If you haven’t heard by now, our population is aging rapidly. The first of the baby boom generation began turning 65 in 2011, and since then every eight seconds a person turns 65 — that’s 10,000 people every day! In the current workforce, 61% of employees are caring for a loved one outside of work. As a result, caregiving has become a universal reality, not only for the individual, but also for corporate America. No industry, profession, company, or level of seniority is exempt.
The ability to successfully integrate work, family commitments and personal life is important for the well-being of all employees. As a country, we have failed to take the rising burden of unpaid care seriously, and because of that, countless employees are suffering. The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECDs) reported that, out of 41 countries listed in the work-life balance index, the US is ranked number 29.
