Photo by Andrea Piacquadio
The global pandemic has taken a toll on caregivers, the large majority of whom are women. In addition to the negative impacts on mental health and emotional wellbeing, COVID-19 has created financial burdens as well. Many women are both primary caregivers and primary wage earners for their families. And yet, millions of women have lost their jobs or been forced to take a step back from their careers over the past 14 months. In a study featured in Harvard Business Review, 26% of women who became unemployed during the pandemic said it was due to a lack of childcare. And while the pandemic has compounded responsibilities at work and home, unpaid caregiving has always fueled gender inequality, falling disproportionately on women and costing female caregivers on average $324,044 in lost wages and Social Security benefits.
Caregiving is not only a family issue, it’s a business issue. In fact, in a recent report published by the Boston Consulting Group, caregivers were twice as likely as non-caregivers to say that they would leave their current employer within six months, especially those caring for a young child or an adult. There’s no doubt, we must reimagine the future of work with caregivers in mind. Here are 5 steps your organization can take to support and retain caregivers.
1. Extend paid parental leave to parents of all genders.
We all know that women still do more domestic work and childcare than men, but did you know that parental leave policies can have a major impact on the distribution of shared caregiving a decade later? Men that take parental leave are more likely to take an active role in childcare and share household tasks as their child grows. Policies that offer maternity leave (but not paternity leave) or differentiate between primary and secondary caregivers promote the outdated norm that childcare is a woman's job. To combat gender disparities in the workplace, offer equal amounts of paid parental leave to parents of all genders. Better yet, make parental leave for all new parents “mandatory” in order to minimize the motherhood penalty and promote shared caregiving. Of course, you can’t force employees to take advantage of FMLA, but you can make paid parental leave policies opt out rather than opt in. Leaders, especially men, can also set an example at the top by taking advantage of paid parental leave policies.
2. Provide childcare benefits.
The global pandemic has pushed working parents to the limit. According to Care @ Work, 66% of working parents report that their productivity has suffered due to juggling childcare and work responsibilities during the COVID-19 pandemic. With an estimated 50 million workers having a child under 14 in their household, America’s childcare crisis has become the subject of national conversation. There are a few ways employers can support working parents. Consider providing stipends, discounts, or reimbursements to offset some of the costs of childcare. You might also provide backup childcare options for times when a child is sick or school is closed by purchasing care through a childcare center, in-home provider, or emergency childcare center. Or, if your organization has the resources available, you might even offer on-site childcare either free of charge or based on income level.
3. Offer paid medical and caregiver leave.
While incredibly important, parental leave policies alone do not support employees caring for an aging parent, ailing spouse, or other loved one. According to data from the Pew Research Center, twelve percent of parents are part of the sandwich generation, caring for both aging parents and children under 18. The Center for American Progress estimates that lost wages from a lack of access to paid family and medical leave costs the American economy $22.5 billion per year. Consider offering paid family leave that includes caregiver leave. Ideally, you’ll want to cover 100% of an employee’s average wages. However, if this isn’t feasible, offering partially paid leave can still be incredibly helpful. If paid caregiver leave just isn’t in the budget right now, allow employees to use sick time and other forms of paid time off to care for their loved ones.
4. Support flex time and remote work options.
A 9-to-5 schedule can be too restrictive for many caregivers. According to a recent FlexJobs survey, 27% of workers said that they would be willing to take a 10% to 20% pay cut to work remotely. What’s more, 81% of workers said that they would be more loyal to their employer if they had access to flexible work arrangements. Allow employees to flex their hours or work from home a certain number of days per week. For employees that work in roles that require a physical presence, provide them some autonomy and control over their work hours. Of course policies and practices will vary based on industry and job function—there is no one size fits all model. The key is to experiment to see what works best for your organization and its employees.
5. Reimagine bereavement leave policies.
Given that many caregivers provide healthcare and support to loved ones with chronic illness or disability, caregiving and bereavement are often closely linked. Grief is a unique experience and occurs in stages. Given the time required to plan arrangements, attend services, and sort out any financial and legal responsibilities, three to five days of paid time off, typical in many bereavement leave policies, leaves much to be desired. Consider increasing the amount of paid time off available to employees that have experienced a loss. The most inclusive bereavement policies are flexible and include the loss of any loved one, whether an immediate or extended family member, a close friend, or neighbor. Miscarriage is also a loss and should be included in your bereavement leave policy. If your organization offers an EAP that provides grief counseling, you may wish to remind employees that have experienced a loss that it is available to them.
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