3 Ways to Support Caregivers in the Workplace
According to TEKsystems, more than one in six people working full-time or part-time are Caregivers. And the Caregiver title doesn’t belong to parents alone, but to a whole other set of people who care for the people they love in a variety of life contexts, and friends. However, it’s reported that only 56% of caregivers say that their supervisor is aware of their caregiving responsibilities.
It’s so important to support Caregivers in the workplace. Support yields good culture and lets your employees know that you care for them, their circumstances, and their overall well-being. Cheryl Larson, President and CEO at the Midwest Business Group on Health says, “If you don’t have the right culture in place, you’re not going to have engagement, and when you’ve got a poor culture people don’t engage.” Here are three ways that you can engage with and support Caregivers in the workplace while creating and cultivating a good culture:
1. Seek to understand
Caregivers have a lot on their plate. In addition to caring for themselves, working, and being a Caregiver for another, the load is taxing. According to the Mayo Clinic, both emotional and physical stress is commonplace for Caregivers. This stress can impact their home and work-life. The Family Caregiver Alliance reports that 70% of working Caregivers “suffer work-related difficulties due to their dual roles” and suffer a loss of wages, health insurance, and other job benefits.
As a leader in your workplace, take time to seek to understand Caregivers’ experiences. Ask questions; this can look like setting up a time to meet over coffee and hear your employees’ experiences, feelings, and needs. All feelings and circumstances are of value to hear as you work with employees and colleagues to better their lives.
2. Start a Caregivers Employee Resource Group (ERG)
At Cultivate, a lot of the work we do supports Employee Resource Groups. So, you could say we advocate for their existence. They provide community and give members a sense of belonging all while providing a way for individuals to multiply their impact on their company. Creating or strengthening a Caregivers’ ERG is an excellent way to offer support to the caregivers in your workplace community. Find out what they need, see how you can provide it, and then give them what is necessary to create the desired space.
An example of what this looks like in action is the Caregiver ERG at Culture Amp. We sat down with the ERG lead, Iryna Halaway, to discuss how she uses community data to meet the pressing needs of Caregivers within the organization.
3. Provide resources
Do your research! See what resources are available and how you can make them readily accessible to your caregiving employees. The USA Government site has a compiled list of resources for Caregiver support. A best practice to support Caregivers is correct knowledge diffusion. Family Caregiver Alliance recommends providing education and training to supervisors and managers about employing Caregivers and being knowledgeable about what constitutes Caregiver discrimination. And if you can’t find something you and your employees need, then create! AARP shares that Caregivers often have phone calls to make during business hours that include contacting doctors, home health aides, etc. Creating a quiet space in the office for employees to make these calls is a way to show that you care.
These are just a few ways that you can support caregivers in your workplace community. We encourage you to be a curious Cultivator and to find more resources and ways to help empower your caregiving employees-- don’t stop here! Let us know how you care for Caregivers in the comments below!
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