Combining employment with unpaid caregiving: a survey on the knowledge and use of work policies in two companies in The Netherlands

The number of informal caregivers who combine employment with unpaid care for an ill/disabled family acquaintance is growing. Employers are challenged to create conditions for a work-home balance for their caring employees. We identified the nature of formal leave policies and informal means of organizational support for employed carers in two Dutch companies. In 2011 we distributed a digital questionnaire among all employees in one health care and one financial company. Compared to their non-caring colleagues, in both companies the caring employees only make more use of formal leave arrangements. Neither organization offers special support measures. In both companies the caregivers value the informal support at the workplace. Organizations should offer a broad variety of formal workplace policies with customized solutions for the diverse and often unpredictable caring situations their employees are confronted with in their private lives. The formal leave system should be intensified by the informal organizational culture.