Wellbeing, Space and Society (Jan 2022)
Managers’ views about employed carers’ well-being: A qualitative study in Quebec
Abstract
While most carers are employed, many struggle to keep their job or work fewer hours than they would like, and work-care conflict stands a major antecedent to their well-being. While it is recognized that supervisor support and carer-friendly workplace policies (CFWPs) are crucial to carer well-being, there is a dearth of research regarding managers’ views about carer well-being and accommodation. Drawing on the competing demands and the expansion hypotheses, as well as the distinction between hedonic and eudaimonic well-being, this paper analyzes the discourse of 8 organization managers sharing their experiences in accommodating carer employees. The semi-directive interviews were led between April 2020 and August 2021 and last a means of 1 h 10 min. Our qualitative content analysis revealed that while adopting a human approach was a prerequisite in every situation amongst our group of managers, implementing solutions likely to preserve or enhance employees’ hedonic and eudaimonic well-being required anticipation and transparency from the part of carers. We identified that an either virtuous or negative spiral took place which mostly depended on the employee's attitude and performance at work. The question of a “eudaimonic” type of support from managers is discussed in practical implications. Workplaces should provide visible and accessible referrals and information for employees with caring responsibilities. It is equally important for them to easily access resources (e.g. respite, peer support) outside the workplace.
