducing work–life imbalance, improving support from colleagues or reducing role overload, distress and perceived burden of combining work and informal care. However, the PA significantly improved perceived social support from supervisors at 4 months [β=0.54, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.21–0.88] and 7 months (β=0.36, 95% CI 0.02–0.70). Interaction effects indicated that improvement in supervisor support varied depending on the organization. CONCLUSION: The PA improved supervisor support but not work–life imbalance. Further research should explore PA effects on working caregivers with and without balance issues and the role of supervisor support in reducing work–life conflict.

This research uses structural equation modeling (SEM) to examine the direct and indirect relationships among caring climate, job satisfaction, organizational commitment, and job performance of 476 employees working in a Chinese insurance company. The SEM result showed that caring climate had a significant direct impact on job satisfaction, organizational command, and job performance. Caring climate also had a significant indirect impact on organizational commitment through the mediating role of job satisfaction, and on job performance through the mediating role of job satisfaction and organizational commitment. In addition, job satisfaction had significant direct impact on organizational commitment, through which it also had a significant indirect impact on job performance. Finally, organizational commitment had a significant direct impact on job performance.

This study extends our knowledge on the role of informal caregivers of seniors and the impact of this role on presenteeism and absenteeism at work. Based on the conservation of resources theory, this article seeks to gain insights into the mechanisms and antecedents of presenteeism and absenteeism among employees who are also informal caregivers of seniors. Specifically, this article argues that family–work conflict and emotional exhaustion mediate the relationship between the informal caregiver’s role, presenteeism, and absenteeism. Quantitative data (questionnaire) from this cross-sectional study were collected from 915 informal caregivers of seniors from 8 Canadian organizations. Structural equation modelling (SEM) was undertaken using IBM SPSS AMOS 28.0 to test all hypotheses. Informal caregivers of seniors who need to coordinate and organize healthcare are at a higher risk of experiencing family–work conflict. Family–work conflict experienced by informal caregivers subsequently leads to emotional exhaustion, presenteeism, and absenteeism. Because informal caregiving of seniors is likely to increase in coming years for many workers, organizations must be aware of the possible consequences of this role on work productivity. This study shows that not all tasks of informal caregivers of older adults lead to presenteeism and absenteeism through family–work conflict and emotional exhaustion. This study is innovative because, to our knowledge, no study of informal caregivers of older adults has examined the effect of different tasks in this role on presenteeism and absenteeism.

In diaspora and transnational studies little is known about the experiences of transnational carer-employees (TCEs). TCEs provide unpaid/informal care across international borders to an adult family member, friend, or relative with disability and/or age-related needs, while also working in paid employment in the country of resettlement. The primary focus of this systematic review was to examine how cultural and historical elements of transnational caregiving influence the economic, social, and health/well-being of TCEs. This systematic review draws on quantitative and qualitative peer-reviewed literature on TCEs’ experiences from Canada, the USA, or Australia between 1997 and 2017. In all, 16 articles that fulfilled the search inclusion criteria were selected. The articles were analyzed using content and thematic analysis. The review highlighted that transnational caregiving is a multi-dimensional phenomenon. There is a reciprocal relationship between adult children providing care to their parents and parents helping their children resettle in their new home. The findings suggest that TCEs provide practical, financial, and emotional care to their families abroad. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first comprehensive systematic review of the experiences of TCEs. Increasingly complex immigration experiences of transnational families require innovative policy responses from a transnational and intersectionality lens. Immigrants need support to maintain solid transnational networks and simultaneously adapt to the country of resettlement. Employers can use the findings to support TCEs in balancing unpaid care across vast geographical distances while sustaining their economic and social well-being.

Today, an increasing number of Canadian adults are providing unpaid care to their family members and friends while working full or part-time. We conducted a national survey of unpaid caregiving for older people in 2022 to learn who these people are, why they care, and to identify the social, economic, and health impacts of unpaid caregiving. Our findings show that many of these caregivers are also employees. While most research shows that women caregivers and carer-employees experience work-care tension that results in negative mental and physical health outcomes, our results are more mixed. This paper provides descriptive findings of carer-employee’s health and well-being, and compares them to previous research in Canada and abroad. I conclude with policy options for governments and employers to support the health and well-being of carer-employees.

Background Dementia care in Canada must address the unique needs of South Asian Canadians, a growing population facing cultural and systemic barriers. Cultural stigma, language challenges, and a lack of culturally appropriate resources delay dementia recognition, diagnosis, and access to services. These barriers burden care partners, who navigate caregiving within cultural expectations and limited formal support. While some experiences of individuals living with dementia and their care partners are shared across communities, South Asian Canadians face additional challenges, including stigma rooted in cultural beliefs and limited access to culturally aligned services. Despite strong caregiving traditions, there is limited research on shared and culturally specific aspects of their experiences. This research examines the experiences of individuals with dementia, their care partners, physicians diagnosing dementia, and community support organization employees to identify barriers, strengths, and strategies for improving culturally inclusive dementia care. Method A qualitative, interpretive phenomenological approach was used through three interconnected studies conducted in Alberta, British Columbia, and Ontario. Study 1 examines the experiences of 16 participants (14 care partners and two individuals living with dementia) across stages of recognizing symptoms, obtaining a diagnosis, and accessing services. Study 2 investigates the perspectives of 13 physicians on diagnosing dementia in South Asian Canadians. Study 3 captures the insights of 14 employees from community support organizations providing dementia services. Semi‐structured interviews were conducted in English, Hindi, and Punjabi, and reflexive thematic analysis was applied to identify recurring and distinct themes. Result Study 1 found barriers to recognizing dementia, challenges in obtaining a diagnosis, and difficulties in accessing services post‐diagnosis, which were exacerbated by cultural beliefs, stigma, and unfamiliarity with healthcare systems. Study 2 revealed barriers to diagnosis, cultural and generational influences, and language challenges. Study 3 emphasized cultural sensitivity, trust‐building, and the importance of partnerships with cultural organizations while highlighting systemic funding gaps. Conclusion This research demonstrates the need for cultural humility in dementia care practices and policies. Findings underscore the importance of early diagnosis, community engagement, and developing culturally tailored resources to support families. Addressing systemic barriers and increasing funding for culturally sensitive services is essential to providing equitable dementia care for Canada's diverse population.

