There’s a new kind of “sandwich generation” becoming a work/life issue for many U.S. workers–and their employers.
The original “sandwich” describes people responsible for young children and older parents, all often living under the same roof.
The newest “sandwich” refers to those in charge of an elderly parent, also often living with them, and an adult child– a “boomerang kid”–who has returned home, usually for economic reasons.
While there are no statistics on the new sandwich, the National Survey of Families and Households reports that 10 percent of U.S. adults ages 25 to 35 live with their parents, often because of a poor job market. That statistic–coupled with the fact that the number of Americans 65 and older is expected to increase 17 percent from 1995 to 2010–means it’s not a stretch to anticipate that many workers also will find themselves “sandwiched.”
Carolyn Anderson, 55, knows all about it. She’s a single parent who is “sandwiched” between her mother, 82, and her daughter, 24. They live together in Ann Arbor, Mich.
Anderson and her mother bought a house together after her mother was widowed in 2000. Anderson’s daughter, who had been attending college in another state, returned home in 2001 when she transferred schools.
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Anderson is particularly qualified to deal with the challenges of three generations under one roof–and a full-time job–as the manager of a team of elder-care specialists for Work/Life Benefits, a consulting firm based in Valencia, Calif.
Anderson, who works at the firm’s service center in Auburn Hills, Mich., has an undergraduate degree in elementary education, a master’s degree in early childhood education and another master’s in social work. She also has a graduate certificate in gerontology.
Yet Anderson, who has worked for the consulting firm since 1988, said the early days of the “sandwich” were not always easy to swallow.
“There were a few rough times at first to define everyone’s role and to get used to the different lifestyles of the different generations–we had to establish the ground rules and develop mutual respect for one another,” said Anderson, who used the resource and referral services her own company offers plus her own expertise.
Because Anderson needs more flexibility, she is now permitted to work from home one day a week, “just to be available for my mother.” And she has lunch once a week with her daughter, “just to talk.” Her daughter has a job and pays her share of expenses. Through her professional contacts, Anderson also found a writing group affiliated with a geriatric center for her mother.
The secret to success for the new sandwich generation varies from family to family, the manager said. “But there are creative solutions and professionals who can help you.”
It was only early last year that Andy Glantzman, operations manager at Work/Life Benefits, started to get requests from clients for information about how to handle the new sandwich situation.
“We serve a large manufacturing community with our resource and referral services, and the average age of these employees tends to be in the upper 40s–so they’re likely candidates to have this kind of problem,” said Glantzman, whose wife’s grandmother, 92, lives with them and their two sons.
“As a company, we practice what we preach and walk the talk,” he said, so his first concern was to make sure Anderson’s family is “well-cared for and that she still functions as the quality employee she’s always been.
“Companies need to offer employee support, such as elder-care and legal advice for elderly adults and employee assistance programs and job search advice for older kids.”
What workers in this situation face, Glantzman observes, is “the stress of wanting to take care of people in two different age groups.”
And that’s why it’s called a “sandwich.”
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Carol Kleiman’s columns also appear in Tuesday’s and Thursday’s Business sections. Hear her on WBBM Newsradio 780 at 6:21 p.m. and 10:22 p.m. Mondays and 11:20 a.m. Saturdays. Watch her “Career Coach” segments on CLTV. E-mail [email protected].