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This project, which combines management and occupational therapy, focuses on strategies that influence the process of keeping former caregivers in employment. It complements the law aimed at recognizing and supporting caregivers, adopted in 2020 by the Government of Quebec, as well as the National Policy and Plan d’action gouvernemental pour les PPA 2021-2026 that followed in 2021. These government initiatives highlight the importance of raising awareness among caregivers and work organizations about the process of keeping caregivers in employment. For the majority of caregivers, the tasks of caring for and providing services to their loved ones (unpaid work) are in addition to their work within an organization (paid work). The responsibilities associated with the different roles played by caregivers require them to reorganize their daily and work activities. Their role as caregivers places them in a position where it is difficult to maintain well-being in both forms of work. This “double employment” situation forces caregivers to make certain professional choices that may have an impact on their career paths, aspirations, and advancement. Balancing caregiving and employment is often difficult, putting caregivers at risk of financial insecurity and exhaustion. What’s more, many of them will experience caregiving for more than one person and in more than one occasion during their working lives. When the caregiving situation ends, a new reorganization is necessary, and this is greatly influenced by the decisions, both voluntary and involuntary, made previously. While former caregivers are no longer required to balance their role as caregivers with their role as workers, they find it difficult to resume a routine or create a new one following the loss of a loved one. In such situations, former caregivers who are in paid employment, or who wish to re-enter the labour market, must be supported by organisations whose structure and culture facilitate their inclusion. My project therefore aims to better understand the process of maintaining employment, including the return to work of former caregivers, from the perspective of both workers and managers. On the one hand, the project will provide insight into the needs of bereaved workers and managers in work organisations with regard to returning to and remaining in employment, from a multidimensional perspective (taking into account gender, age, workplace, and living environment). On the other hand, pooling the previously identified needs will make it possible to develop a logical model for deploying strategies aimed at returning to and maintaining employment that are effective and adapted to both parties.

Amount : 56 928 $

Theme : Caregiving, Living in society