Employees' satisfaction with employer-sponsored elder-care programs

Purpose - This study aims to evaluate whether employees consider employer-sponsored elder-care programs to benefit aging family members and whether those programs help employees with caregiving needs, stay productively employed.Design methodology approach - A nationwide internet-based survey was conducted between December 2008 and May 2009, eliciting information from 447 users of employer-sponsored elder-care services. Survey participants were employed individuals who had requested assistance from one of five national elder-care service provider organizations (SPOs) during the preceding two years.Findings - A majority of respondents reported that the services helped them to keep working productively (74.0 percent), avoid job absences (65.5 percent), stay employed (58.0 percent), and maintain a good family life at home (72.1 percent). Respondents were generally satisfied with the services provided by SPOs. However, most respondents did not feel that the services help minimize caregiving expenses.Originality value - To the best of the authors' knowledge, this is the first US study evaluating the usefulness of employer elder-care programs, based on the perspectives of employees who have used the programs.