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to apply and test a theory specifying which resources are most important for employee engagement. Specifically, this paper draws on resource theory to outline six resources (love, status, services, information, goods, money) provided by the organization that employees will exchange for engagement. Design/methodology/approach The paper’s main focus is theoretical, outlining how resource theory provides a more nuanced classification and understanding of the workplace antecedents of engagement. Specifically, engagement is proposed to represent love as a resource, since engagement represents the whole-hearted investment of oneself. Thus, employees will exchange engagement for employer resources that similarly denote individual warmth and caring. The resource classification is assessed using engagement data from IBM NZ (n=13,929). Findings The theoretical analysis identifies eight workplace resources, five of which are proposed to be exchanged for engagement: mission, vision and values; opportunities for development; supportive leadership; job resources; and teamwork. Subsequent empirical analysis of IBM NZ data identified three similar constructs, with two being stronger predictors of employee engagement: learning and development; and vision and purpose. This provides some initial support for the application of resource theory to engagement. Practical implications Resource theory enables the identification of specific resources that will more strongly facilitate engagement: those which demonstrate warmth and caring for the employee. Originality/value Resource theory adds specificity in identifying which workplace resources will be exchanged for engagement, and therefore extends existing models of engagement, and is valuable for future employee engagement research and practice.

In Canada, 67% of unpaid caregivers are simultaneously balancing paid employment with unpaid care, equating to over 5.2 million Canadian Carer-Employees (CEs). This balancing act often incurs negative impacts on CEs’ health and well-being, including burnout, resulting in adverse effects on their labour force participation. To mitigate these social and economic impacts, McMaster University partnered with the Canadian Standards Association (CSA) to develop the CSA B701:17 (R2021) Carer-inclusive and accommodating organizations standard and accompanying handbook B701-18HB Helping worker-carers in your organization. Since publication in 2017, there has been minimal uptake of the Standard across Canadian workplaces, with just 1062 complimentary downloads total. To determine the level of uptake across workplaces in Canada, the present mixed-methods study used purposive sampling to collect survey (n = 71) and semi-structured interview data (n = 11). The survey data was analyzed for descriptive statistics and logistic regression modelling. The interview data were thematically analyzed for common CFWPs and barriers to Standard uptake. It was found that only 24% of workplaces have implemented the Standard into their workplace practices, with full implementation and current supports as strong predictors of formal uptake. Prominent themes around barriers to uptake and existing organizational policies highlight the critical importance of workplace culture in facilitating CFWPs.

Despite significant improvements in gender equality in recent years, persistent gender disparities remain prevalent in the workplace. In particular, women with caring responsibilities could encounter more barriers in obtaining career opportunities. This study examines the interplay between gender, caregiving responsibilities, and the perception of workplace disparities. We hypothesized that perceived gender-based inequalities would vary depending on the type of caregiving responsibilities, specifically childcare and eldercare. An online survey of 213 employees was conducted to explore this relationship. These preliminary findings suggest that gender biases regarding prospects for career development, leadership responsibility, and opportunities offered by workplaces could persist, and these biases are exacerbated when employees hold caregiving responsibilities, particularly those associated with the care of elderly people. This research establishes a foundational investigation into how gender and caregiving responsibility still influence employees’ conception of workplace disparities.

Objectives The aim of this study was to investigate the individual, joint and interactive effects of job strain and informal caregiving on long-term sickness absence with special attention to gender differences. Methods The study comprised a prospective cohort study of 6798 working adults from France, 14 727 from Finland, and 5275 from the UK. A total of 26 800 participants, age 52 (interquartile range 47-56) years participated in the study. Job strain was assessed using the demand-control model. Informal caregiving was defined as care for a sick, disabled, or elderly person. Long-term sickness absence spells defined as absence ＞14 consecutive days were registered during two years follow-up. We used recurrent-events Cox regression in random-effects meta-analyses. Results A total of 12% men and 21% women had ≥1 long-term sickness absence spell. Among women, both high job strain [hazard ratio (HR) 1.08, 95% confidence interval (95% CI) 1.00-1.17] and informal caregiving (HR 1.13, 95% CI 1.04-1.23) were associated with a modestly higher risk of sickness absence. Women doubly exposed to high job strain and informal caregiving also showed a moderately higher risk of sickness absence (HR 1.20, 95% CI 1.03-1.41), but the excess risk was not more than expected from joint exposure to caregiving and job strain. Neither job strain nor informal caregiving predicted sickness absence for men. Conclusions High job strain and informal caregiving predicted long-term sickness absence among women. However there was no noticeable interaction in the presence of both exposures.