Employee benefits must keep up with workers’ caregiving needs
Research shows that nearly a quarter of workers dedicate more than 20 unpaid hours per week to family caregiving — on top of their regular employment and all the other things life brings. We’ve known for a long time that employees sometimes struggle to balance their jobs with family caregiving, but this struggle has become more pronounced over the last couple of years.
As workers’ needs have evolved, employers must take notice and update their benefits to meet those needs. According to benefits consultant NFP, employee caregivers need help, whether that’s through flexible schedules, onsite childcare, mental health support or any number of other solutions, and they’re looking for jobs where they’ll have the flexibility, support and resources to meet their complex and diverse needs.
“When caregivers burn out, something has to give, and it’s usually a job they quit, not their child or parent,” says Deb Smolensky, senior vice-president of well-being and engagement at NFP. “Employers risk losing these folks when they don’t step in to help.”
Read more from NFP: Caregiving Benefits: A Continuous Evolution