A comprehensive checklist to boost caregiving support for employees

Former First Lady and passionate family caregiver advocate Rosalynn Carter famously said: "There are only four kinds of people in the world: Those who have been caregivers, those who are currently caregivers, those who will be caregivers and those who will need caregivers."

I had the privilege of collaborating with Mrs. Carter and The Rosalynn Carter Institute for Caregivers located in Americus, Georgia on caregiving initiatives that addressed helping employees manage the burdens and embrace the unexpected joys of caregiving. All employers, from small businesses to the largest companies, can play a critical role in helping employees cope with the burdens of caregiving, and I urge employers to reframe caregiving as a workplace issue rather than a personal responsibility.  

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The burden of caregiving is significant

The statistics are stunning. In 2023, AARP "estimated [the] economic value of family caregivers' unpaid contributions was approximately $600 billion, based on about 38 million caregivers providing an average of 18 hours of care per week."  Just two years later, a study conducted by Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health and sponsored by Otsuka America Pharmaceutical suggested that "there are 44.58 million caregivers in the U.S. performing the equivalent of an estimated $873.5 billion worth of labor each year." The study's findings go on to indicate that "nearly half of U.S. states (48%) are on the brink of an unpaid family caregiving emergency."

Family caregivers serve many roles: chef, financial planner, chauffeur, housekeeper, personal stylist and bather, physical and emotional supporter, care coordinator and more. Increasingly, their responsibilities extend to medical and nursing tasks for which little training, education, and support are provided. For many employees, their caregiving responsibilities are the equivalent of an additional part-time job or even a full-time job.

Employee Benefit News' latest research, conducted in partnership with Homethrive, shows that 50% of employee caregivers expect their responsibilities to intensify in the next few years and "the strain is already showing up at work."

Actions with big impact and no cost

NEBGH has robust resources on caregiving, including a microsite created in partnership with AARP Family Caregiving, featuring a guide, fact sheets, checklist, tips and videos for employers, managers, and affected employees. These resources are available at no cost. The employer-led nonprofit coalition has curated a list of actions organizations can take that will support employee well-being which, in turn, can help sustain performance and productivity, as well as contribute to retention and company loyalty — all without adding to a company's operating budget. 

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There is no one-size-fits-all approach to creating a caregiving-friendly workplace, but every employer can make a commitment to improving their workplace culture to be more responsive to caregiving employees' needs by taking certain universal steps.

Create a culture of awareness
It's key for leadership to gain a company-wide understanding of the challenges that employees who are providing care for relatives or friends face. Asking employees to fill out a survey is a good place to start.  

And it's fundamental that managers be educated about what caregiving entails and what the impact might be on those they manage, including how caregiving represents a risk for depression, chronic illness, loneliness and social isolation, as well as substance abuse. Loneliness and social isolation are also correlated with higher incidences of heart disease and stroke.  

Make sure managers are prepared to assist
HR staff and benefits managers generally oversee programs and policies that may benefit employee caregivers, but it's managers who are often navigating day-to-day accommodations. 

Employers should ensure that managers at all levels are aware of the company's policies regarding flex-time, remote work, leave policies and other benefits that caregiving employees can access, and encourage them to openly support employees using these benefits.

Host support groups for your caregivers 
Employers can offer space and time for caregiving employees to meet, share resources, and get support from one another. Whether led by experts or fellow caregivers, this action by employers can help employees feel more comfortable and confident that they work at a place where their challenges are understood and that they're supported every step of the way.

Set aside a private space for calls  
Employees may need to spend time during business hours scheduling healthcare appointments, consulting with doctors, negotiating with health insurance companies, arranging deliveries, dealing with emergencies and serving as an advocate for their loved one. Employers should dedicate a room or private area for phone calls and stepping away to handle difficult emotions.

Help with navigating FMLA and other benefits
Benefits are only as beneficial as an employee's ability to access them. For those employees residing in states that offer paid family leave, the paperwork that must be completed can feel overwhelming. Benefits like intermittent leave can feel challenging to coordinate. Employers must work with impacted employees to remove any barriers that would prevent access to these vital benefits. 

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Normalize talking about caregiving
It's crucial for executives to lead by example and talk about caregiving openly as something that is/has/will touch all of us. Fostering an environment that recognizes the unpredictable nature of caregiving along with the practical and emotional challenges that come with it can help encourage impacted employees to reach out for support early and connect with helpful internal and external resources to cope with the realities of caregiving.  

Optimize flex time and work-from-home options
Many of the tasks that caregivers need to accomplish can only be done during regular business hours when they are already at work. Being able to work an adjusted daily schedule, or shifting some work to evenings and weekends, would open up time to take a loved one to physical therapy or other caregiving tasks. 

Permitting remote work can also help employees balance work and caregiving responsibilities. 

These adjustments could lead to confusion or a perception of unfairness amongst team members, so leadership should encourage project teams to work with managers to achieve flexibility and predictability by building out schedules that work for everyone on the team.  

Curate caregiver resources from reliable sources
When facing a life-changing event, most people's instinct is to go online or on social media to learn more. Unfortunately, that search can lead to inaccurate, misleading, or even false information. Employers should assemble and share publicly available, helpful information from recognized, reliable sources along with lists of resources and any employer-sponsored benefits and services.  

NEBGH's microsite, created in partnership with AARP, has many resources available at no cost.  

Check, don't guess, how caregiver-friendly your company is 
NEBGH and AARP Family Caregiving created a 15-minute survey that explores how caregiving-friendly an organization is and gives you the opportunity to benchmark your results anonymously against similar organizations.