How businesses can tackle our national care crisis: part 4 A new study (September 2022) reveals that working caregivers need more help from their employers. The study, co-sponsored by Homethrive, Home Instead, and Certification in Long-Term Care, titled “Following The Journey of Family Caregivers” indicates that 70% of family caregivers fear they’ll have to leave their jobs if they don’t find more support. I’ve been writing all year about the importance of supporting employees in your workforce that are family caregivers. In Part 1 I introduced you to family caregivers, individuals providing care to a family member or friend in an unpaid fashion. And how this represents an estimated 53 million Americans. In Part 2 I dove deeper into why businesses need to help their family caregiveremployees, speaking to large losses in productivity and risks to losing key talent if you don't. And in Part 3 I drilled down into how businesses can use family caregiver support to provide inclusive benefits and create equitable working environments. Here are some statistics:
PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT By Kimberly Whiter Executive Summary: The last in a series of columns on the upcoming Care Colloquium at the Hotel Roanoke & Conference Center November 14-16 that Kimberly Whiter has organized.
• Family caregivers make up 18% to 22% of the current workforce, with anticipated and sustained growth over the coming years • Without support from their employers, family caregivers contribute to a national average of 11% loss in productivity. • Family caregivers spend on average 21 hours a week on care tasks, including time within the 9 AM to 5 PM workday. • Family caregivers spend on average $1000 a month on out-of-pocket care expenses, or an estimated 40% of the paycheck you give them. Despite these facts, nearly 80% of employers are not offering caregiving benefits for their workforce. What would happen if you did? Well, you’d provide a more inclusive workforce, retain your key talent that want to continue building their career with you, improve productivity numbers, and have a competitive edge when hiring new talent. This issue is dear to me personally as a woman who has felt the immense juggle of care and career. Also, as a business owner where I hear from family caregivers every day that are either seriously considering abandoning their career, or already have. We can do better! This is why I am gathering leaders in care, including Homethrive, in Roanoke next month. Founders, C-suite executives, Executive Directors, Authors, and Advocates are all collecting in our beautiful city to discuss care issues like how working caregivers support.
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