In addition to the economic benefits we have described, that pay-off includes:
- increased participation in society
- allowing women to remain longer in the workforce
- fostering social cohesion in the community
- providing a critical resource for practical training and mentoring
Framing the discussion on ageing in this light allows policymakers to have a more considered view of the fair distribution of society’s resources. As the authors of the study argue, “reframing the economic questions in this way shifts debate from a singular focus on minimising the costs of population ageing to an analysis that considers the benefits that might be missed if society fails to make the appropriate adaptations and investments3.”
But let’s return to our opening discussion where we suggested that the interests of the elderly and the youth are not mutually exclusive. Intergenerational reciprocity is still the most prevalent fall-back position for caring for the elderly. So, when our institutions fail to provide the necessary support (as seems to be increasingly true in South Africa), many employees, particularly young black women, have no option but to pick up the slack for their families.
Conversations with HR directors across large and small employers alike, confirm this pressure persists. After the loss of employees to maternity or paternity obligations, the next big impediment to employment continuity is loss of an employee to family care obligations.
We believe this is one area where employers could identify potentially creative solutions. Are there not ways employees could apply for paid (or unpaid) family-care sabbaticals, much like maternity leave, so they could leave work for a period of time to provide basic care to a significant other?
Canada, for example, has recently changed its labour laws to allow for the following types of leave:
- Compassionate care leave – an employee can take up to 28 weeks of compassionate care leave to look after a family member who is gravely ill.
- Leave related to critical illness – an employee whose child is under 18 years of age and is critically ill may take up to 37 weeks of leave to provide care or support to the child.
- Leave related to death or disappearance – an employee whose child is under 18 years of age and has disappeared or died as a result of a probable crime may take up to 52 weeks of leave, in the case of a missing child, and up to 104 weeks of leave if the child has died.
- Bereavement leave – all federally regulated employees are entitled to paid bereavement leave for the death of an immediate family member, provided the employee has worked for their employer for three consecutive months beforehand. If they have not, they are entitled to leave without pay.
Are these not benefits that would speak directly to the heart of the care crisis in South Africa? Can we actually afford to not consider them?
Take age off the table and the decisions about how someone is best deployed in a company should be consistent with the best HR policies. These policies (discussed in detail in 'Benefits that matter') argue for the benefits of diversity, non-hierarchical management structures, flexible schedules and the desperate need for continuous training and mentorship in South Africa.
HR departments and employers generally know which employees are contributing, and how much, and where they could be best deployed at any given time. Performance measurement is a well-entrenched practice. The decision to work (or continue to work) should be a win-win for both parties – continued value to be contributed and a continued desire to keep contributing.
We all work for different reasons:
- because we need to financially
- because our historical circumstances of employment may have left us with a savings deficit
- because work is stimulating
- because work provides critical opportunities to stay connected and socially engaged
- all of the above
The workplace will be a better place when ageism is removed and people remain because they passionately want to be there.