At AT&T, employee caregivers get a boost from these benefits

• Key insight: Discover how integrated caregiver benefits create a "front door" for employee support.  
• What's at stake: Absent caregiver support, employers risk retention losses, productivity hits and workflow disruption.  
• Expert quote: Matt Phillips (AVP, benefits): Leaders must be able to say yes to employee use of benefits.  
• Source: Bullets generated by AI with editorial review

AT&T's inclusive benefits make taking time off, care navigation and personal wellness easier for its employees caring for older loved ones. 

The number of caregivers providing essential support to aging or disabled loved ones is now over 60 million — up almost 50% over the last decade, according to a report by AARP and National Alliance for Caregiving. The majority are also employed, and the study found a lack of workplace benefits and support are disrupting work flows and heightening the toll of caregiving responsibilities. 

In order to recruit and hold onto its existing talent, AT&T has worked to offset caregiver challenges by building a supportive culture, including offerings, policies and leadership buy-in, says Matt Phillips, AVP of benefits at AT&T. 

"What do we need to do to help our employees take the time they need to care for their loved ones in a way that doesn't drain their vacation balance?" Phillips says. "And then how do we support them with all of those challenges that might come, regardless of the type of dependent, so they can bring kind of their full selves to work?" 

Read more:  Exclusive research: Caregiving support boosts recruitment and retention

Time off, assistance and self care

In 2021, AT&T added 15 days of paid-caregiver leave. The policy covered direct and indirect family members, and was later modified to include those who are victims of, or who are caring for victims of, domestic violence, sexual abuse or stalking. Phillips himself used some of his caregiver PTO when his dad had major surgery.

"My dad had open heart surgery, and there was flexibility to go help," says Phillips. "It really wasn't even caring for him; it was being there for my mom [while] she was there for him."

Also in 2021, the company partnered with family-care solution Bright Horizons, giving employees access to a variety of caregiving options including 10 days of backup care at a subsidized rate and eldercare guidance and resources. While working parents can use the backup care provided on site at Bright Horizon's many nationwide child centers, they also have in-home options that are especially useful for adults in need.

Read more:  Allstate's new benefit keeps employees safe from scams

As part of the sandwich generation, Phillips's family has utilized Bright Horizon's child care options, and sought out the eldercare coaching to help them navigate a safe solution for a family member with Parkinson's.

"[She] was having a significant amount of health problems, but wanted to continue to live independently in her own home," he says. "We were able to sit down with the eldercare coach and talk through the situation, and receive a very personalized plan with very specific referrals, which was really helpful for us." 

Phillips points out the business advantage of providing a "front door" to a point solution that covers such a broad range of caregiver needs: "We've very purposefully positioned Bright Horizon as the place you go to help you care for your family," he says. "We haven't had to do a lot of hanging other solutions off the back end, because they do so much."

To help employee caregivers stay well themselves, AT&T offers access to mental health platform Lyra Health to them and their families. Phillips notes that its multiple levels of support available, from coaching to traditional therapy, can meet people where they are. 

"Mental health support is really important — that's something that we try to hammer home," he says. "It's available not just for you and your spouse or partner and children, but also for anyone that might be living in your household. If you have an adult parent that's coming to live with you, then you can extend that benefit to them as well."

Read more:  Experts see AI boosting productivity across workplace benefits

Making it easy to say yes

For caregivers to feel comfortable using things like PTO, their leaders have to be supportive. This means providing them with the flexibility to make the best decisions for their people, and creating a culture where empathetic leadership is the norm, Phillips says.

"You need to cultivate a culture where leaders are willing to say yes," he says. "The bottom line is very important, but our people are more important, and serving our people will ultimately deliver on the bottom line."

AT&T's HR team works alongside leaders to provide education along with a growing toolkit of wellness resources they can share with employees, Phillips says. He also urges all levels of leadership to model the behavior they want workers to follow, including self care and tending to family. 

"If you as a leader are willing to take the time off to go and do these things, then what does that convey to your employees?" he says. "The words are important, but the actions are just as important."