The aim of the study was to examine Scottish private sector
employers' policies
with regard to flexible working arrangements for carers of physically and
mentally impaired older people. The questions addressed by this study were
as follows : (1) Are employers aware of the needs of carers? (2) To what extent
do they view carers' needs or responsibilities as problematic? (3) What
proportion of companies have specific policies regarding flexible working
arrangements to accommodate carers' responsibilities? (4) What is the
‘nature’ of these policies? (5) Are flexible policies with
regard to caregiving
responsibilities viewed by companies as part of ‘health promotion’
in the workplace? (6) In what ways do company characteristics influence policy on
carers' responsibilities?, and (7) What, if any, initiatives
have been adopted to
help employees plan for caregiving responsibilities? One thousand questionnaires
were sent to companies drawn from the Scottish Chamber of Commerce
National Directory 1993; 32 per cent were returned completed and in time for
analysis. The majority (92 per cent) of companies had never previously
considered the issue of employees' elder care responsibilities. Although
expressing considerable sympathy, as well as some responsiveness and
flexibility with regard to working arrangements for caregiving employees, the
results of the survey indicate that Scottish companies in the private sector are
providing little in the way of direct or indirect support to the UK community
care reforms. However, informal contacts during the project indicated that the
public and voluntary sectors may be more flexible and have begun to develop
specific policies with regard to the needs of caregiving employees.