Many years ago, heading into the newsroom when I was a rookie TV reporter, I was greeted by the remnants of a dramatic scene; a workplace nightmare. One of our managers, a workaholic in his early sixties, had just had a heart attack and died in the upstairs lunch room in front of a vending machine.
Work life balance wasn’t his thing, nor was a healthy diet. This man was dedicated to his craft. He covered three wars, witnessed Watergate, saw a president resign and a country brought to its knees during Vietnam. A lover of current events, he ate, lived and breathed political news. But he didn’t do much to care for himself. Turned out, he had a terminal illness that no one knew about. He had simply stopped taking care of himself, but wanted to keep working.
Is Dying Watercooler Conversation?
Back then, even the thought of talking about end-of-life issues in the workplace was not typical watercooler conversation. Although I’ve been working in hospice settings myself for a number of years, the import of those last few months of life never struck me as a workplace issue. But consider the consequences for a person who literally works until they begin the dying process, or for family members taking care of their dying or elderly parents.
“Full-time employees with intensive caregiving responsibilities are estimated to cost employers 17 Billion dollars a year,” according to Dr. David Ballard who heads up the Psychologically Healthy Workplace Program at the American Psychological Association, “Studies have found that caregiviers have higher levels of stress hormones, less effective immune systems and this can increase risk for hypertension, diabetes, colds and flu.” He adds that dealing with caregiving, grief and loss issues at work impacts employee wellness and productivity. Consider these statistics:
- AARP: 2009 73% of caregivers were employed at some time while they were caregiving
- ComPsych 2010 survey with The Hartford: 46.6 % of young Baby Boomers worried about how caregiving was impacting their job
Employee Assistance Programs Addressing End-of-Life Care
The impact of end-of-life issues on a worker can be devastating as I learned after much research. After exploring how mailing giant Pitney Bowes was beginning to address the topic in the workplace when they released a white paper The Caregiver Quandry , I was confident that there was an important story to tell. The result was my feature for NPR’s Morning Edition, Firms Help Workers Provide End-of-Life Care. But the amount of research and controversy on the topic is enough to fill a book.
Stephen Kiernan, author of Last Rights: Rescuing the End of Life from the Medical Care System, has made headway in this area. I interviewed him over the phone for the NPR story. His book focuses on the rising rate of mortality, and the emotional and financial costs associated with end-of-life care. “All the debate about healthcare reform has been about who is going to pay for it, NOT about what we’re paying for,” said Kiernan. Thus making the argument that we’re dying a bit too much in intensive care unit in the hospital, instead of considering the benefits of hospice or palliative care. “One day in intensive care might equal the cost of 15 days in hospice,” and added that patients need to be more educated by the medical establishment to make more educated choices. Addressing end-of-life issues in the workplace, Kiernan said, is not just a bottom-line issue, but the humane thing to do.
Elder Care is a start – but not most companies don’t have their eye on the finish line
Our healthcare system is in pain from so many different maladies, (ie. costs, patient safety, insurance issues) that talking about end-of-life care might seem overly ambitious. Many companies have not yet properly addressed elder care concerns for their employees says Eldercare Strategist Veronica Woldt of Corporate ElderCare Solutions LLC.
“With all due respect and kudos to companies that provide eldercare or end-of-life benefits to their employees, unless you work in an eldercare focused industry (such as a hospice, funeral home, elder service profit or non-profit, an elder legal or financial specialty) End-Of -Life assistance to employees is basically non-existent. It is the pink elephant in the room.”
Ms. Woldt remarks that the percentage of employers offering ‘basic’ eldercare resource and referral service has remained fairly small. Figures from the Society of Human Resource Management reveal that about one in five companies offer an eldercare referral service. Furthermore, she comments that the disposition of company protocol on such issues needs a fresh attitude toward adapting to employees needs, while not penalizing them.
“Companies can help by offering more flex time and eldercare related benefits. They need to make sure people feel comfortable asking for help. Especially in our current economic times, employees avoid work/life issues that may draw attention to themselves, for fear they may appear less productive, or of losing their job entirely.”
It’s an understandable fear in an uncertain workplace culture. The topic has generated a lot of blogger buzz. Cali Yost, CEO of Work Life Fit, who has been a colleague of mine for several years just posted on this topic extensively on her FastCompany blog: Change the Game: Add Aging to the Parent-Centric Work+Life Debate.
The Basics: Resources to ask for help
Offering an ear to listen and resources to get help for Eldercare or End-of-Life issues is a start, says Dr. Brent Pawlecki, the Corporate Medical Director at Pitney Bowes, “Unfortunately the conversations happen late, too late, or not at all. Just because we can do a lot in medicine doesn’t mean that we should. Employees need to know their options.”
Pitney Bowes has prided itself on nurturing a culture of employee wellness. When I visited with Dr. Brent at their Connecticut-based headquarters he showed me around. The cafeteria has healthy food incentives, there’s a gym, and small rooms called “huddles” line the corridors of the company. They serve as offices for flexible workers who also work from home.
Babyboomer Christine Gilliatt, a manager at the global mailing giant, is taking advantage of the company resources. I caught up with her as she stopping in to check up on some of her benefits in the healthcare clinic. She was exploring what guidance and resources might be available to help her care for her 82 year old mom who is facing some tough decisions.
“The biggest thing, when you have an intellectual parent, and I’m trying not to get choked up here, is having those types of conversations around living wills, finances, do-not-resuscitate documents,” she went on to say that her mom is not capable of fully understanding or responding. So she says being able to have someone like Dr. Pawlecki to talk to, is a gift.
“My boss understands what I’m going through. When I have to take off from work it’s a trust factor, they know I won’t take advantage of their time. If that weren’t the case it would be difficult to perform.”
What do you think?
Should we be addressing end-of-life issues at work? Is it just an organic shift from elder care to the inevitable? Please share your thoughts.
