Caregiving and Loss: Family Needs, Professional Responses
HFA's Year 2001 Initiative - read the news release
Fannie
Mae's Elder Care Initiative [Model Workplace Program]
This interview was conducted by Dee Ellison, National Health Council,
with Susan Holik, Vice President of Human Resources, Fannie Mae. Fannie Mae is a
private, share-holder owned company that works to make sure mortgage money is
available for people in communities all across America.
With approximately 3,800 dedicated employees, they are also one of the
world's most productive corporations.
Q: Please describe the Fannie Mae program that supports family caregivers dealing with end-of-life situations.
A: Fannie Mae offers its employees an extensive elder-care program, the Elder Care Initiative, which provides a broad range of services to family caregivers. The key component of Fannie Mae's Elder Care Initiative is a full-time, onsite elder-care manager. We contract for this person's services through a local senior-service agency, and therefore have access to a wide array of resources and services. The program includes referrals to resources throughout the community, appropriate in-house seminars, and group legal services.
We are extremely excited about the Elder Care Tool Kit, which is a new resource guide for employees to use in caring for an elderly relative. Along with reference materials, the kit includes a record book in which employees can track important financial, medical, and personal information related to their caregiving situation.
Another important component is our corporate-wide Flexible Work Options, which enables employees to request a schedule different from the one they normally follow, such as telecommuting, working part-time or following a compressed work schedule.
Q: What is the underlying philosophy or concern that led to the development of these programs?
A: This initiative is part of Fannie Mae's strong belief in work-life balance. We know our employees will confront important life issues, including the end of life. We believe it is important to help employees deal with the life issues that happen while they are doing their jobs.
Q: Has Fannie Mae done a cost/benefit analysis of this initiative?
A: It has, although we acknowledge the difficulty of attaching figures to intangibles such as employee commitment. The analysis found that, given our large size, the cost is relatively low. It also found the program to be extremely cost-effective in terms of productivity, morale, and employee retention. For example, it takes an employee who utilizes our case manager significantly less time to do research about needed services than if he or she had to start from scratch.
Q: How would you rate the success of this program?
A: We believe this program is extremely successful. It is convenient and helpful for employees at a difficult time, and it works well for the company from an institutional standpoint.
Q: What is the feedback from employees?
A: Employees report that they are exceptionally pleased with this program. Some use all of the available services, while others use only selected options. For example, the program enabled one woman to temporarily relocate to another city to help care for her mother. About six months after launching the program, Fannie Mae conducted a survey of employees who had used some aspect of program. One statistic is especially impressive: twenty-eight percent of those who responded said their caregiving situations were serious enough that, without the program's services, they would have had to quit their jobs.
Q: How does this program work in real life?
A: Not only do I see this program from the employer's side, I also used it as an employee when my dad was dying. The program was extremely helpful to me personally. I received a huge amount of information, as well as emotional support, from our care manager. She gave me the names of hospice organizations in New York and provided counseling about how to help my mother. We don't need this information until we're in the situation, and being able to tap into the case manager's resources eliminates the need for us to do our own research at an extremely difficult time. In addition, Fannie Mae's culture is such that it is an incredibly caring place, and my colleagues provided enormous support throughout.
Q: What are some of the program's elements that other companies could replicate?
A: Large companies could easily replicate this program, including providing a case manager and flexible work options. Smaller companies could tap into existing community resources and provide referral information to employees. They also could offer in-house seminars on relevant topics, such as advance directives.
Q: What would you have Fannie Mae do differently?
A: I really think this is an excellent program. One way it might be even better is if we could support employees in longer-term situations, such as caring for someone with a chronic condition. Those employees might need completely different work situations. We might need to allow them to go part-time for a year and then to come back into their job when the situation is resolved, or to rearrange schedules to let them take extended leave and then return to their jobs. Doing this might enable us to hold onto a valuable employee we might otherwise lose.
Q: Anything else?
A: When this program was being developed, the approval process involved four levels of managers, including Fannie Mae's president. During the time Fannie Mae was developing this program, four senior executives involved in the decision making process experienced some form of elder-care problem. Their experience helped cement the corporation's commitment to the program.
© 2001 Hospice Foundation of America
Please contact HFA at lveglahn@hospicefoundation.org for permission to re-print this article.
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