Employers Should Embrace A “Care Culture” To Support Employee Caregivers
How can employers implement a “care culture”?
Posted on 06-04-2019, Read Time: Min
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It’s no secret that offering competitive salaries, health insurance, and vacation time is no longer the guarantee they once were when it comes to hiring and retaining employees. In fact, today’s employees and job seekers alike are asking for benefits that increase their own quality of life and reflect an employer’s softer, gentler side. Why? Studies show that, at any given time, three-quarters of today’s employees are caring for family members or other loved ones. And when caregiving needs go unmet, employers experience more than just issues with hiring and turnover; caregiving stress also decreases productivity, increases absenteeism, and erodes morale. Employers committed to reducing these hidden costs of caregiving must start actively “caring” about their employees and their families.
As caregivers, many employees must spend time out of the office for doctors’ visits, school meetings, and other appointments related to their caregiving roles. While at work, they might take time to coordinate a loved one’s care by scheduling a doctor’s visit, advocating for services at school, or sorting out complicated insurance benefits. On any given day, 20 percent of employees are disengaged or physically absent due to family caregiving responsibilities like these, according to Gallup research. And the seemingly “small” things – a meeting, a phone call, an appointment – add up. Caregiving responsibilities contribute to a tremendous $38.2 billion annually in lost productivity costs to U.S. businesses.
As caregivers, many employees must spend time out of the office for doctors’ visits, school meetings, and other appointments related to their caregiving roles. While at work, they might take time to coordinate a loved one’s care by scheduling a doctor’s visit, advocating for services at school, or sorting out complicated insurance benefits. On any given day, 20 percent of employees are disengaged or physically absent due to family caregiving responsibilities like these, according to Gallup research. And the seemingly “small” things – a meeting, a phone call, an appointment – add up. Caregiving responsibilities contribute to a tremendous $38.2 billion annually in lost productivity costs to U.S. businesses.
HR Professionals: Drive Positive Change by Adopting a “Care Culture”
It’s true that many employers, while willing, simply don’t know how to help their employees. Multiple studies confirm that companies are facing a crisis where work and family care intersect. As highlighted in Torchlight’s Modern Caregiving report and a recent Harvard Business School report, two major factors contributing to the caregiving crisis include (a) a lack of family-care infrastructure at work (e.g., benefits, policies, and procedures) and (b) non-supportive work environments and people. Exacerbating the problem, existing benefits aren’t addressing the root cause and associated challenges that impact both employers and their caregiving employees.
The good news: HR professionals can drive positive change by adopting more supportive, compassionate “care cultures” at their organizations. And, it doesn’t have to be an overwhelming, difficult, or costly undertaking.
The good news: HR professionals can drive positive change by adopting more supportive, compassionate “care cultures” at their organizations. And, it doesn’t have to be an overwhelming, difficult, or costly undertaking.
First, Let’s Define “Modern Caregiving”
While caregiving has traditionally been defined as care for an aging loved one or a relative with a disease or diagnosis, modern caregiving encompasses a far wider range of issues than ever before. Today’s employees are caring for children, spouses, parents, and other loved ones. Their responsibilities and biggest stressors are often the daily challenges, logistics, and complications. They don’t just worry about their mother’s being diagnosed with cancer. They also need to figure out how to manage the ongoing doctors’ appointments associated with the diagnosis, negotiate insurance, and determine who will help with the daily chores of cleaning, shopping, and so forth when she becomes too ill to manage them herself.
Torchlight’s recent caregiving study, which analyzed data collected from more than 18,000 people, revealed a struggle with daily stressors that would never have traditionally been defined as caregiving. People are managing caregiving issues that can be disruptive on a daily basis, like dealing with the aftermath of a parent’s giving away $20,000 in an internet scam or struggling to make sure a child’s Individualized Education Program (IEP) is being implemented. Additionally, people struggle with complex situations like arranging home care for a relative in another state, advocating for their teen who is being bullied over social media, or working to manage the anxiety of their second grader.
The logistics of modern caregiving can be overwhelming, and many employees don’t know where to begin or where to turn for help. In fact, modern caregiving needs, issues, and challenges are causing today’s American families stress, expenses, and lost productivity. This “churn” negatively impacts both employees and employers.
Torchlight’s recent caregiving study, which analyzed data collected from more than 18,000 people, revealed a struggle with daily stressors that would never have traditionally been defined as caregiving. People are managing caregiving issues that can be disruptive on a daily basis, like dealing with the aftermath of a parent’s giving away $20,000 in an internet scam or struggling to make sure a child’s Individualized Education Program (IEP) is being implemented. Additionally, people struggle with complex situations like arranging home care for a relative in another state, advocating for their teen who is being bullied over social media, or working to manage the anxiety of their second grader.
