Although the demand for certain career paths ebbs and flows, the need to provide support to our elderly citizens makes the caring professions an employment stronghold. And with the Australian population of older adults expected to nearly double over the next few decades, there’s a solid chance that skilled carers will be more in-demand than ever before in the coming years.
The trouble is that caregiving—which requires considerable time, effort, and skill—is one of the more underrepresented and underpaid jobs in Australia. However, money isn’t everything. While adequate pay is, of course, a top priority, employment benefits—from paid time off to travel expenses to pensions—are also crucial to carers’ wellbeing. Here, we outline what employment benefits you should approach a potential employer about receiving.
How to bring up benefits with a potential employer
Jumping into a contract negotiation and simply saying you need benefits—as opposed to why you deserve those benefits—probably isn’t the best way to get a “yes” from employers. You’re much better off demonstrating that you have longevity in the caregiving field. For example, explaining that you have X amount of experience caring for elderly people (10 years, let’s say), paired with 2 to 3 solid reference letters. One of the primary things to include in a reference letter, and something that employers often look for, is stellar attendance.
But what if you’re brand-new or relatively new to caregiving? List off your best qualities. What special traits do you have that the employer would feel motivated to give those benefits to you? This might include special training and certifications (we’ll talk about these below!), or previous jobs that had related duties (for instance, let’s say you used to work at a day-care centre). You’ll want to list off those qualities in a CV. Asking to see examples of fellow carers’ CVs (or doing your own research online) can help you build yours.
Another pro tip is to do your research. Show a potential employer what the competition is doing—if it’s plausible that you could head to another employer who would give you these benefits no questions asked, you’ll be in a much stronger negotiating position.
1. Clearly defined job expectations
While this isn’t an employment benefit per se, having set job expectations, hours, and pay is the first step towards job satisfaction.
The quickest and most concrete way of doing this is to get everything in writing. For example, will you be expected to cook, shop, or drive, or accompany an elderly person to and from their medical appointments?
Having a solid understanding of what the job entails can help prevent disputes—which usually stem from miscommunication—from occurring later on. You can even have an employment lawyer take a look over these types of documents for added peace of mind.
But what if you’re caring for a family member? Although a signed agreement might not be entirely practical, there still needs to be a thorough discussion (and understanding) of what duties you’ll perform as the carer.
A few other questions you might want to take into consideration:
- Will you have backup if you call in sick?
- Are there any special certifications you’ll need to acquire, like CPR, to keep the person you’re caring for safe?
- On the compensation side, will you be paid hourly or on salary?
- What will your tax withholdings look like, and will you receive the Carer Allowance?
Set, guaranteed hours are a must when negotiating a contract. Often, when a client changes their mind on hours, the carer is the one who loses out.
Of course, every situation and agreement is different. The key point to keep in mind? Communication, communication, communication.
2. Paid time off
Almost all workers in Australia are entitled to 4 weeks of annual leave, based on their ordinary hours of work (the exception being casual workers), so it’s important to ensure that these entitlements are included in your contract, and to check whether public holidays are included in your paid leave or whether you’ll be expected to work them.
As for sick leave, eligible employees (casual employees are excluded) in Australia are entitled annually to 10 days sick leave (full-time employees) and pro-rata sick leave for part-time employees. Sick leave, like annual leave, starts accumulating from the day you start working and is based on your ordinary hours of work.
3. Reimbursement for your phone and travel
A large number of carers use their own personal mobile phones to keep in contact with their employers and patients, log their hours, view their work schedules, or even receive training. In these situations, it’s important to ensure that any time spent working on your device is compensated.
The same goes for travel, as it’s not uncommon for carers to have to drive long distances to visit their clients.
4. Health benefits and wellness initiatives
According to the Workplace Gender Equality Agency, most carers of older adults are older themselves—aged 55 and over. Throw in the fact that caregiving can be a physically demanding job, and it’s no wonder that prospective carers might want to seek out comprehensive health benefits.
Negotiating a contribution to the costs of private health insurance could make a real difference to your wellbeing as a carer. And depending on the nature of the work you’ll do, you might also be able to negotiate additional benefits. For instance, will your position require a significant amount of walking? Why not ask your employer to cover the cost of a solid pair of walking shoes? Will you potentially be exposed to people infected with coronavirus in hospitals or nursing home settings? Regular COVID-19 testing might be something to discuss with your employer.
5. Savings for retirement
In addition to healthcare cover, retirement planning is a top priority for prospective carers. Find out more about saving for your retirement—and what your employer must contribute—here.
6. Special training and certifications
Caregiving is skilled work, and specific skills—such as transferring an elderly person to and from the toilet, helping them with personal hygiene, and even redirecting anger and frustration—need to be learned. This makes continuing education in the field crucial.
While it always helps to have certain certifications and training under your belt prior to applying for a care job, it’s also worthwhile asking an employer if they’d be willing to sponsor your education. After all, it’s only going to enhance the quality of your care—and therefore help their loved one.
Certifications in dementia care or Parkinson’s might be worth pitching to an employer if the elderly person has either disease, since carers could cause a patient’s difficult behaviour to escalate if they’re not aware of how best to handle it.
For basic care, general health certifications might suffice, like CPR, first aid, and the use of an automated external defibrillator (AED). Check out what other types of training and certifications you might want to look into as a caregiver here.
Ultimately, endorsing yourself by asking for benefits like these can get your working relationship off to a strong start and leave you feeling empowered. It might seem intimidating at first, but you’ll be glad you let potential employers know upfront what your salary and benefits requirements are.