European Transnational Carers' Lived Experiences and Perceptions of Workplace Policies in South-Western Ontario
European Transnational Carers' Lived Experiences and Perceptions of Workplace Policies in South-Western Ontario

Summary/Abstract: The lived experiences of Transnational Carer-Employees (TCEs) are becoming increasingly relevant to workplace scholarship surrounding caregiving. Furthermore, the conversations around Caregiver Friendly Workplace Policies (CFWPs) are growing due to their significance in helping caregivers to manage their care and work duties. In Canada, the growing immigrant population has led to an increased number of TCEs, yet their experiences remain understudied. The current qualitative study addresses the gap for a better understanding of TCEs experiences by exploring the lived experiences of European TCEs and their perception of CFWPs in Ontario, Canada. The findings suggest that European TCEs' caregiving experiences are shaped by cultural expectations, including those based on gender. Participants provided practical, emotional and technology-based transnational caregiving. Their caregiving experiences were impacted on by their roles as paid employees. Transnational considerations such as travel time make negotiating paid work and caregiving complex. Participants reported overall positive experiences with their employers, regarding the accommodation of their needs to provide transnational care. However, there was a lack of awareness of CFWPs. Without these policies, TCEs and other carer-employees must navigate difficult conversations with employers in order to manage work expectations and caregiving responsibilities.

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