Championing carer-friendly workplaces as an occupational health & safety issue

This article was created in partnership with McMaster University, School of Earth, Environment & Society.

Dr. Allison Williams, a professor at McMaster University, is spearheading efforts to bring attention to — and combat — the challenges faced by carer-employees (CEs), who are balancing paid work and unpaid caregiving responsibilities.  These carer-employees (CEs) represent 1 in 4 Canadians and their number will only grow due to an increasing aging population which is living longer with multiple chronic conditions, requiring greater care demands. Through a national SSHRC/CIHR funded Healthy Productive Work Partnership Grant “Mobilizing a Caregiver-Friendly Workplace: A Partnership Approach”, her work highlights the necessity of caregiver-friendly workplace programs (CFWPs) as a cornerstone for healthier, safer, and more equitable work environments in Canada. After all, she notes, the stakes are high not only for CEs but their employers as well.

"When there’s no accommodation for CEs, they’re more likely to come to work unwell: fatigue from sleepless nights or cumulative stress over time can manifest in anxiety and depression, as self-care tends to be the first thing to go,” Williams explains. “This eventually leads to burnout and, in many cases, physical health issues. For employees performing physically demanding tasks, the risks of accidents and injuries rise significantly.”

The issue of work-life balance for CEs is not often considered an occupational health and safety risk, until it becomes clear the increased risks to injury caregiver stress and fatigue can pose. The risks aren’t limited to physically demanding jobs. In knowledge-based workplaces, distractions and cognitive fatigue result in presenteeism, reduced productivity and lack of motivation. Overall, CEs struggling with mental load are less able to perform their jobs safely and productively. These impacts ripple across teams and organizations, disrupting workplace morale and engagement on top of increasing the odds of an injury, especially if the CE is a people manager/leader.

Williams emphasizes that inequities in workplace accommodations exacerbate the problem. Her research shows that an employee higher up on the workplace hierarchy — like a manager or supervisor — is more likely to get accommodations to help them balance their caregiving responsibilities with their paid work. In contrast, those lower on the hierarchy are less likely to receive such support, putting their safety and well-being at greater risk. This inequity highlights broader issues of inclusivity and fairness in workplaces — but there are simple steps that employers can take to ensure they’re supporting all employees, including CEs, by employing prevention strategies that reduce the likelihood of injury resulting from caregiving fatigue and stress.

Implementing the Caregiver-friendly Workplace Standard

The solution, Williams argues, lies in adopting the voluntary caregiver-friendly workplace standard.  McMaster University partnered with the Canadian Standards Association to build the CSA B701-17 (R2021) Carer-inclusive and accommodating organizations Standard, along with a handbook, both of which are free until the end of March.  The Standard is guided by a continuous improvement model, often summarized as "Plan-Do-Check-Act," beginning with a carer-friendly workplace committee to assess existing resources, identify gaps, and implement targeted programs. Making a carer-friendly workplace program formally part of the occupational health and safety plan makes it accessible to all employees, irrespective of where they are on the hierarchy. 

In many cases, small adjustments can make a significant difference. Introducing flex time or allowing employees to share workloads are relatively simple measures that alleviate caregiver stress and can mitigate eventualities such as short- or long-term employment leave. In other instances, more robust interventions, such as providing financial assistance or extending existing benefits to include elderly caregiving recipients, are required. For example, emergency family day programs or employee assistance family programs could be broadened to cover not just children, but elderly spouses, parents, adult children with disabilities, neighbors and friends.

These supports are not merely a moral imperative — they’re a strategic advantage. Williams highlights that caregiver-friendly programs enhance employee retention, reduce absenteeism, and increase productivity, as well as reducing stress and anxiety for CEs. Since most CEs fall within the 45-65 age range, one of the most experienced and skilled cohorts in the workforce, it’s a significant blow to any organization to lose them. Providing these employees with the resources to thrive benefits the entire workplace.

"Who doesn’t like to feel supported? Everyone does," Williams remarks, noting that a culture of support fosters loyalty and engagement.

The caregiving stigma

Despite the clear benefits, cultural resistance remains the largest barrier to widespread adoption of CFWPs.

“Stigma around caregiving persists, especially in male-dominated sectors like in the resource-extraction sector,” Williams observes, adding that these industries often prioritize compliance of safety regulation rather than broader wellbeing, which can make it harder to introduce caregiver-friendly policies.

“Caregiving is still seen as a gendered issue – a women’s issue, and often a personal, domestic issue, and that stigma prevents progress,” she adds.

Williams believes that raising awareness about the link between caregiver-friendly policies and workplace safety is key to overcoming this resistance and says when workplaces “understand how supporting CEs can reduce injury and accident rates, they start to pay attention.”

Instituting formal policies rather than relying on ad hoc accommodations creates a more equitable and predictable environment because a protection like the CSA B701-17 (R2021), Carer-inclusive and accommodating organizations Standard makes it clear that support is available to everyone, regardless of their position, relationship to their manager, or length of service. Ultimately, Williams envisions a future where the CSA B701-17 (R2021), Carer-inclusive and accommodating organizations Standard becomes required across Canada. If mandatory, employers would be compelled to prioritize the well-being of carer-employees – allowing them to reap long-term benefits such as lower turnover, reduced disability costs, and improved productivity. Implementing the CSA B701-17 (R2021), Carer-inclusive and accommodating organizations Standard can act as a prevention strategy for protecting the psychological and physical safety of CEs in the workplace, regardless of sector.

The need for such policies is becoming increasingly urgent as Canada’s aging population creates greater caregiving demands. As a recent article states, “unpaid caregivers are the backbone of the Canadian healthcare system”. This article estimates that unpaid care in Canada represents approximately $24 to $31 billion annually.

“If the system can’t keep up, employers must step up,” Williams says. “Caregiving is a human right, and workplaces need to recognize that.”

For Williams, the push for CFWPs is not just a professional mission but a deeply personal one.

"I hope to see these changes in my lifetime," she says. “Creating safer, healthier, and more inclusive workplaces for CEs is at the end of the day a simple, logical strategy that Canada can no longer afford to ignore.”

For more information, including access to a free guide, check out the Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety’s Gender, Work and Health and Carer Friendly Workplaces resource pages. Interested in more? McMaster Continuing Education’s  free online course is available through 2029.