For caregivers, 'bringing Your whole self' to work isn’t going to happen

Bringing your whole self to work is a nice thought in theory, but for many, it’s an impossible exercise and oftentimes not as beneficial as managers think it is. Every workplace should strive to have an inclusive culture where employees are comfortable being themselves. Still, there are some things nobody will ever feel comfortable sharing with their boss or fellow employees. Yet, that doesn’t mean those hardships should be ignored. Caregivers already make up a huge portion of the workforce, with over 53 million US adults currently caring for a loved one. However, because caregiving is a very personal struggle it’s rarely made known in the workplace. So how can employers still support these employees even when it’s impossible for them to bring their whole selves to work?

Identify the common stressors caregivers face.

For most caregivers, their responsibilities often resemble a time commitment equivalent to taking on another full-time job, on top of their primary employment. From juggling siblings and care professionals to tracking and splitting every minor cost, it can be incredibly time-consuming. And since business hours are typically standard across every industry, a lot of these tasks typically need to happen during the workday. Caregivers are often some of the most driven employees, given their external fiscal responsibilities to family members and loved ones. However, even the most organized individuals are bound to experience burnout.

Knowing this, an employer’s job shouldn’t be to punish this loss in productivity but instead, help ease the burden of the root of the cause. The average caregiver spends roughly 24 hours weekly and $7,300 out of pocket annually on their care duties. Caregiving puts an incredible strain on every aspect of a caregiver’s life, and the last place they need additional stress from is their job.

Find the technology that can help them succeed.

HR benefits in the post-covid world have been revitalized. Companies have moved away from the big-box benefit solutions of the past and now try to cater to the individuals that make up their workforce. Yet the caregiving contingent is still left behind. Digital transformation catalyzed this shift and now there is technology available to solve virtually any problem. So why not take the same approach with the issues hiding under the surface? 

Tools exist today that can help caregivers track, manage, and even directly pay the bills that are incurred when taking care of a loved one. These tools can be easily rolled out to an entire workforce, allowing anybody who has to deal with the stress of caregiving to anonymously sign up and make their jobs and lives easier. Such a simple tool can save hours of time each week, and more importantly, it keeps everything organized and tracked in one place for future use. This simple benefit can resolve disputes between siblings splitting costs and spare countless hours previously spent on the phone with billing departments, as payments can be more effortlessly managed. 

Related: Family care benefits more important than ever in today’s workplace, study finds

This problem will only continue to grow.

For such a growing issue in today’s workforce, it still seems like the problem of working caregivers is slipping under the radar. It’s predicted that by the year 2034, adults aged 65 and older will outnumber children under the age of 18. The baby boom retirement is starting to make headlines, and questions about caregiving costs have started to arise. But nobody’s paying attention to the impact on everyday workers and it needs to be addressed. The first step is understanding the problem, and only then can employers effectively give their employees the support they need to not only feel comfortable in their jobs but also comfortable in their personal lives.

Sheri Atwood, Founder and CEO of SupportPay