PhD Scientific Days 2025

Poster Session III. - M: Mental Health Sciences

Approaches of Employers towards Caregiver Employees in Arizona

Name of the presenter

Kocsis Judit

Institute/workplace of the presenter

Semmelweis University School of PhD Studies, Mental Health Sciences Program, Interdisciplinary Social Sciences

Authors

Judit Kocsis¹

1: Semmelweis University School of PhD Studies, Mental Health Sciences Program, Interdisciplinary Social Sciences

Text of the abstract

The rapid ageing of society in the developed world and extended life expectancy pose new challenges to the labour market. Employers increasingly encounter the problems of their employees stemming from the burdens of giving care to their elderly family members. The research aims to examine the formal and informal approaches of employers to understand the present situation to assess what problems employers face, and what are their coping strategies.
Qualitative methods were used, twelve semi-structured in-depth interviews were performed with representatives of employers in various economic sectors in the Phoenix Region. Potential interviewees were mainly reached out via the vast network of the Center for Innovation in Healthy and Resilient Aging, Arizona State University.
No dedicated federal regulation has been introduced in the United States or the State of Arizona pertaining to the difficulties employers and employees face in caregiving. Employers may use their ordinary paid leave for caregiving or may apply for the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA). The latter is an unpaid job protection for up to twelve weeks and requires qualification. Employers may offer financial contributions to FMLA or introduce their own policy. Employers find it essential to keep their employees in the long term. Therefore, they are open to some adjustments. Individual agreements between employers and employees are a usual practice; flexible work hours are also a means in certain positions. Employers emphasise that employees should fulfil their work requirements regardless of family burdens. Workload may only be reduced by shifting to a lower-paid part-time job. Employers may offer further measures to assist the employee. The research has shown that its relevance significantly depends on the economic sector and profile of the employer.
The full importance of the problems arising from an ageing society has yet to be realised. There are specific initiatives at the federal and state levels in the United States, but no dedicated and legally binding regulation has been introduced. Employers and employees try to find solutions within the existing frameworks designed for general circumstances. We detected a high variance in policies depending on the economic sector.
My research at Arizona State University was funded by Pannónia Scholarship Programme granted by Semmelweis University.