Discussing the fundamental principles inherent to effective systems of caregiving leave
Abstract
Achieving a healthy work-family life balance is becoming increasingly
difficult and is generally dependent on a combination of factors. Such
factors include the nature and intensity of work engaged in, available
legislative or employer provided leave and time-off for caregiving (family)
responsibilities, and organisational and home support towards carrying out
caregiving duties. A largely female focussed approach towards available
caregiving leave must also be addressed. A truly effective system of
caregiving leave should be sensitive towards a number of issues, most
notably: job security and availability, and sufficiency and practicality of
available caregiving leave. With the aforesaid as background, the aim of
this contribution is to highlight those fundamental or core principles
arguably inherent to any effective system of caregiving leave.