Better support for carer-employees in Canada: the development of standardised guidelines for the workplace

In 2012, it was estimated that more than 5.6 million Canadian employees (35% of the workforce) had adult/elder care responsibilities (Fast et al, 2014). Lack of workplace support leads to consequences such as: carer-employees leaving the workforce/missing work; premature retirement; reduced productivity; health problems; and increased costs to employers (Peters and Wilson, 2017). In 2016, a partnership of committed stakeholders set out to develop a bilingual Canadian Caregiver-Friendly Workplace Standard and Implementation Guide . It is a gender-sensitive, accessible guide for employers and human resource professionals and is suitable for use in a wide range of workplaces.