The logistics of modern caregiving can be overwhelming, and many employees don’t know where to begin or where to turn for help. In fact, modern caregiving needs, issues, and challenges are causing today’s American families stress, expenses, and lost productivity. This “churn” negatively impacts both employees and employers.
How Can Employers Implement a “Care Culture”?
However, there’s hope. As more companies adopt a “care culture” to support their employees, they’re finding that it enhances business outcomes, employee loyalty, and productivity. Harvard Business School’s recent caregiving report supports these findings as well. According to HBS, creating a care culture helps employers control for the hidden costs (like turnover, absenteeism, and engagement) of unmet caregiving needs of employees. As a bonus, employees are applauding their employers for doing the “right thing” to support them.
HR leaders like you have the opportunity to drive positive change by advocating for and adopting a “care culture” in your organization. Fortunately, most steps to creating a care culture are relatively inexpensive and easy to implement. Read on.
HR leaders like you have the opportunity to drive positive change by advocating for and adopting a “care culture” in your organization. Fortunately, most steps to creating a care culture are relatively inexpensive and easy to implement. Read on.
- Secure the support of senior management, if possible. As with any new initiative, securing the “sponsorship” of C-suite executives is key. Look for leaders who are or were impacted by caregiving demands--they’ve been there and they get it! Company leaders should demonstrate – with words and actions – that they support and embrace the new care culture.
- Commit to creating a corporate caregiving culture. Once the decision has been made to move forward, think about a kickoff event or any fanfare to announce your company’s exciting new (or expanding) care initiative. Within your marketing plan, decide how you will promote existing caregiving benefits and encourage employees to use them, as needed. Also make it clear that the company is committed to reviewing and implementing policies and procedures, like flex time and other work-life policies, based on input from employees.
- Gather employee data about caregiving needs from a range of sources. It’s relatively easy to access your company’s current demographic and health claims data to inform decisions about caregiving needs. This quantitative data alone, however, is insufficient to paint a complete picture. Therefore, you also need to encourage employees to speak openly about their caregiving demands and how their family responsibilities may be impacting their jobs; lead by example if caregiving demands are impacting your own life. Conduct focus groups and surveys, or solicit input from relevant employee resource groups. Use all the data to understand what employees need (and want), then provide benefits and support accordingly.
- Find a budget. To access additional budget to provide those benefits and support, try outlining to those with access to company purse strings, the proven business benefits that a care culture provides. You can also justify spending in this area by sharing what you know about competitor companies in your industry that are already offering caregiving benefits your company doesn’t have. For budgets, you already control, look to apply dollars you’ve shaved from benefits with low usage, as is the case with many employee assistance programs (EAPs). With budget in hand, look for benefits that are scalable so that you can address broadly and deeply the diverse caregiving needs of your employee base.
- Train your managers. Organize training sessions to familiarize managers with compliance laws - especially those that cover leave and other caregiving issues. Managers should also be trained in how to talk to their employees about caregiving and to examine any of their own biases related to work and caregiving responsibilities. Ideally, when managers learn that their employees are dealing with a caregiving issue, they should explain the caregiving benefits the company provides and encourage employees to use the benefits that will be most helpful to their specific situation.
- Reduce caregiver stigma. In many companies, there’s a stigma around using benefits like flex time or PTO. Employees may worry that they’ll look like a “slacker” if they take time off from work, fear their colleagues (or managers) will judge them, and/or think they’ll be passed over for a promotion. A care culture actively works to remove that stigma and any perception that caregivers are less committed to their jobs than non-caregivers.
- Design and implement out-of-the-box, flexible approaches to solve caregiving challenges. Many caregiving demands take place during the workday. It’s when mom falls at home, and your employee – her caregiver – must rush to her side. It’s when your son’s teacher reaches out to discuss challenging behaviors at school. It’s when the doctor finally calls. When employees can’t easily address the demands of caregiving, it increases their stress, impacts their ability to focus on their work responsibilities, and often leads to increased days off, reduction in hours, or job flight. Therefore, implement creative strategies to address caregiving issues: designate a specific office space for employees to use for private, time-sensitive phone calls; allow employees to donate paid time off to a co-worker caring for a spouse; offer telecommuting options for an employee helping an ailing relative out-of-state. Think imaginatively about what your company can do to support caregivers. Many of these approaches cost little to nothing, yet the payoff is immense.
There’s no doubt that modern caregiving is a pressing issue in the American workplace. As employees navigate caregiving and work responsibilities, employers should take advantage of the enormous opportunity for businesses to be a force for positive change. while managing the hidden costs of caregiving at the same time. Paving the way for a care culture that provides caregiving support and benefits free of stigma and repercussions is a pivotal part of the solution.
Author Bio
| Carolyn Romano, J.D. is Vice President of Product at Torchlight. For over 25 years, she has advocated for and participated in systemic-change efforts that include leveraging technology to improve the lives of families, children, and the elderly. Visit www.torchlight.care Connect Carolyn Romano Follow @torchlightcare |
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