are companies ready to negotiate?

Five million employees in France help a sick or disabled loved one. Are companies ready to promote their work-life balance?

Nearly 5 million employees regularly help a sick, disabled or loss of autonomy loved one. By 2030, this number will increase further due to the aging of society. Details from Sarah Lemoine.

franceinfo: How are union and employer organizations approaching the subject?

Sarah Lemoine: The subject remains thorny according to an OCIRP study which will be unveiled Thursday October 3, a little before the 15th National Caregivers Day. The joint body of pension and provident institutions questioned 75 representatives of employers’ and trade union organizations on how companies could better support family caregivers.

Among the positive points, almost all of them think that collective bargaining is an effective tool for protecting helping employees, even if in fact, very few agreements have been signed in recent years. Around twenty in companies, and less than ten at the professional branch level according to OCIRP.

Do the social partners agree on the content of the negotiations?

Certain measures are the subject of broad consensus. Those, for example, which make it possible to better identify helping employees, when 30% of them experience professional difficulties, and half of them hide their situation, for fear of being penalized professionally.

Among the solutions, the establishment of a reference employee, capable of guiding and facilitating contacts with the hierarchy, while respecting confidentiality is considered effective. Labeling companies that identify and support their employees is also popular.

Finally, everyone agrees to better disseminate the culture of helping, in particular by training managers who, according to the study, take a rather harsh look at helping employees.

What about work arrangements and paid leave?

There, there is a divergence between employer and union organizations. As part of a collective agreement, the bosses’ priority is to adjust the organization and working hours of the helping employee. While union representatives first want additional days off and respite solutions.

Both parties agree that teleworking is an important solution, but not sufficient. In addition, 74% of employer representatives consider the temporary reduction in workload, therefore a transition to part-time, to be effective. But on condition that you don’t put your hand in your pocket.

Companies that maintain salaries at 100% are very rare, underlines Jean-Manuel Kupiec of Ocirp. However, this is what they should do, to avoid sick leave or situations of presenteeism, which ultimately cost much more.